Korstiaan "Kees" Verkade (12 October 1941 – 29 December 2020) was a Dutch artist and sculptor. He specialized in modeling the human form, with an emphasis on movement and emotion. Most of his sculptures are set in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

. They depict a variety of people, including children, clowns, athletes, dancers, mothers, and lovers. Verkade also created

gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouach ...

s and

silkscreen Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen in a "flood stroke" ...

s to accompany his sculptures.

Biography

Early life

Kees Verkade was born on 12 October 1941 in

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

. He wished to attend the

Gerrit Rietveld Academie The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, also known as Rietveld School of Art & Design and Rietveld Academy, is an art academy in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was founded in 1924 and offers programs in fine arts and design. History The Instituut voor Kuns ...

but was rejected. He took painting lessons with Gerrit van ’t Net from 1958 to 1963, and from Dirk Bus at the

Royal Academy of Art, The Hague The Royal Academy of Art (, KABK) is an art and design academy in The Hague, offering programs at both the Education in the Netherlands, HBO bachelor's and master's levels, as well as PhD programs. Succeeding the ''Haagsche Teeken-Academie'' (pa ...

. He graduated from the academy in 1963.

Career

Statua di bronzo a grandezza naturale del Principe Ranieri III

In 1964, he had his first exposition in the

Vleeshal (the former municipal meat market), now belonging to the

Frans Hals Museum The Frans Hals Museum (formerly ''Stedelijk Museum van Haarlem'') is a museum in the North Holland city of Haarlem, the Netherlands, founded in 1862, known as the Art Museum of Haarlem. Its collection is based on the city's own rich collection, b ...

. This was a success and the Frans Hals Museum bought two of his sculptures. He specialised in carving and sculpture. In 1966 he sold his first public work ''Winkelen'' to the municipality of Haarlem in 1966. His big breakthrough came three years later when American photographer David Douglas Duncan bought several of his bronze statues and showed them to his friends. Verkade then proceeded to become an internationally recognized artist, and many local associations bought his work. His work can be seen in public places around Haarlem and Zandvoort, where he lived and worked. In 2013, he did a public sculpture of the late

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years. Rainier was born at the Prince's Pal ...

(1923–2005), which stands outside the

Prince's Palace of Monaco The Prince's Palace of Monaco (; ) is the official residence of the Monarchy of Monaco, Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Republic of Genoa, Genoese fortress, during its long and often dramatic history it has been bombarded and bes ...

.La famille princière de Monaco dévoile une statue du prince Rainier III
''Nice Matin'', November 18, 2013

Personal life

He moved to Monaco in the late 1970s. In 1979 he married Baroness Ludmila von Falz-Fein. He died there on 29 December 2020, aged 79.

Selected works

* '' H.S.H. Princess Grace of Monaco'' (1983) in the Princess Grace Rose Garden, in

Fontvieille, Monaco Fontvieille (; ) is the southernmost ward in the Principality of Monaco. It was developed by Italian engineer Gianfranco Gilardini and designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti, between the 1970s and the 1990s. History In contrast to the other ...

* ''Triomf'' (1995) in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, Netherlands * ''Malizia'' (1997) a statue of François Grimaldi in Monaco * ''

Tightrope Walker Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

'' (1979),

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, New York City Verkade Rotterdam 001.jpg, ''Triomf'' (1995),

Kees-verkade-the-picknick.JPG, 1978 Bronze statue of family with picnic basket. Situated at the entrance to the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen park in Vogelenzang, Netherlands

References

External links

keesverkade.com

KEES VERKADE Unique, Distinguishing and Always in Development
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verkade, Kees 1941 births 2020 deaths Artists from Haarlem Dutch expatriates in Monaco Dutch sculptors Dutch male sculptors Monegasque sculptors Royal Academy of Art, The Hague alumni