Kees Verkade
(Haarlem 1941 – Monaco 2020)
Home Run (1971)
Signed, dated 1971 and numbered 3/3 on base
Bronze, 50.3 cm
Provenance:
Acquired directly from the artist, thence by descent
Note:
Kees Verkade was a Dutch artist and sculptor who specialized in modeling the human form, with an emphasis on movement and emotion.

Verkade studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague. In 1969, his career took off when American photographer David Douglas Duncan (1916-2018) discovered his work and introduced it to his friends from the jet-set of the French Riviera. In 1970, TIME Magazine devoted an entire article to the artist entitled “The Hottest Underground Sculptor.” From then on, commissions flooded in. To mark his fortieth year in sculpture, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands made him a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. Most of Verkade's sculptures are set in bronze and depict a variety of people, including children, clowns, athletes, dancers, mothers, and lovers. In his artistic development, the human being with his actions and emotions is always central, and his handwriting is unmistakable; the special poses and the tension he imparts to the figures are characteristics of his work. His monumental works can be found in many public places in the Netherlands and abroad.