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Kees Verkade's Circle of Love
2012-06-28 17:29
What:
The Circle of Love: Sculptures by Kees Verkade
Where: Salle d'Exposition, Quai Antoine Ier
When: 29 June to 29 July 2012, daily 10.30am to 7pm
From the prince's palace, where the early history of the Grimaldis is perfectly captured in the form of the cowled bronze figure known as 'La Malizia', to the rose gardens of Fontvieille, presided over by the matriarchal form of Princess Grace; from the leaping athletic forms at the Stade Louis II to the delightful Le Premier Pas at the Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco is renowned for its public art. What you may not know is that all the above, and more, are the work of a single artist.
Sculptor Kees Verkade was born in Haarlem in 1941 and studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague. His bronzes fall into a number of categories, but he is best known for his deep appreciation of the human body in movement: acrobatic dancers, leaping lovers and children at play. His works have been exhibited and installed across the world, from New York to Nice; but it is here in Monaco - Verkade's home since 1979 - that one of the greatest concentrations of his work is on daily display.
To celebrate the long-term relationship of Verkade and the Principality, a new exhibition in the harbourside gallery on Quai Antoine Ier takes a retrospective look at the artist's work over the last fifty years.
Circle of Love is named after one of Verkade's best-known works, which shows two lovers linked in a graceful hoop.
As well as sculptures, his oeuvre is represented in a selection of colourful gouaches and silkscreen prints, all giving an insight into the style and technique of this master of the human form. This is the first exhibition of Verkade's work in Monaco since 1999, and is the perfect opportunity to examine close up the methods of one of the most exciting of contemporary sculptors.
Oh, and if you're taking the plane to Monaco, don't forget to check out Verkade's 'Flight' (above), created specially for Nice-Côte-d'Azur Airport.