Verkade (Haarlem 1941-2020 Monaco) was the son of a factory director and is one of the most famous sculptors in the Netherlands. His most beloved subject is man, whom he prefers to sculpt in motion. After drawing and painting lessons with Gerrit van 't Net, he studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague from 1958 to 1963. Although he wanted to become an advertising artist, he ultimately leaned more towards sculpting because there was room for him at the academy. Thanks to his first exhibition, he sold two works to the Frans Hals Museum. Since then he had his studio in Zandvoort. Wearing a suit, he visited architects to draw attention to his work; 'success does not come by itself'.
In 1966 he received his first commission from the municipality of Haarlem for the statue Winkelen (or Stadten). In 1969 he also made his international breakthrough, especially in France and Monaco. An American photographer (during the Vietnam War) discovered him at a market in Haarlem and introduced his work to the south of France. And then it went (too) fast. Verkade came to Monoca himself more and more often. After all, that cost him his first marriage. His new lover, Ludmila Von Falz-Fein, brought him into contact with the court in Monaco.
In both small sculptures and monumental statues, man was the subject: he managed to expressively capture children, acrobats, athletes and dancers in extreme concentration in his images and it is precisely these emotions that give an extra dimension to his work.
Verkade died in Monaco on December 29, 2020. Just before his death, he put the finishing touches to a statue for the victims of the corona pandemic and as a tribute to healthcare workers. He is also responsible for a resistance monument in Zandvoort. He also made images of Simon Carmiggelt, Johnny Jordaan and Tante Leen (Amsterdam), Queen Wilhelmina (Noordwijk), Frits Philips (Eindhoven), Louis Couperus (The Hague), Audrey Hepburn (Arnhem) and Anton Pieck (Overveen), among others. In addition to sculptures, he also made gouaches and screen prints.
