Inspiration

To mark the 50th anniversary of the reign of Prince Rainier III in 1999, Kees Verkade created this group of sculptures comprising three figures: a woman being carried by two men. Inspiration, symbolised by the woman, can only rise up if it is propelled by a force from below, symbolised by the two men. No artist can find their inner muse without striving to find it in someone outside themselves. It was in his love for his own muse, his wife Ludmila Baronne von Falz-Fein, that Verkade found the energy to create his most intense and moving works of art.

Kees Verkade was a Dutch artist, born on 12 October 1941 in Haarlem, in the Netherlands. After secondary school, he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, where he graduated with first prize. A resident of the Principality from 1979 onwards, he participated in many collective and solo exhibitions. He was commissioned to create numerous sculptures to decorate official buildings in his native country, and also in Europe, the United States and, of course, the Principality of Monaco, which acquired several of his works. Pieces by Verkade can be found in various locations around Monaco: Invitation in the Saint-Martin Gardens, Sport outside the Stade Louis-II, the bust of Prince Louis de Polignac (cousin of H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince) on Square Beaumarchais, and First Step outside Princess Grace Hospital.
In 1999, a retrospective devoted to Verkade was held in Monaco to celebrate his forty years as an artist. That same year, Prince Rainier III awarded him the insignia of the Order of Cultural Merit and made him an Officer of the Order of the Grimaldi. A complete retrospective of his work, titled Circle of Love, was held in 2012. Kees Verkade passed away on 29 December 2020 in Monaco. His final work, Salutifera Unitas, was commissioned by a Dutch foundation to thank the healthcare staff who worked through the coronavirus pandemic.