To capture the soul of man, one must look into his eyes. To capture the eyes of the Beast, one must look into nature’s soul.” Since man’s primordial existence, he has conveyed an abstract desire to portray his idealistic virtues in the animal form. His inclination has been to emulate the instinctive power and elegance of nature’s assembly. It is this innate elegance of nature that the sculptor strives to reproduce. Using a medium of cast and patinated bronze the artist is able to seize the celebation of the animal’s form and beauty.

Known for his creative and original designs, Loet captures in his bronze sculptures the innate elegance of animals frozen in a powerful or tender moment. His designs are further enhanced by a rich palette of subtle patinas. Loet’s sculptures are featured in many museums and private collections including H.M. Queen Elizabeth, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Cosby and Mary Tyler Moore to name a few.

Loet Vanderveen was born in Rotterdam, Holland. His home was very close to the zoo where during his early years, Loet spent a great deal of his free time. It was during this period in life that he developed his passion for animals. At night, listening to the sound of wild animals in the zoo, he would fantasize about going on safaris to Africa…Fantasies which were eventually realized! Hours before the bombardment of Rotterdam during WWII the Dutch army was ordered to destroy all of the dangerous species in the zoo. The animals were destroyed as well as his home and these events led Loet into a new phase in his life.

He escaped occupied Holland and upon his arrival in England he was decorated for valor by Queen Wilhelmia. He served in the R.A.F. during the war. During the first eleven years following the war he lived in Zurich, London and New York working as a fashion designer. He was not satisfied with this profession however and a meeting with Fong Chao, then curator of the Far Eastern Department of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, led to private ceramic studies with Fong for the next three years. He learned a great deal about Chinese glaze techniques and applying fine glazes to the correct forms. This knowledge eventually led to applying patinas to bronze animal forms.

Mr. Vanderveen left New York and built a mountain top house and studio 1,600 feet above the Pacific Ocean along California’s remote Big Sur coastline. This environment was very conducive to Loet’s creativity. His first years in Big Sur were spent working on architectural commissions of ceramics, sculptured walls and lighting. Living in a remote area where there was an abundance of wildlife coupled with his love for animals prompted Loet to create ceramic animal forms. Striving for a more sophisticated and graceful image, he ventured into designing animals in bronze. These designs are enhanced by a rich palette of subtle patinas. These uniquely stylized interpretations are appreciated by distinguished collectors worldwide.

Exhibits

Art Museum-Cincinnati, Ohio

Art Museum-Syracuse, New York

Crocker Gallery Museum-Sacramento, California

De Young Museum-San Francisco, California

Minneapolis Art Institute-Minneapolis, Minnesota

Museum of Art-Oakland, California

Museum of Contemporary Crafts-New York City

Pasadena Art Museum-Pasadena, California

Monterey Museum of Art-Retrospective-Monterey, California
Architectural Commissions

U.S. National Bank-Omaha, Nebraska

Borax Building-Los Angeles, California

Bush Gardens-Van Nuys, California

Carthay Circle Building-Los Angeles, California

Church Leisure World-Seal Beach, California

Fireman’s Union Building-Los Angeles, California

First Hebrew Congregational Church-Salinas, California

Northern California Savings Bank-Santa Cruz, California

Northern California Savings Bank-Menlo Park, California

Northern California Savings Bank-Los Altos, California

Cuesta College-San Luis Obispo, California

San Bernadino College-San Bernadino, California

Private Collectors

H.M. Queen Elizabeth II

The King of Tonga

President and Mrs. Reagan

Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Owings

King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz

Mr. A.J. Foyt

Mr. Barry Manilow

Ms. Elizabeth Taylor

President Suharto of Indonesia

Mr. John D. Cabott Lodge

President Gerald Ford

Mr. Burt Reynolds

Mr. Arnold Schwartzenegger

Sheik Yamany of OPEC

Ms. Martina Navratilova

Mr. Wilt Chamberlain

Prince Bendar Al Faisal

Jacques Cousteau Society

The Royal Belgium Zoological Society

Ms. Mary Tyler Moore

Federal Government of Switzerland

Sultan of Oman

Mr. Wally Schira, Astronaut

Mr. and Mrs. David Packard

Mr. Bill Cosby Senator

Barry Goldwater