Hildebrand Lucien (Hildo) Krop (February 26, 1884,

Steenwijk Steenwijk (; Low German: ''Steenwiek'', ''Stienwiek'' English: ''Stenwick'') is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland. It is the largest town of the municipality. Steenwijk received city ...

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

– August 20, 1970) was a prolific Dutch

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and furniture designer, widely known as the city sculptor of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, where his work is well represented.

Life

Krop was a

baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

's son. Unwilling to work with an older brother, he set off on his own. In

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

, he took modeling classes to make

marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzi ...

figures. He also worked in France and Italy and as a pastry cook.

Arts

By 1906, Krop was in England, employed by a couple as a cook. He discovered his talent as a draftsman and attended summer school in art. Back in the Netherlands, he decided to become an artist and went to Paris, where he studied at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

. In 1908, he studied at the

Rijksakademie The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) was founded in 1870 in Amsterdam. It is a classical academy, a place where philosophers, academics and artists meet to test and exchange ideas and knowledge. The school support ...

in Amsterdam. From sculptor

John Rädecker John Rädecker (5 December 1885, Amsterdam – 12 January 1956, Amsterdam) was a painter and sculptor from the northern Netherlands, best known for his Monument on the Dam. Biography According to the RKD he was a pupil of Bart van Hove and ...

he learned

stone carving Stone carving is an activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, stone work has survived which was created during our prehistory or past time. Work carried ...

under

Bart van Hove Bart van Hove (18 March 1850 – 10 February 1914) was a 19th-century Dutch sculptor. Biography Van Hove was born in The Hague. According to the RKD he was the grandson of the painter Bartholomeus Johannes van Hove for whom he is named, and ...

.Hildo Krop
in the

RKD The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

In 1910, he taught at the HBS (High school) in

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

.Hildo Krop
in the IISG website for the BWSA In 1911–1912, he spent the winter in Berlin, where he studied art under

Georg Kolbe Georg Kolbe (15 April 1877 – 20 November 1947) was a German sculptor. He was the leading German figure sculptor of his generation, in a vigorous, modern, simplified classical style similar to Aristide Maillol of France. Early life and educa ...

and then traveled from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where he lived with the painter Jacob Bendien and met the sculptor

Ossip Zadkine Ossip Zadkine (russian: Осип Цадкин; 28 January 1888 – 25 November 1967) was a Belarusian-born French artist. He is best known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs. Early years and education Zadkine was born on ...

. With Zadkine he practised sculpture and

direct carving This page describe terms and jargon related to sculpture and sculpting. __NOTOC__ A armature :An armature is an internal frame or skeleton which supports a modelled sculpture. A typical armature for a small sculpture is made of heavy gauge ...

in a group called 'En taille directe'. At the end of 1912, he returned to Amsterdam where he learned wood carving in the furniture company of A.M. Stoltz. After several small jobs, Krop worked with Joop van Lunteren and Anton Rädecker as an assistant in the studio of Hendrik van den Eijnde, 1913 – 1916. In 1914 he married Mien Sleef and he moved to

Plantage Muidergracht The Plantage Muidergracht is a canal and street in the Plantage neighborhood of Amsterdam. On and along the Plantage Muidergracht, near Roeterseiland, are some of the buildings of the University of Amsterdam, originally built for courses or subfac ...

, where he opened his studio. In 1916, he became a staff member of the Amsterdam Department of Public Works. He created two groups of dockworkers in granite for a 1916 Public Works project. His work appears integrated with many civic buildings and bridges of the time. For instance, he designed exterior figures on the

Scheepvaarthuis The Shipping House ( nl, Scheepvaarthuis) is a building on the western tip of the Waalseiland near Amsterdam harbour that is one of the top 100 Dutch heritage sites and generally regarded as the first true example of the Amsterdam School, a style ...

Amsterdam School The Amsterdam School (Dutch: ''Amsterdamse School'') is a style of architecture that arose from 1910 through about 1930 in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam School movement is part of international Expressionist architecture, sometimes linked ...

architects

Johan van der Mey Joan (Jo) Melchior van der Mey (19 August 1878, Delfshaven – 6 June 1949, Geulle) was a Dutch architect best known for the landmark Scheepvaarthuis (Shipping House) building in Amsterdam located at Prins Hendrikkade, 1912. Van der Mey was ...

Piet Kramer Pieter Lodewijk (Piet) Kramer (Amsterdam, 1 July 1881 – Santpoort, 4 February 1961) was a Dutch architect, one of the most important architects of the Amsterdam School (Expressionist architecture). From 1903 to 1911 Piet Kramer worked in the a ...

and

Michel de Klerk Michel de Klerk (24 November 1884, Amsterdam – 24 November 1923, Amsterdam) was a Dutch architect. Born to a Dutch Jews, Jewish family, he was one of the founding architects of the movement Amsterdam School (Expressionist architecture) Earl ...

are his. After this building, Krop received appointment as city sculptor. Krop's work was included in the 1939 exhibition and sale ''

Onze Kunst van Heden Onze Kunst van Heden (Contemporary Artists/Our Art of Today) was an exhibition held in the winter of 1939 through 1940 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Due to the threat of invasion in the years leading up to World War II, the Netherlands' go ...

'' (Our Art of Today) at the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...

in Amsterdam. He was responsible for sculptures on many bridges and houses in Amsterdam. These include the

Hendrik Berlage Hendrik Petrus Berlage (21 February 1856 – 12 August 1934) was a Dutch architect. He is considered one of the fathers of the architecture of the Amsterdam School. Life and work Hendrik Petrus Berlage, son of Nicolaas Willem Berlage and An ...

monument on Victory Square and the plaque at the monument on the

Afsluitdijk The ''Afsluitdijk'' (; fry, Ofslútdyk; nds-nl, Ofsluutdiek; en, "Closure Dyke") is a major dam and causeway in the Netherlands. It was constructed between 1927 and 1932 and runs from Den Oever in North Holland province to the village of ...

. In The Hague, he designed the war memorial at Nassau Square. The art nouveau villa Rams Woerth in

has rooms that feature a varied collection of his work. Hildo Krop also designed furniture, ceramics (ESKAF),Beeldende kunst
" in trouw.nl, 10/02/00; Note about an exhibition at the

Princessehof Ceramics Museum The Princessehof Ceramics Museum (in Dutch: Keramiekmuseum Princessehof) is a museum of ceramics in the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. The museum's name comes from one of two buildings in which it is housed: a small palace ( means ‘royal ...

about Eerste Steenwijker Kunstaardewerkfabriek (ESKAF) 1919-1927 held work by Krop and

Cornelis van der Sluys Cornelis van der Sluys (Brouwershaven, 4 June 1883 – Amsterdam, 4 January 1944) was a Dutch furniture and textile designer, interior designer, decorator, glass painter, sculptor, goldsmith, organizer, and publicist.Zorgvlied Zorgvlied is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Westerveld, and lies about 23 km west of Assen. The municipality received its name by the former villa "Zorgvlied". History From 1819 to 1823, t ...

Politics

Krop became a member of the Social Democratic Labour Party in 1908, but out of enthusiasm for the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

and disappointment with social-democratic support for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(specifically, an advertisement for German

war bond War bonds (sometimes referred to as Victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are ...

s in '' Het Volk'') he switched allegiances to

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

. In 1921, he designed the cover for

Henriette Roland Holst Henriette Goverdine Anna "Jet" Roland Holst-van der Schalk (24 December 1869 – 21 November 1952) was a Dutch poet and communist. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The poet Adriaan Roland Holst (1888–1976), nicknamed "the D ...

's book ''Soviet Russia''. In 1931, he made a bust of

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

. In 1932, he traveled to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and stayed three months. Krop also cooperated with Soviet intelligence agents. His first spymaster was Max Friedman. Through him, he came to know "Ludwik" (

Ignace Reiss Ignace Reiss (1899 – 4 September 1937) – also known as "Ignace Poretsky," "Ignatz Reiss," "Ludwig," "Ludwik", "Hans Eberhardt," "Steff Brandt," Nathan Poreckij, and "Walter Scott (an officer of the U.S. military intelligence)" ...

). In June 1937, he drew a study of Reiss on the back of a menu for a later bust.

Family

Krop was the son of Henry Krop, baker, and Johanna Louisa Cordes. He had two brothers and four sisters. Krop married Frederika Willemina ("Mien") Sleef on December 24, 1914. They had two children, a daughter and a son. A third child (son) died young. His father-in-law J. W. Sleef was a typographer, a prominent member of the Dutch socialist party and sometime chairman of the Amsterdam section of the socialist SDAP party. Through this family connection, Krop came into contact with leftist organizations and thought.

Works in Amsterdam

* ''Mercurius en de windstreken'' (1916–18), Telefoondienst, Herengracht (Kamerlingh Onneslaan) *''Grave of

Albert Hahn Albert Pieter Hahn (17 March 1877 – 3 August 1918) was a Dutch political cartoonist, caricaturist, poster artist and book cover designer; well known for his socialist and Antimilitarism, antimilitaristic viewpoints. Some of his drawings, espec ...

'' (1918–19), Nieuwe Oosterbegraafplaats *''De geboorte van de daad'' (1921–24),

Berlage Lyceum Hendrik Petrus Berlage (21 February 1856 – 12 August 1934) was a Dutch architect. He is considered one of the fathers of the architecture of the Amsterdam School. Life and work Hendrik Petrus Berlage, son of Nicolaas Willem Berlage and An ...

Jozef Israëlskade *''Menselijke energie'' (1921–24), Berlage Lyceum Jozef Israëlskade *''Overvloed'' and ''Verkeer'' (1922), viaduct Spaarndammerstraat/Westerpark/Nassauplein *''

Faun The faun (, grc, φαῦνος, ''phaunos'', ) is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology. Originally fauns of Roman mythology were spirits (genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their c ...

'' (1924–25), bridge Raadhuisstraat/Keizersgracht *''Verkeer'' (1926), hout relief, tram depot Lekstraat *''Moeder Aarde'' (1926), Weteringplantsoen *''De onbevangenheid tegenover het leven'' (1929–32), Muzenplein *''Lezende jongen ('Geschiedenis')'' (1929), school Deurloostraat/Geulstraat *''Stedemaagd'' (1933), Ceramic relief, Berlagebrug *''Nieuw leven/Handen van de Schepper'' (1939–40), brug Bernard Zweerskade/Beethovenstraat *''Gedenksteen Hongerwinter'' (1945), Oosterkerk *''Monument gefusilleerden'' (1947),

Marnixstraat Marnixstraat is a main street in the Dutch city of Amsterdam , on the western border of the Jordaan in the Amsterdam-Centrum. The street is located between Haarlemmerplein and Leidseplein, parallel to Lijnbaansgracht. History Marnixstraat is a m ...

*''Monument Henri Viotta'' (1948), Wagnerstraat *''Fortuna'' (1948), Muntplein *''Verzetsmonument'' (1948), Nieuwe Oosterbegraafplaats *''De beschermer en handhaver van de sociale wetgeving'' (1954), Rijksverzekeringsbank/ Apollo House, Apollolaan/Stadionweg *''Nimf/Baadster'' (1954–56), Marnixbad *''

Baruch Spinoza Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, b ...

'' (1959), Spinozalyceum *''Monument joodse grossiers'' (1959), Centrale Markthallen *''Zeevaart, handel, recht'' (1966–67), cement reliefs Universiteitsbibliotheek Amsterdam, Singel *''Monument H.P. Berlage'' (1966), Victory square *''Europa'', 1953

Other works

* Relief ''Monument Afsluitdijk'', 1940 * Reliefs (1917–1938) and copies in 1957 (sandstone) of the cement works of François Gos and Firmin de Smet, Belgenmonument (Amersfoort) at

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...

se Berg * ''Drang naar het leven'', Openluchtmuseum voor beeldhouwkunst Middelheim,

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

1949–51 * Tile tableaus of Gerechtsgebouw Breda in

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

* ''Ontmoeting tussen water en land'', sluice gates :nl:Eemskanaal,

Delfzijl Delfzijl (; gos, Delfsiel) is a city and former municipality with a population of 25,651 in the province of Groningen (province), Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Delfzijl was a sluice between the Delf (canal), Delf and the Ems (riv ...

*'' :nl:Simon van Leeuwen'' (1938), Hoge Raad,

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

*''Monument omgekomen PTT-ers'' (1950) *''Buste Erasmus'' (1950), near St.Janskerk, Gouda *'' Oorlogsmonument'' (1949), De La Sablonièrekade, Kampen *''Monument

Pieter Jelles Troelstra Pieter Jelles Troelstra (20 April 1860 – 12 May 1930) was a Dutch lawyer, journalist and politician active in the socialist workers' movement. He is most remembered for his fight for universal suffrage and his failed call for revolution at the ...

'' (1961–62), Oldehoofsterkerkhof,

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

*'' Theo van Welderen Rengers'' (1955), Vrouwenpoort/Westerplantage, Leeuwarden * ''Gevelversiering van een adelaar met een nest jongen in een omgekeerde Mercuriushelm'' (1920), Zeezicht Zalencentrum at the corner of Nobelstraat/Keizerstraat formerly a bank, Utrecht * Ornaments at the entrance of the housing complex ''"De Utrecht"'' (1923), Jan van Scorelstraat (Oudwijk) Utrecht

Life

Arts

Politics

Family

Works in Amsterdam

Other works

References

Further reading

External links