Nico Onkenhout (1918-1989) was a Dutch sculptor who won a silver medal at the 1947 Prix de Rome. Nico Onkenhout most famous sculpture is of

Dik Trom ''Dik Trom'' is a series of Dutch children's books by Cornelis Johannes Kieviet, centered on the character Dik Trom (a mischievous oversized Dutch boy). The series is well regarded as a classic in its home country. Books * 1891 ''Uit het leven ...

Life and work

Onkenhout studied sculpture with

Jan Bronner Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

at the

National Academy of Fine Arts The National Academy of Arts ( bg, Национална художествена академия) is an institution of higher education in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned school of arts in the country. History The National ...

(1937-1944) in his hometown. He went into hiding during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and went into hiding in 1944 in the municipality of Kollumerland c.a. After the war he made six war memorial and one of which for the municipality of Kollumerland. In 1947 he won the silver medal of the Prix de Rome. His most famous work, a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

statue of

, with Trom sitting upside down on a bucking donkey, he made in 1973. Besides sculptor, Onkenhout was active as a medalist. He made a

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

on the occasion of the opening of the head office of the insurance company De Zeven Provinciën in The Hague (1960). He was a member of

Arti et Amicitiae Arti et Amicitiae (lat .: For Art and Friendship) is a Dutch artist's society founded in 1839, and located on the Rokin in Amsterdam. The Society (also called Arti for short) has played a key role in the Netherlands art scene and in particular i ...

and the Beroepsvereniging van Beeldende Kunstenaars ( Professional Association of Visual Artists).

References

1918 births 1989 deaths Artists from Amsterdam Dutch male sculptors Dutch medallists {{Netherlands-artist-stub