When California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gives an official gift to a dignitary or head of state, he gives a Vanderveen bronze bear. Sculptor Loet Vanderveen brings an incredible sympathy to every animal he creates. His sculptures capture an animal's signature pose, revealing the essence not only of its form, but also its way of moving. The artist researches his subjects exhaustively and has been on many African safaris to gather first-hand impressions.
Read the artist's biography

When California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gives an official gift to a dignitary or head of state, he gives a Vanderveen bronze bear. Sculptor Loet Vanderveen brings an incredible sympathy to every animal he creates. His sculptures capture an animal's signature pose, revealing the essence not only of its form, but also its way of moving. The artist researches his subjects exhaustively and has been on many African safaris to gather first-hand impressions.

As a young boy in Rotterdam, Holland, Loet went nearly every day to the city's Victorian-era zoo. On May 14th, 1940, the Germans bombed Rotterdam, virtually flattening the city. Loet's life would never be the same. The young boy was completely alone.

His mother had died in a car accident when he was eight, and shortly after the bombing his father died of a staph infection when no medicine was available to treat him. With his half-Jewish heritage, it became imperative for Loet to get out of occupied Holland. He set off on his bicycle and escaped over the Belgian border. He joined the Dutch army and after the war, Loet went to Paris and later to London where he designed sportswear. He moved to New York City, studying with a master ceramicist, learning the challenging art of reduced glazes. But the cutthroat business environment of the city wasn’t to his liking, and he and his new partner, the painter Alba Hayward, moved to California and bought twenty acres in big Sur. Loet built a large ceramic studio with kiln and spent the next years creating ceramic sculptures of animals, some with bronze tusks and horns. Rebuilding his home after a 1985 fire, Loet began working fully in bronze.

This new medium brought Loet Vanderveen into the international spotlight. The combination of patina and polished bronze finishes added the finishing touch to his elegant sculptures. Works by Loet Vanderveen are now in the permanent exhibits of museums worldwide. Political figures, champions of sport, movie stars, wildlife organizations and heads of state—these diverse art collectors are united by an appreciation for the art of the Dutch boy who loved animals and grew up to be one of the most famous sculptors of our time.
View Short Biography