The bronze statue Le ciel enfanti, made by the famous Dutch sculptor Kees Verkade, was unveiled in 1993 in the new housing estate De Meeuwen in Zandvoort. The statue of Le ciel enfanti, which means “the child who wants to go higher”, is 1.90 meters high and stands without a pedestal on the Martinus Nijhofstraat, close to a children’s playground. This is one of the six copies made in total, one of which was cast especially for Zandvoort.
Meaning and Revelation
The statue symbolizes the ambition of a child to grow and develop, fitting the child-rich neighborhood where it is placed. The statue is a powerful representation of the desire to move up, both literally and figuratively. The unveiling took place in the presence of local residents, civil servants and employees of housing association Eendracht Maakt Macht (EMM), with Frits van Caspel, VVD councilor and former alderman, as the official unveiler. The unveiling marked the completion of the neighborhood development between the Van Lennepweg, M. Nijhoffstraat, Nic. Beetslaan and Vondellaan.
About Kees Verkade
Kees Verkade is one of the most famous Dutch sculptors, also called the “Zandvoort sculptor” because of the number of statues in Zandvoort. After his studies at the academy in The Hague, Verkade lived and worked in Zandvoort for thirteen years. His work is internationally recognized, with famous statues such as the bust of Simon Carmiggelt in Amsterdam, the statue of Queen Wilhelmina in Noordwijk, and the Louis Couperus statue in The Hague. His accessible artworks consist mainly of bronze statues that cover various themes and sizes. Since Time Magazine called him “The hottest underground figure” in 1970, Verkade has gained international fame, and is known as the court artist of Monaco.