Bé Thoden van Velzen

With around 250 works, sculptor Bé Thoden van Velzen is well represented in the Fundatie Collection. She is known for her sculptures in public spaces, such as the Resistance Monument in Zelhem and the Memorial Monument on Texel, but also for her many depictions of the human body. This presentation of the Fundatie Collection puts Thoden van Velzen's work in the spotlight. Not only with sculptures, but also with drawings, studies, watercolours and sketches.

Bé Thoden van Velzen (Zwolle, NL, 1903 – 1984, Zwolle, NL) studied at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (National Academy of Fine Arts) in Amsterdam from 1927, where she was taught by Jan Bronner, among others. His Hildebrand monument can be seen in the garden of Museum de Fundatie Heino. In Amsterdam, Thoden van Velzen met, among others, the much sought-after model Truus Trompert, whom she drew and modelled several times. She also came into contact with model Jimmy van der Lak, who was also a waiter, dancer, actor and owner of a boxing school. She made a stone sculpture of him, among other things. During the Second World War, Thoden van Velzen moved to Hattem. From 1949 onwards, she was involved in art education in Hattem and Zwolle. She taught modelling and sculpture at the drawing and painting school in Zwolle, the predecessor of the Vrije Academie. Bé Thoden van Velzen died in Zwolle in 1984. A large part of her oeuvre ended up in the Fundatie Collection through a donation from Mr Beernink from Hattem.