Sonsbeek '49: Europese Beeldhouwkunst in de Open Lucht
1 July – 18 September 1949
Exhibition committee
Marga Klompé (Voorzitter)
C.E. Alexander (city architect)
C. Borstlap (Commissaris van Politie Arnhem)
L.P.J. Braat (editor in chief of Kroniek van Kunst en Cultuur Amsterdam)
J. van Buggenum (member of the city council of Arnhem)
K.J. Douma (Editor Arnhemse Courant)
G. van Emst (director N.V. Veluwse Autobusdienst)
S.H. Frederiks (director municipal parks department Arnhem)
Jan H. de Groot (chairman of the working committee of Arnhem based artists)
John Grosman (sculptor, Arnhem)
Jan Havermans (secretary of Dutch Circle of Sculptors)
A.P. van der Heide (treasurer of the working committee of Arnhem based artists)
Fri Heil (sculptor, Arnhem)
L.W. Heil (treasurer organisation Visual Arts Arnhem)
H.J. Hendriks (inspector Nederlandse Handelmij)
J. Hetzler (editor of Arnhems Dagblad)
H.H. van Heuveln (chairman Bedrijfsgroep Horeca)
Gijs Jacobs van den Hof (sculptor, Arnhem)
J. ter Horst (Voorzitter Vereniging voor Beeldende Kunst Arnhem)
B.A. Honig (Directeur N.V. “Meteoor”)
H. Hupkes (chairman Middenstands Centrale)
H. Jaffé (curator Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam)
F.J. ten Kate (chairman V.V.V. Arnhem)
H.M. Keppel Hesselink (Oud-directeur V.V.V. Arnhem)
W. Kieken (Administrateur V.V.V. Arnhem)
E.D. Klinkert (director N.V. N.B.M)
H.H. Kock (member of the city council of Arnhem)
Hildo Krop (chairman of the Dutch Society of Sculptors)
G.J. van Lerven (director Genootschap Kunstoefening Arnhem)
A.J. de Lorm (director Gemeentemuseum Arnhem, now Museum Arnhem)
Johan Mekkink (board member of organisation Visual Arts Arnhem)
A.F. Nendorff (representative N.S., Dutch railways)
W.J.B. Sandberg (chairman Federation for artists, Amsterdam)
K. Schuurman (curator Gemeentemuseum Den Haag)
Gerard Temme (secretary working committee Arnhem based artists)
J. Vet (director V.V.V. Arnhem)
J.C.W. de Winkel (treasurer V.V.V. Arnhem)
F.W. Viehoff (representatie KLM Gelderland and Overijssel)
H. Vis (director N.V. Gelderse Tramweg Mij)
D. Wisselo (secretary department Gelderland committee transport)
Johan van der Woude (literary scolar, Arnhem)
D. Wijlhuizen (editor of Groot Arnhem)
John Grosman (sculptor, Arnhem)
Theme
It is hard to imagine that at the time of the first Sonsbeek exhibition, sculpture as an autonomous medium had barely acquired its right to exist. Indeed, unlike countries such as France and Germany, Dutch sculpture was an integral part of architecture until roughly the end of the first quarter of the twentieth century: sculptures often functioned as ornaments and were often literally fused with buildings. It was not until the 1930s that more and more attention was drawn to "free sculptures' .
During Sonsbeek '49: European Sculpture in the Open Air, memories of the horrors of World War II are still fresh. Moreover, the physical traces of the war are still present in the urban landscape of Arnhem, which had suffered much damage as a result of bombings. Sonsbeek '49 is primarily aimed at supporting with the mental recovery of the people from Arnhem. Reconstruction of buildings and cities in the Netherlands coincided with many municipal commissions for war monuments. The demand for monuments also manifested itself during Sonsbeek '49, where a fair number of the total of 199 exhibited sculptures served as monuments. A jury composed of members of the Dutch Circle of Sculptors was responsible for selecting the sculptures. Unsurprisingly, as many as three-quarters of the artists came from the Netherlands. Other artists came from Belgium, France, Denmark, Austria and Switzerland, among others.
Artists
Belgium
Jozef Cantré, Charles Leplae, Constant Meunier, George Minne, Henri Puvrez, Rik Wouters.
Denmark
Adam Fischer, Jorgen Gudmundsen Holmgren, Henrik Starcke.
Germany
Georg Kolbe
United Kingdom
Frank Dobson, Jacob Epstein, Henry Moore.
France
Emile A. Bourdelle, Joseph Bernard, Charles Despiau, Pablo Gargallo, Jacques Lipchitz, Aristide Maillol, Raymond Martin, Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin, Ossip Zadkine.
Austria
Fritz Wotruba
Swiss
Jacob Probst
The Netherlands
Frits J. van Hall, Henk Henriët, Johan Limpers, Cor van Teeseling, Gerrit van der Veen, Jozef Mendes da Costa, Lambertus Zijl, Mari Andriessen, Nel Bakema, G. Bolhuis, Lidi Buma-van Mourik Broekman, Fred Carasso, Pearl Couzijn-Perlmuter, Wessel Couzijn, Ab Diekerhof, Theo Dobbelman, Emil Epplé, Vincent P.S. Esser, Paul Gregoire, Pier A. de Groot, John Grosman, Ben Guntenaar, Jan Willem Havermans, Fri Heil, Joop C. Hekman, Frederik Hoevenagel, Piet D’Hont, Ivo van der Horst, Hans Ittmann, Gijs Jacobs van den Hof, Nel Klaassen, Carel Kneulman, Paul Ph. Koning, Hildo Krop, Titus Leeser, Hubert van Lith, Louise van Luyn-Metz, Jan P.W. Meefout, Th. Van der Nahmer, Charlotte van Pallandt, Johan Polet, Hanni Raedecker, John. A. Raedecker, Hans Reicher, Wilhelmus Reyers, Han Richters, Jacob M. Roosenburg, Gra J.W. Rueb, Gerarda Rueter, Coen Schilt, Kees Schrikker, Frits Sieger, Cephas Stauthamer, Johannes P.C. Verhulst, Charles Weddepohl, Johannes Gustaaf Wertheim, Han Wezelaar, Ybe van der Wielen, Johan van Zweden, Hendrik J.M. Zweerus, Chr. Hassoldt, L.H. Sondaar
Added during the exhibition
Wilhelm Lehmbrück, Ernst Barlach, Albert Termote
Location
Park Sonsbeek
Publication
Catalogue
SONSBEEK ’49: Europese Beeldhouwkunst in de Open Lucht, 1949
Design and editing: Gemeentemuseum Arnhem
Publisher: Vada, Wageningen
Facts and numbers
⋅ 125.000 visitors ⋅ 3 out of 4 artists from the Netherlands ⋅ 199 artworks
Still visible in Arnhem
Nel Klaassen, Eert de Vrouw, 1949
Location: Utrechtsestraat (in between ArtEZ and Museum Arnhem)
English 
Dutch