Artwork Data

Title

Wim Kan en Corry Vonk

Artist

Siemen Bolhuis

Year

1986/1997

Material

Brons

Artwork Location

Address

Gevers Deynootplein, Den Haag

City district

Scheveningen

GPS data

52.11258968174, 4.2825833632988 View on map

Artwork Description

Text

They stand about between the majestic Kurhaus and the large Circustheater: conferencer Wim Kan (1911-1983) and his wife Corry Vonk (1901-1988). Sculptor Siemen Bolhuis from Almere has rendered them realistically, in contrast to his abstract free work. She, small in stature and with a broad-brimmed hat, looks up slightly; he is facing the public: the postures and gestures are characteristic of this artist couple. Although Kan was very successful at Carré in Amsterdam, he was born in Scheveningen and many of his shows took place in theatres in The Hague such as the Koninklijke Schouwburg and Diligentia.

Together with Toon Hermans and Wim Sonneveld, Wim Kan is regarded as 'the Big Three' of Dutch cabaret in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Kan is best known as the founder of New Year's Eve Conferences. But he and his wife have done more for cabaret. After they got married in 1933, having met on stage, Kan started writing lyrics for his wife's revue. On 15 August 1936, they founded the ABC cabaret together. This school for young talent produced artists such as Wieteke van Dort, Jenny Arean and Frans Halsema, who later made a name for themselves.

The statue was originally made for the Leidseplein in Amsterdam to commemorate the foundation of the ABC cabaret. That was in 1986, the year of the first unveiling, fifty years ago. In 1997, the Leidseplein was redesigned in such a way that there was no longer any room for the statue. After a broad public debate about whether the statue was of sufficient quality to meet the couple's grandeur, it eventually found a new home in the Scheveningen Kurhaus. There, Paul van Vliet unveiled the statue on 19 December 1997.

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