Overlijden van bouwmeester Hendrik Petrus Berlage 1934 1934

This bronze medal, commemorating the death of architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage in 1934, was created by Nel Klaassen. Can you imagine Klaassen, head bent close to the wax, carving the likeness of Berlage? That precise labor of translation – from life, to drawing, to wax, to bronze – it’s a slow burn, a real commitment. But it's also such a vulnerable process. What was she thinking, as she pressed into the yielding wax, and coaxed Berlage's features into being? I love the texture around the edge, the words themselves almost become another kind of pattern or decoration. This quiet, reflective piece reminds me that art is always speaking to art – even in memorial. Klaassen’s work here echoes and reinterprets Berlage’s architectural vision.