Piet Schoenmakers

Piet Schoenmakers was born on 24 June 1919 in Roermond and died there on 10 April 2009. Already in his youth he showed an exceptional talent for drawing, after which he studied at the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam from 1937 to 1941. His early award with the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1941 for his copper engraving “Odysseus in gepeins verzonken” led to travels through Italy, France and Morocco, which strongly shaped his artistic development.

During his career, Schoenmakers manifested himself as a versatile artist: graphic artist, ceramist, sculptor, stained glass artist and painter. He worked for many years for Atelier St. Joris in Beesel, where he created monumental works of art for churches, schools, hospitals and various public buildings. His work includes ceramics, stained glass, reliefs, bronze statues and facade ornaments.

It was not until 1984 that his painting came into the spotlight with a first solo exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Roermond. After his retirement, he concentrated on an extensive oeuvre of paintings and sculptures. His later works were characterized by abstraction, but remained anchored in a personal, often expressive visual language.

Traces of his monumental work can still be seen in public spaces in Rotterdam and Beverwijk, among other places. Think of bronze facade reliefs from the fifties and sixties, ceramic wall decorations and sculptures such as the recognizable “Weerhaan” from 1976, an energetic bronze rooster that illustrates his craftsmanship as a monumental artist.

His lifelong motivation was idiosyncrasy and productivity. As he himself said: “Breathing and making works of art are the same for me; it is life.” His studio in the Panheelse watermill often still functions as a place for thematic exhibitions, in which his many stylistic phases come to life.

His legacy includes hundreds of works of art in various media and styles, ranging from lifelike sculptures and graphics to free abstract paintings and impressive monumental projects. His work is exhibited annually and one continues to discover how deeply his involvement with form, material and public space reaches. His artistic versatility and autonomous course make him an unforgettable figure in Dutch art history.