Chris van der Hoef

Dutch artist Chris van der Hoef was quite versatile, working at various times as a designer, etcher, lithographer, ceramist, decorative artist, medalist, and sculptor. He developed his own style of the Dutch version of Art Deco and gave it more of an English than a French or German view, which was referred to the art direction De Stijl. He was trained in a stonemason company and at an evening school for artisans in Amsterdam. He then worked as a designer for several pottery manufacturers and for a company for home furnishings. As a sculptor he mostly created animal figures in matte white pottery. Van der Hoef also designed functional objects like tableware and gave the scenery and sets a number. From 1912, as a medalist he created several medals in a two-dimensional way approached to three-dimensional sculptures. From 1923 onwards he designed objects for everyday use made of metal and ceramics. In addition, he also created numerous small sculptures. He was a member of numerous artist associations. His brother was the graphic artist and painter Gerrit van der Hoef (1879 1954).

Van der Hoef earned a silver medal for his entry of an Olympic medal draft in the Art Competitions in the category Sculpturing, Medals and Reliefs. Of the seven medals submitted, two are shown in the catalog. The medal awarded with the silver medal is originally a design for the winner’s medal. It shows the Olympic fire on the marathon tower on the front and a stylized palm branch between ornaments on the back. The bronze cast medal has a diameter of 83 mm. The second medal was created on the occasion of the First Air Mail Flight to the Dutch East Indies in 1927. The medal with a flying dove above the clouds is a bronze casting with a diameter of 116 mm. He also participated with three medals at the Arts Competitions in 1932 in Los Angeles. Other medals that may have been entered include the National preparation for the Olympic Games from 1927, Dutch Aircraft Factory Fokker from 1929, First passenger flight to the Dutch East Indies from 1927 and Royal Airways opened the weekly Air service to the Dutch East Indies from 1931.

Chris van der Hoef also designed the diploma and the front page of the daily program booklets for the 1928 Amsterdam Games. The diploma is in black and gold in the style of Art Déco or De Stijl. The size is 73.5 x 54.4 cm. It shows a stylized goddess of victory Nike. The 1,842 copies issued were printed by the Senefelder company in Amsterdam, which still exists today.