Hans Bayens

Well-struck sculptures that tell stories

That Bayens consistently stayed true to figuration will undoubtedly have played tricks on him in terms of recognition, but his enthusiasm and the quality of his work ensured a lasting large audience. His monumental works in public spaces are widely loved and well known. Towns and villages approached him with prestigious commissions for statues of Multatuli, Theo Thijssen and Herman Gorter. He adorned many a square or park with such diverse representations as workers on strike, a girl on a pony or a couple making love in bronze. A cameraman in front of the Mediapark in Hilversum? Or a resistance monument in Sliedrecht? Bayens never turned his hand to it. As long as people, human life, were central.

In his sculpture, too, Bayens was an 'impressionist', so to speak, who paid a lot of attention to the lively surface of his sculptures when modelling. Bayens liked to immerse himself in his subjects for long periods of time. By watching and observing, he got to know all their specific characteristics. He almost always made preliminary studies directly in clay or wax. This resulted in well-struck sculptures that, through their characterisation and human expression, convincingly tell their story. 

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