Guus Hellegers | Museum Beelden aan Zee | Beeldhouwkunst in Den Haag

Guus Hellegers

June 2018

Guus Hellegers

The medal: an endless experiment

An overview of medals by Guus Hellegers (1937). In more than half a century Hellegers has become part of the forefront of the Dutch medalurs. Trained as a sculptor at the Royal Academy in The Hague he then started to learn 'the profession' as an autodidact, which contributed to the originality and authenticity of his style, which is refined and sensitive.

Among other preferences Hellegers prefers landscapes as a theme. Remarkable, as it does not occur often on tokens. In his hands it is transformed into a poetic image on which the philosophical thoughts about life are based. The form of his oeuvre is diverse: in addition to traditional round medals, he also makes square, rectangular and three-dimensional works. Striking are his designs that consist of two ducktailing parts, or where bulb and hollow forms supplement each other. In 2001, the J. Sanford Saltus Award was presented to him in New York for his entire oevre of medals.