Amsterdam artist Rini Hurkmans will design city’s monument to Peter R. de Vries
Noted Dutch sculptor and photographer Rini Hurkmans was selected to design a new monument in memory of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries. The journalist was shot in Amsterdam on 6 July 2021 moments after appearing on a segment on RTL Boulevard. He died from his injuries nine days later.
The memorial to the popular reporter will be placed in Leidseplein, the site of his last television appearance, though it is not clear where on the square the monument will stand. Over a thousand people answered the city’s call to contribute ideas to what ideals the monument should convey.
Hurkmans was part of a group of five artists asked to present a preliminary design to a committee selected by Amsterdam officials. The committee, which includes some of De Vries’s surviving family members, unanimously chose Hurkmans to design the monument.
Hurkmans, 68, is from Deurne and is based in Amsterdam. Her work has featured prominently at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and many other museums and galleries across the country and abroad.
She has produced a great deal of work inspired by Michaelangelo’s Pietà, a famed statue at the Vatican depicting the body of Jesus in Mary’s lap as she mourns over his loss. Her 2002 piece, Flag of Compassion, explores themes like empathy, humanity, and unity, as well as independence from religion and politics.
“She expects to be able to present her final design early next year,” the city said in a statement. Plans will be presented to Amsterdammers and the Netherlands as a whole soon after.
