Erwin de Vries – Erotiek & levenslust

“I am proud that one of my great-great-grandmothers was a Black woman. I also think it is wonderful that I have Hindustani blood. And that from all this I have become who I am: an artist,” declared Erwin de Vries in an interview.

Erwin de Vries (Paramaribo 1929–2018) was one of the most important Surinamese artists of the twentieth century. He displayed his talent for drawing at an early age. After studying drawing at the academy in The Hague, he took sculpture classes in Amsterdam, where he developed into a highly productive and versatile artist.

In his visual language, the subject is often the woman. Eroticism, for him, was an essential element of life.
Even after his return to Suriname in 1984, he maintained his ties with the Netherlands. He is especially well known for the National Slavery Monument in Amsterdam, which since 2002 has been the focal point of the annual Ketikoti commemoration.

This biography highlights the eventful life and passionate artistry of De Vries. The book concludes with short biographies of 85 artists connected to him—a vast network that helps bring his cultural legacy to life.

Hanneke Oosterhof is a cultural historian and independent researcher. She worked for more than thirty years in the museum sector and has published on social and women’s history, as well as on cultural and architectural history. In 2018, her biography of the German-Dutch urban architect Lotte Stam-Beese was awarded the Mr. J. Dutilh Prize.