Niko de Wit

From 8 November 2025 to 3 May 2026, the work of Niko de Wit (1948) will be exhibited in the Quist showcase of the Beelden aan Zee museum. The sculptor from Tilburg is especially known for his large monumental sculptures in public spaces. An example is the sculpture Port du Nord in Rhoon, over eight meters high, placed on a ten-meter-high hill. These large-scale sculptures often allow for changing perspectives, making a viewer become newly aware of the surroundings.

Principally, for De Wit, there is no difference between a large sculpture and the small size of the medal. What stands out about De Wit's medals is that the sides play an essential role in the design. The medal tilts or can be set up in different ways. As the medal is turned and rotated, new views are constantly noticeable. The medal appears differently each time you view it from another angle. As you rotate it in your hand, you continually see something new.

Sometimes the medal has a closed form, while in another, there is a square opening visible, like a glimpse into another world. Sometimes the medal resembles a tilting bunker or a fortification. Sometimes a medal is feather-light, sometimes as heavy as a monolith. No matter how small the medals are, they exude monumentality.

De Wit's medals often have connections with architecture.

It is therefore not surprising that several titles refer to his favorite architects: Carlo Scarpa, Adolf Loos, and Marcel Breuer. He also has a fascination with geometry, but he is certainly not a dogmatist. On the contrary, De Wit's artistic gesture is consistently idiosyncratic and personal. The artist aims to combine opposing facets in his medals with unexpected views, always summarizing a complex idea in a seemingly simple form with virtuosity.

Photo: Niko de Wit, Wisselend perspectief I, 2006-2010, bronze 2.6 x 7.6 x 7.6 cm