This bronze sculpture of an athletic woman is a tribute to the athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen made by artist Han Rehm. The runner is immortalized the moment she crosses the finish line; full of speed and the body thrown forward. She won a gold medal in four distances at the 1948 Olympics, including the 100-meter dash. She was from Amsterdam and was welcomed there with a big parade after her Olympic victories. Blankers-Koen remained modest with such tributes. "All I did was win some running races," said the champion who would set twenty world records. Fanny Blankers-Koen was the first sculpted sportswoman in the Rotterdam outdoor area. Later she was followed by Coen Moulijn. The statue was unveiled on Saturday June 30, 1956 by Mr. Pieter Kodde (chairman of the Citizen Committee Image Fanny Blankers-Koen) and Jan Meertens (Alderman for Public Works, on behalf of the Municipal Executive), in the presence of Fanny Blankers-Koen and Han Rehm. Behind the curtains, local residents watch over possible vandalism. It seems that local residents sometimes clean the statue and leave a note with the words: “Mrs. Blankers, we just cleaned you up today. You were completely covered in bird droppings. ”
Artist Han Rehm (Rotterdam, 1908 - Rotterdam, 1970) studied art at the Reading University in England and subsequently studied drawing at the Rotterdam art academy for a short period. Afterwards he studied sculpture at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. In 1930 he also went to study sculpture in Vienna. In 1935 he settled in his own studio in Kralingen. In addition to being a sculptor, he was active as a medalist. Among other things, he made a medal for Leiden University (1958). Han Rehm is best known in Rotterdam for his work The load carrier on the Kop van Zuid and the statue of the Olympic athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen in Blijdorp.
This bronze sculpture of an athletic woman is a tribute to the athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen made by artist Han Rehm. The runner is immortalized the moment she crosses the finish line; full of speed and the body thrown forward. She won a gold medal in four distances at the 1948 Olympics, including the 100-meter dash. She was from Amsterdam and was welcomed there with a big parade after her Olympic victories. Blankers-Koen remained modest with such tributes. "All I did was win some running races," said the champion who would set twenty world records. Fanny Blankers-Koen was the first sculpted sportswoman in the Rotterdam outdoor area. Later she was followed by Coen Moulijn. The statue was unveiled on Saturday June 30, 1956 by Mr. Pieter Kodde (chairman of the Citizen Committee Image Fanny Blankers-Koen) and Jan Meertens (Alderman for Public Works, on behalf of the Municipal Executive), in the presence of Fanny Blankers-Koen and Han Rehm. Behind the curtains, local residents watch over possible vandalism. It seems that local residents sometimes clean the statue and leave a note with the words: “Mrs. Blankers, we just cleaned you up today. You were completely covered in bird droppings. ”
Artist Han Rehm (Rotterdam, 1908 - Rotterdam, 1970) studied art at the Reading University in England and subsequently studied drawing at the Rotterdam art academy for a short period. Afterwards he studied sculpture at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. In 1930 he also went to study sculpture in Vienna. In 1935 he settled in his own studio in Kralingen. In addition to being a sculptor, he was active as a medalist. Among other things, he made a medal for Leiden University (1958). Han Rehm is best known in Rotterdam for his work The load carrier on the Kop van Zuid and the statue of the Olympic athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen in Blijdorp.
