Dick Van Den Hoogen, born1909 - died 1978 Dick van den Hoogen was born in Utrecht, Holland. He received his art education in Holland, Gemany and France. This together with his basic training made the artist a versatile caftsman, competant in all media.
The war in Europe interrupted his career. Van den Hoogen spent three years in a variety of German prisoner of war camps where charcoal portraits were often exchange for food and cigarettes. The artist's daily prayer was that he would survive this terrible ordeal and live to paint the beautiful things in the world.
When the war was over, Dick came to Canada, where he started working as an illustrator for several commercial firms. Later his work took him to Western Canada. Van den Hoogen grew famous for his portraits of the Native People. He expressed empathy and understanding for their life and culture.
In 1975, reproductions of eighteen of his drawings of "Historic Landmarks of Calgary" were chosen by Mohawk Oil Company LTD. as a Centenial Project. These limited prints now hang in hundreds of homes and offices in Calgary and throughout the world. Dick van den Hoogen was chosen to paint the official portrait of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta for the Legislative Building in Edmonton. This is the first time in the history of Canada that a Native Indian, Ralph Steinhauer, a Cree, was chosen to be Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor is not wearing the traditional Windsor coat but his own native costume, that of an Indian Chief. Dick van den Hoogen's work is to be found in a large number of notable collections in Canada, United States, his native Holland and throughout the world.
The legacy of Dick van den Hoogen's work is ours to treasure.
