Panamarenko facts for kids
Henri Van Herwegen (born February 5, 1940 – died December 14, 2019), known as Panamarenko, was a famous Belgian artist. He was known for making amazing sculptures, especially ones that looked like airplanes. His art was unique because none of his flying machines were actually built to fly!
Discovering Panamarenko's Art
Panamarenko was born in Antwerp, a city in Belgium. He studied art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts from 1955 to 1960. Before 1968, his art was inspired by a style called Pop Art. This style used images from popular culture.
Flying Machines and Big Ideas
Early on, Panamarenko became very interested in airplanes and how people might fly using their own power. This interest even influenced his artist name! "Panamarenko" might be a mix of "Pan American Airlines" and "Company." It could also be linked to Panteleimon Ponomarenko, a politician from the old Soviet Union.
Starting in 1970, he began creating models of imaginary vehicles. These included unique airplanes, balloons, and helicopters. Many of his sculptures are like modern versions of the myth of Icarus. Icarus was a character from Greek myths who tried to fly with wings made of feathers and wax. A big part of Panamarenko's art was wondering if his creations could actually fly. His large airship, The Aeromodeller (made in 1980), was a famous artwork. It was shown at a major exhibition in Ghent.
Later Years and New Projects
In 2003, Panamarenko married Eveline Hoorens. In 2005, he announced he was retiring as an artist at a big show of his work in Brussels. After he stopped making visual art, he even started his own coffee brand called PanamaJumbo.
In 2009, an airline called VLM Airlines named one of its planes after him. Panamarenko also received two special honorary doctorates. These were from the University of Hasselt in 2010 and the University of Mons in 2014. Even after retiring, Panamarenko created a series of fountains called Waving Crabs. These fountains feature crab figures spraying water on three stainless-steel islands. They are located in the Zegemeer, a large pond in Knokke-Heist. He opened them in 2011, saying he had the idea way back in 1975.
In July 2020, a special graffiti artwork was made to honor him. It was placed across from his old art studio.
