Marianne Houtkamp was born in Laren, The Netherlands in 1948. Years of study and practice have resulted in an impressive and versatile oeuvre of bronze sculptures that focus on the human figure. Her journeys throughout Europe, Southern and Central Africa and her love of differing civilisations have been her main sources of inspiration. She has sculpted people from African ethnic groups such as the Masai, Samburu, Kikuyu, Wodaabe as well as people from South America. Marianne was also present at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), One Voice celebration in 2007, where she unveiled the first in a series of Middle Eastern sculptures.
Houtkamp has exhibited her work internationally and her art has been presented at international art fairs. She created a life-size sculpture for the Red Cross, an image that has appeared on a Dutch postage stamp. An active business partner of the World Food Programme (WFP), commissioned Houtkamp to sculpt a monumental life-size female refugee and a smaller sculpture of an African child. The same sculptures can also be found at the WFP headquarters in Rome. The Pope and pop singer Bono received a sculpture by Marianne as an award to honour their humanitarian work. Houtkamp’s recent commission by the United Nations was a sculpture that was presented as a gift to former UN Secretary Kofi Annan.
