C. C. van Asch van Wijck
A Dutch sculptor from a noble family who brought a modern, expressive sensibility to traditional portrait busts and figurative works in the early 20th century.
1900–1932 (age 32)·Dutch sculptor·Birthday: October 17·The Lost Generation
Biography
Cornélie Caroline van Asch van Wijck, known as Cox, entered the world in 1900 as a member of the Dutch nobility, a 'Jonkvrouwe.' Rather than conform to the expectations of her station, she pursued art with a serious dedication. She studied under the influential sculptor John Rädecker, and her work, primarily in bronze and stone, captured the human form with a blend of classical training and a touch of modernist simplification. Her portraits and figures, often of children or dignified subjects, possess a quiet intensity. Her career, however, was tragically brief, cut short by her death from tuberculosis at just 31 years old in 1932. In her short life, she managed to exhibit at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and leave behind a body of work that speaks of a promising talent unrealized.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
C. was born in 1900, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When C. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1900
C.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1900Born
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1905Started school
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Became a teenager
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1916Could drive
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Could vote
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Turned 21
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1930Turned 30
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1932Died at 32
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
Key Achievements
- Studied under prominent Dutch sculptor John Rädecker, a key figure in modern Dutch sculpture.
- Exhibited her work at the prestigious Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam during her lifetime.
- Her sculptures are held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Did You Know?
The van Asch van Wijck family is an old Dutch patrician and noble family with a long history of public service.
She was a direct descendant of several Dutch politicians and diplomats.
A portrait of her as a child was painted by the famous Dutch artist Thérèse Schwartze.
“The form emerges from the stone, not from my expectations of it.”
