Photo Jan Boer Illustrator Henk van Ruitenbeek has received the Wageningen Silver Medal of Honour. Mayor Floor Vermeulen surprised Van Ruitenbeek with the award at the opening of an exhibition about his work at the De Casteelse Poort museum. For decades, Van Ruitenbeek was the regular illustrator for the Typical Dutch column on the back page of Resource.
Over the past forty years, Van Ruitenbeek has created drawings and illustrations for all kinds of groups, institutions and organisations. The university and the municipality were two of his most important clients. His work is colourful, cheerful and distinctive. According to Mayor Vermeulen, everyone in Wageningen immediately recognises a ‘real Van Ruitenbeek’.
Deeper message
In addition to that cheerfulness, there is always a deeper message. ‘When commenting on Wageningen society and the university, he constantly looked beneath the surface of obligatory and facile chatter’, says Vermeulen. ‘He dissected the motivations of people and organizations in his drawings.’
Many of Ruitenbeek’s drawings are tied to a subject, time and place. ‘But there are also illustrations that are still relevant today’, says the mayor. ‘His drawings about the environment and manure problems, now the nitrogen crisis, are topical. His drawings about biotechnology are still to the point, and his drawings of administrators with their ambitions and weaknesses are timeless.’
Value
According to Vermeulen, Van Ruitenbeek has made an exceptional contribution to Wageningen society over the past forty years. ‘As a cartoonist, illustrator and theatre maker, he has shaped social debate, education and culture in his own unique way. In doing so, he has made complex themes accessible to a wide audience. His work has been of value to the entire community. That deserves our utmost appreciation.’
The Wageningen Silver Medal is a municipal award given to residents who have made a long-term and special contribution to the city.
Translated with DeepL
