Michiel VanderSommen creates dynamic portrait sculptures in bronze and terra cotta. His work ranges from commissions for life-size statues, to highly personalized busts, to creative representations of human form in dance, motion, and solitude. His subjects are captured with the essence of the subject in characteristic moods, gesture and activities, from contemplation to energetic movement.
Van der Sommcn's work, for both indoor and outdoor installation, has received critical acclaim in exhibitions in the United States and in Europe. He has shared his ideas and methods at workshops in the US and Europe, and as Head of the Art Department at Chatham Hall in Chatham, Virginia. In addition to his personalized portrait sculptures of individuals and families, Van der Sommen has completed numerous commissions for civic, governmental, and cultural organizations, including the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation to create “Elvis at 13” for Elvis Presley Birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi. He was also commissioned by Montross, Virginia to Sculpt the first Vietnam Veteran Memorial in the United States.
