Sculptor Loet Vanderveen brings an incredible sympathy to every animal he creates. His sculptures capture an animal’s signature pose and freezes it in time, revealing the essence not only of its form, but also its way of moving. The artist researches his subjects exhaustively and has been on many African safaris to gather first-hand impressions. As a young boy in Rotterdam, Holland, Loet went nearly every day to the city’s Victorian-era zoo. "I thought animals were way beyond belief. I marveled at them," says the artist. The zookeepers gave him free run of the place and let him help care for the animals. "They had a little lion cub and I would feed it practically every day. Then he grew up and they put him in a cage and I was heartbroken." More heartbreak was in store for the young Loet. On May 14th, 1940, the Germans bombed Rotterdam, killing 617 people and virtually flattening the city. When warned of the coming attack, the government ordered the Dutch army to shoot the animals in his beloved zoo, fearing that they’d get loose and endanger the populace. "I got there right after the bombardment," says Vanderveen, "and whole place was in ruins. The lions and big cats many of them were shot. But in the midst of it all, there was one elephant roaming. It was very, very poetic." Among all the stories of death and destruction, there were also some amazing stories of survival. The zoo’s chimpanzee somehow escaped and turned up later in a local bar. A seal was blown out of its pool and ended up in a canal in the city. But Loet’s life would never be the same. Post-war times were chaotic, but for three years he was able to study with a master ceramicist, learning the challenging art of reduced glazes. He set out for California to find paradise, settling on the rugged Big Sur coastline. Loet built a large ceramic studio with kiln and spent the next years creating ceramic sculptures of animals, some with bronze tusks and horns. After a lightning-sparked fire destroyed his home and studio, he rebuilt a much smaller studio for sculpting the wax originals that his new bronze animals were being cast from. This new medium brought Loet into the international spotlight. The combination of patina and polished bronze finishes added the finishing touch to his elegant sculptures. Works by Loet Vanderveen are now in the permanent exhibits of museums worldwide. When California govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger gives an official gift to a dignitary or head of state, he gives a Vanderveen bronze bear. Political figures, champions of sport, movie stars, wildlife organizations and heads of state - these diverse art collectors are united by an appreciation for the art of the Dutch boy who loved animals and grew up to be one of the most famous sculptors of our time