Gerrit van der Veen was born on 26 November 1902 in Amsterdam. He grew into a gifted sculptor, draftsman and eventually one of the most admired resistance fighters in the Netherlands. His artistry was central at the beginning of his career: he studied at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, where he developed under the influence of teachers such as Jan Bronner and styles that varied from the Amsterdam School to the work of French sculptors such as Aristide Maillol.

His oeuvre included portraits, grave monuments and monumental sculptures, often characterised by powerful, modest forms that express a deep human feeling. His sculpture of poet Willem Kloos, which has stood in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam since 1939, is well-known. Van der Veen saw art as something that had to serve society. He joined artists' associations such as Arti et Amicitiae and actively participated in cultural life.

With the rise of National Socialism and the German occupation of the Netherlands, Van der Veen was confronted with an existential choice. In 1941, he refused, on principle, to sign the declaration of loyalty to the occupier, which led to his exclusion from official artist circles. But this act was only the beginning of his resistance. He became involved in the organization of underground networks of artists, who, among other things, focused on forging identity cards and ration cards for Jews and people in hiding.

Together with Willem Arondeus, among others, Van der Veen played a key role in the preparation of one of the most daring acts of resistance of the war: the attack on the Amsterdam population register on March 27, 1943. The aim of this action was to destroy archives that were used by the occupier to track down and deport Jews. Although some of the documents were spared, the symbolic significance of the attack was enormous. It was an act of open resistance and moral clarity in a time of terror and persecution.

On 12 May 1944, Gerrit van der Veen was arrested. He was imprisoned and on 10 June of the same year, together with other resistance fighters such as Johannes Post, executed in the dunes near Overveen. His body was buried in the Bloemendaal Cemetery of Honour, where many resistance heroes rest.

After the war, Van der Veen was recognised as one of the most important figures of the Dutch resistance. He was posthumously awarded the Resistance Cross, the Mobilisation War Cross and the Medal of Honour for Merit. In 2002, he was recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations, an honourary title for non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

His name lives on in the Gerrit van der Veenstraat in Amsterdam and in institutions that want to continue to promote his ideals of courage, creativity and human dignity. Gerrit van der Veen was not only a gifted artist, but also a moral beacon — someone who dedicated his talent and life to resisting injustice.