Kees van Kranen

'Kees' (Cornelis) van Kranen was born on the 9th July 1923 in Holland. Prior to World War II he had a strong interest in art and at some stage entered an academy or school of art. However, the intervention of the war may have prevented him from returning to formal study.  It is believed that during the war he used his artistic talents to counterfeit official documents while he was involved with the Dutch Resistance fighting against the German Nazi occupation. At some stage during the war it was thought that Kees was captured and taken to a German labour camp where he witnessed the death of his brother through starvation.   

Like thousands of his fellow Dutch citizens, Kees decided to take advantage of the post-war  'assisted passage' scheme being offered by the New Zealand Government and he emigrated from Holland, arriving in Wellington on 12th February 1953. Within a few years he had met his to-be wife Cherry Dunn and they married on 22nd December 1958 with their son David being born in 1962.  Along with his wife (a music teacher and accompanist) Kees was a member of the Orpheus Choir in Wellington for many years and the couple shared a life-long interest in music. 

Kees worked as a commercial artist painting billboards and signage before holding a number of positions in government, the NZBC and retail.  Parallel to music, he maintained his passion for art and over the decades created many fine calligraphy 'scrolls' including work for Government House such as royal charters and service commissions for which he received a commendation.  He also painted and sketched portraits and many scenes from Holland including reproductions of famous Dutch paintings. At one stage Kees worked for the NZBC doing house visits associated with administering TV licenses and began to document his travels by becoming an avid photographer of the greater Wellington region. This set of photographs documents the streets of Wellington during the 1980s and early 1990s during a time when the city was undergoing enormous change and urban development.

During their married life Kees and Cherry lived in Porirua and Ngaio before retiring to the Wairarapa in 1993.  He died in Greytown in 1999, followed by his son David in 2000 and his wife Cherry in 2016.  

Wellington City Libraries wishes to thank Murray Pillar as the executor of the estate of the photographer for gifting these images to us and allowing them to be digitised on Wellington City Recollect.