Rik Poot (20 March 1924, Vilvoorde – 16 December 2006, Jette) was a Flemish visual artist who focused on bronze sculptures and assemblages in metal. Essential in the formal language of Poot are the hollow spaces between the bronze parts from which his sculptures are constructed. By creating these openings, his monumental statues get some light and a certain fragility at the same time. His works were given a powerful and expressive rhythm. Despite the common distortions of the figures, Poots statues always remain recognizable. His style was of a classic modernism. All his life he remained in solidarity with the little man. This is evidenced, among other things, by his piece ‘Strijd voor Arbeid’, an 8-metre-high steel fist, erected in Vilvoorde after the closure of the Renault factories there. Poot also immortalized politicians and writers in busts, such as Jean-Luc Dehaene, Leo Tindemans and Marnix Gijsen. a classic modernism.