This extraordinary artist, famous for her figurative work, started her life in the wine farmlands of the Southern Cape. Shortly put, the daring work of Marlene Dumas is easily some of the most exciting stuff that the art scene has seen for quite some time. This large painting was first exhibited in 2010 in the exhibition Against the Wall at the David Zwirner Gallery in New York. Dec 14, 2008–Feb 16, 2009. ‘Naomi’ (1995) is an intriguing painting, half beckoning, half shy. Find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for … The artist herself, talking about this work, commented on the ambiguity of childhood with its cruelty and naiveté. Her figurative paintings often depict nude bodies engaged in amorous acts, some of them erotic, some disconcerting. The girl seems angry as she stares petulantly toward the viewer. I am a good example of everything that is wrong with my time. However, this erotic painting is part of a series related to the theme of death where Dumas paints close-ups of dead bodies. She is naked and eerily luminous with translucent flesh. Indeed, the informal qualities of the body rendering make the work even more sensual and seductive. Dumas plays with the iconic, romantic representation of a painter with a bit of humor. Marlene Dumas – The Image As Burden exhibition – Image via theguardian.com From Cape Town to Amsterdam. 10% off on all your cart items, sitewide! "Marlene Dumas Artist Overview and Analysis". Marlene Dumas is a contemporary South African painter, whose figurative works have earned her a place among the most influential painters of the 20th and 21st centuries. Ink wash, watercolor, and metallic acrylic on paper - De Pont Stichting, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Dealers. Dumas' Jen, with her eyes closed, might indeed be celebrating her own sexual pleasure as well. In Young Boys, Marlene Dumas’s line-up of ghostly lads is stark and oppressed against the ominous background, trailing off in the distance into mere sketchy traces of suggestion. She attended the University of Amsterdam studying painting and psychology and began her painting with heads and figures. Working almost exclusively from photographic sources, Dumas draws her subject material from an ever-developing archive of personal snapshots, Polaroid photographs, and thousands of images taken from various print media sources. It is nearly impossible to look away from this languid lady who invites us to confront our own social norms and sexual taboos, so prevalent in society. She appears inviting to, and deriding of, the viewer simultaneously. Through the image of an angry and fearful monster-like little girl, Dumas powerfully and emotionally paints about love and motherhood. Kunsthalle Bern, Marlene Dumas: The Question of Human Pink, July-August 1989, p. 24 (illustrated in color). Dumas clearly draws a parallel between the Nazi regime and the policies and practices of the apartheid. Her figurative paintings often depict nude bodies engaged in amorous acts, some of them erotic, some disconcerting. With an oeuvre of haunting portraiture that depicts the artist’s friends, models, and prominent political figures, Dumas consistently explores themes of sexuality, political oppression, … 100/101 2017 The work is part of the MD-light series based on personal snapshots of prostitutes from the famous Red-Light district in Amsterdam. In the past Dumas produced paintings, collages, drawings, prints and installations. It is probably the artist's attention to the medium of watercolor that makes it so special. As a white person in South Africa, using self-portrait is a strong political statement, which makes the painting even more powerful. The title tells the viewer that the subject is a woman. The daring art of Marlene Dumas: duct-tape, pot bellies and Bin Laden Rachel Cooke Her work has held the record for being the most expensive by a living female artist. Under this new light, the portrait here tends to be interpreted differently. Represented by internationally reputable galleries. These men could very well be Israelis raising their arms in prayer in front of the iconic Wailing Wall, as the viewer is led on by the work's title in direct juxtaposition to its original source material. Today, The Neighbor is said to be the most famous work by Dumas in the Netherlands. The picture depicts an ordinary young bearded man, likely of North-African descent, who could be anyone's neighbor as the title suggests. Widely known for the gestural quality and austerity of her oil and watercolor paintings, Marlene Dumas’s work confronts difficult themes from pornography to segregation. Artworks. Double Takes. Limited-Edition Prints by Leading Artists. Her artwork consistently explores constructions of identity … Dumas cropped the image to depict a section absent of soldiers. Like most of Dumas' works, Jen is based on a third source, this time a still from the 1970 film Fly by fellow female artist Yoko Ono. He looks rather calm and peaceful. London, Tate Gallery, Art from Europe, April-June 1987, pp. Attending Michaelis Art School in the 1970’s, she graduated with a degree in Fine Art. 105, 107 and 145 (illustrated in color). Gallery Marlene Dumas (1953-) | All 25 Artworks | Artworks + 1 (707) 877-4321 + 33 977-198-888 . She is in her forties, smiling, with long, flamboyant orange hair. This contrast between violence and innocence would mark much of Dumas' work. With an oeuvre of haunting portraiture that depicts the artist’s friends, models, and prominent political figures, Dumas consistently explores themes of sexuality, political oppression, identity, and … 27 May – 25 July 2020 & 2 September – 10 October 2020 With Jen, Dumas crosses the thin line between sex and death. Her hands are blue and red, covered with something that could easily be identified as blood. Using as her starting point photographs from her personal collection and the print media, Dumas recreates them in grays and browns, a palette well suited for her 2010 exhibition "Against the Wall" at David Zwirner, in which she captures with characteristic starkness the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Marlene Dumas is a contemporary South African painter, whose figurative works have earned her a place among the most influential painters of the 20th and 21st centuries. Her figurative paintings often depict nude bodies engaged in amorous acts, some of them erotic, some disconcerting. Find artworks by Marlene Dumas (South African, 1953) on MutualArt and find more works from galleries, museums and auction houses worldwide. Home Artists Artworks Buy About us Buy 10 prints and get 10% + 20% off on all items. Marlene Dumas South African, born 1953 About this artwork Since the early 1980s, Marlene Dumas has created figurative paintings and ink-wash drawings that raise provocative questions about gender, beauty, sexuality, race, and the resultant conditions of oppression and violence. 100 x 300cm. Marlene Dumas paintings bloom where words perish. Malmö, Konsthall and Turin, Castello di Rivoli, The Particularity of Being Human: Marlene Dumas/Francis Bacon, March-October 1995, pp. This very controversial image was taken down in the Netherlands and is part of the Man Kind series, one of Dumas' most political series. In 1995 she represented Holland in the Venice Biennale, and in 1996 the Tate Gallery exhibited a selection of her works on paper. Accomplishments . The wall transfers from a place of potential execution or arrest, becoming reminiscent of the most sacred holy site in the old city of Jerusalem. Marlene Dumas Art Is/Always/Having to Say/Goodbye (for Parkett, no. Events. Dumas began painting in 1973 and showed her political concerns and reflections on her identity as a white woman of Afrikaans descent in South Africa. The artwork is a prime example of Dumas’ style, both in content and in form. Marlene Dumas was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and raised on her family’s vineyard in the countryside. Artworks See all 3 artworks › Albino, 1986 Marlene Dumas; After Photography, 2003 Marlene Dumas; Ecco Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1988 Marlene Dumas; Explore Further. Marlene Dumas b 1953, South Africa.. By playing with perspective and the proportionality of these figures, Dumas highlights only what is most … These unidentified man, whichever side they are on, are sharing the same human experience. The generalizing title of "The Painter" adds another layer to consider. Biography. Through this sly process of elimination, Dumas gives her subjects anonymity and changes the picture's meaning. It has the screen-print look … The artist Marlene Dumas Born Aug 3 1953, Kuilsrivier, South Africa. Marlene Dumas mainly creates with oil on canvas and ink on paper now. Oil on Canvas. She becomes the artist, the source, and the genius. A recent series of twenty small-scale watercolors collectively titled Vocabulary (2018) is inspired by the eroticism of Indian miniature paintings. South African artist Marlene Dumas is considered one of the most significant contemporary artists, whose intense, emotionally charged paintings address existentialist themes and political issues. Marlene Dumas, ‘Naomi’ (1995), oil on canvas, 130 x 110 cm, De Heus-Zomer Collection | Photo Peter Cox, Courtesy Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, and Marlene Dumas. This courageous work raises questions surrounding fear and manipulation on all levels. The experimental video, shot in extreme close-up, follows a fly as it explores the naked body of a sleeping actress named Virginia Lust. The body here may indeed be a corpse. Her images speak more than any words ever could. This exhibition of the work of the acclaimed painter Marlene Dumas, the first of its scale to be mounted in the United States, is organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in association with The Museum of Modern Art. Dumas cropped the image to depict a section absent of soldiers. Oil on canvas - Museum of Modern Art, New York. 100/101) 2017 Various Artists, Nairy Baghramian, Sophie Calle, Maurizio Cattelan, Marlene Dumas, Katharina Fritsch, Katharina Grosse, Marilyn Minter, Jean-Luc Mylayne, Nicolas Party, Pipilotti Rist, Jordan Wolfson Parkett no. Kochi, India. (Marlene Dumas, Century 87: Today's Art Face to face with Amsterdam's Past exh. Marlene Dumas. Dumas was born in 1953 in Cape Town, South Africa and grew up in Kuils River in the Western Cape, where her father had a vineyard. However, this portrait is based on a well-known newspaper photograph of Mohammed Bouyeri, convicted in 2004 for the murder of Dutch filmmaker and journalist Theo van Gogh. Marlene Dumas ’s work was on view as part of the fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in Kochi, India. Marlene Dumas was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1953. [Internet]. Oil on canvas - Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The brutal assassination caused great social turmoil in the Netherlands, increasing feelings of fear, xenophobia, and Islamophobia. Depicting creatures including a snake, a snail, a bird, and a cricket, human features such as an eye and lips, kissing figures, and a body … Know someone who would find this article interesting? Night Nurse is one of those images. The nipple accentuated by a touch of red on white skin offers a sexual overlay to the intended meaning of the film, which is meant to celebrate the human body. The work is derived from a photograph of Israeli soldiers searching Palestinian men in front of a wall. The bright self-portrait contrasts dramatically with its title, which refers to Hanna Arendt's controversial report on Nazi bureaucracy and the chilling normality of evil. ©2021 The Art Story Foundation. Marlene Dumas | artnet | Page 2. This gap between the image and the word takes the painting to another dimension. In the same series, Dumas also painted a portrait that resembles Osama Bin Laden entitled The Pilgrim. When it was exhibited together with The Neighbor at the Galerie Paul Andriesse in Amsterdam for the first time, the two works were notably shown in the gallery office and not in the exhibition space. Biography. Marlene Dumas moved to Amsterdam in 1976, where she has lived and worked since. All Rights Reserved. Through this sly process of elimination, Dumas gives her subjects anonymity and changes the picture's meaning. Helena has commented about this work that it is one of the best paintings her mother has ever done. This painting is based on a photograph of the artist looking over her shoulder. Marlene Dumas is a contemporary South African painter, whose figurative works have earned her a place among the most influential painters of the 20th and 21st centuries. Widely known for the gestural quality and austerity of her oil and watercolor paintings, Marlene Dumas’s work confronts difficult themes from pornography to segregation. In this painting, a group of men are seen from behind, in front of a wall, raising their arms. Her light blue eyes are fixed on something outside the work, and her chin rests on her hand. Marlene DUMAS (1953) (South africa) is an artist born in 1953 The oldest auction result ever registered on the website for an artwork by this artist is a drawing-watercolor sold in 1988, at Sotheby's , and the most recent auction result is a print-multiple sold in 2020. She studied art at the University of Cape Town from 1972 to 1975, and then at Ateliers '63 in Haarlem, which is now located in Amsterdam. Dumas joined other South African artists engaged actively in diverse forms of political, social and cultural critique and resistance. In the mid 1980s, when she finished this painting, apartheid was at its height. Biography. By removing the comfort of context, she shows how easy it is for us to be influenced by imagery. Her skin has a faint blue tinge, and concentric rings surround her head, suggesting an aura or halo. Marlene Dumas’s painting Drop (2018) is a close-up portrayal of a woman. The Kiss, 2003. Dumas invited some of the ladies into her studio and took Polaroids for source material. In it, the little boy also seems angry and threatening as he holds a grenade in his hand, yet he was merely growing impatient with the photographer and only wanted to return to his toys. Widely known for the gestural quality and austerity of her oil and watercolor paintings, Marlene Dumas’s work confronts difficult themes from pornography to segregation. Marlene Dumas is widely regarded as one of the most influential Modern painters working today. Dumas is acclaimed as one … The menacing little girl suddenly becomes a powerful force of creation. Over the past four decades, she has continuously probed the complexities of identity and representation in her work. Content compiled and written by Pich-Chenda Sar, Edited and revised, with Summary and Accomplishments added by Kimberly Nichols. The striking portrait is based on a snapshot of Dumas' own daughter, Helena, who was simply finger painting on a hot summer day. She now works mainly with oil on canvas and ink on paper. At the same time, she pays homage to her daughter - a mother's source of everything from life and death, fear and glory, happiness and sadness. The piece becomes a symbol of universal suffering instead of a symbol of an individual conflict or war. The upper part of the body is bluish while the rest is yellow to white; the face is even paler. Dumas' gesture also shows the power of images used to manipulate us by the press and media, especially during armed conflicts. Over nearly half a century, leading painter Marlene Dumas has used her portraiture-centred practice to investigate emotion and interrogate preconceptions around notions of class, gender, sexuality, and race. Zeno X, Antwerp, Belgium. 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