He r paintings explore the complex and often veiled themes of gender identity, beauty, sexuality, racism,
violence and religion, and she is held in high regard by contemporaries and critics alike.
Marlene Dumas is
prominent on the worldwide art scene, and has just returned from her latest exhibition held at the Musuem of Modern Art in New York.
He r paintings explore the complex and often veiled themes of gender identity, beauty, sexuality, racism,
violence and religion, and she is held in high regard by contemporaries and critics alike.
Marlene Dumas is
prominent on the worldwide art scene, and has just returned from her latest exhibition held at the Musuem of Modern Art in New York.
She has risen to great heights and is considered “an international presence in the art world” according to a press release submitted by Rhodes University.
After obtaining a BA in Visual Arts at the University of Cape Town, she was awarded a scholarship at a prestigious institute in Amsterdam to further her studies in visual art.
This was an invaluable opportunity to learn more about Europe, its culture and most importantly, its art. Dumas’ path to success was not as smooth as she would have liked it to be: initially, she found adjusting to the Dutch way of life difficult.
However, once she found her bearings, there was no stopping her as she climbed to the top of her league. She soon learned that the only way she could benefit from her stay in Europe is by becoming a part of it, and has since been based there.
Her paintings are often larger-than-life and employ abstract expressionism, a theme which reintroduces portraiture as an art form which is more psychological and requires more insight.
She values the therapeutic nature of painting and her source material consists of a wide range of visual motifs, including newspaper images.
She also writes extensively on her artwork and artwork in general. Dumas has been garnering acclaim for a very large part of her career, and in 2007 she was awarded the Düsseldorf Art Prize, one of Germany’s most prestigious awards.
