Marlene Dumas
Female, 1992-93
from the series Female
211 tusche and charcoal drawings
Sammlung Garnatz, Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe

“Kunsthalle Helsinki will offer a unique opportunity to see works by one of the hottest names in contemporary art, Marlene Dumas. The show presents an exceptionally broad retrospective of the artist’s production from the 1970s up to the present. Born in South Africa in 1953, Dumas lives and works in the Netherlands. She is known for her masterful watercolours and subtle portraits. Her work enjoys an established status in major art museums and galleries and fetch unprecedented prices at auctions. Dumas’ work is currently on exhibit at the main venue of the Venice Biennial. Exhibitions of her work have been relatively rare in the Nordic countries, and the present show is the largest of its kind here.

Marlene Dumas’ paintings are a profound exploration of the human condition, of sexuality, birth and death, as well as psychological and philosophical themes. The show in Helsinki will include Female, a series of 211 female portraits that examines the representations of femininity, the gaze and the process of depiction and interpretation.”

“In addition to Female, the exhibition includes about thirty large oil paintings, gouaches and watercolours, as well as rare early drawings and sketches from the 1970s.” Read more…

View some of Dumas’ works at Art Daily’s Photo Gallery and Google Images.
images and words is Marlene Dumas’ own beautiful site.

I like her irreverent words, balancing her rather somber work, like these two excerpts from Marlene Dumas’ statement on women and painting:

“I paint because I am a woman.
(It’s a logical necessity.)”
“I paint because I am a religious woman.
(I believe in eternity.)”

ADDENDUM Sept.26.05: The Saatchi Gallery in London, UK has a fine page on Marlene Dumas.