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Marlene Dumas | |
|---|---|
 Dumas in 2018 | |
| Born | 3 August 1953[1] Cape Town, South Africa |
| Education | |
| Known for | Painting |
| Partner | Jan Andriesse |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Rolf Schock Prize in Visual Arts (2011)[2] |
| Website | marlenedumas |
Marlene Dumas (born 3 August 1953) is aSouth African artist and painter based in theNetherlands.[3][4]
Dumas currently lives and works in the Netherlands and is one of the country's most prolific artists.[5]
Dumas was born in 1953 inCape Town, South Africa, and grew up inKuils River in theWestern Cape, where her father had a vineyard.[6][1] Dumas witnessed the system ofapartheid during her childhood.
Dumas studied art at theUniversity of Cape Town from 1972 to 1975, and then atAteliers '63 inHaarlem, which is now located in Amsterdam.[7] She studiedpsychology at theUniversity of Amsterdam in 1979 and 1980.[3] She holds degrees from theUniversity of Cape Town, fromAteliers '63 in Haarlem, and the Institute of Psychology,University of Amsterdam.[8]
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Dumas began painting in 1973, exploring her political concerns and reflections on her identity as a white woman ofAfrikaans descent in South Africa through her work.[9][10]
Dumas's paintings include portraits. However, these are less concerned with representing their sitters than conveying an emotional state that the subject could be experiencing.[citation needed] Her work explores issues and themes such as sexuality and race, guilt and innocence, violence and tenderness.[11] She also paints erotic scenes has said that her works are better appreciated as originals since many of her smaller sexual works are very intimate.[12]
The subjects of her work range from newborn babies, friends, models, strippers, and figures from popular culture and politics.[5][13] Dumas often uses reference material ofPolaroid photographs of her friends and lovers, whilst she also references magazines and pornographic material.[citation needed]
Dumas's style is broadly within the tradition ofRomanticism.[citation needed] She uses loose brushstrokes to create distortion while simultaneously capturing striking detail in her art.[14] Dumas likes to use a wet-on-wet technique that combines thin layers of paint with thick ones.[15] Her media of choice is oil on canvas and ink on paper.
In 2015-2016, Dumas contributed illustrations forHafid Bouazza's book of Dutch translations ofVenus and Adonis, one ofShakespeare’s earliest works.[16]
Since 2014, Dumas has produced "Great Men", a series of ink-wash portraits, accompanied by inscriptions, of men who have been punished and tortured for being LGBTQ+.[17]Frieze named the series No.14 of "The 25 Best Works of the 21st Century".
Dumas taught at the Academie voor Beeldende Vorming (ABV) inTilburg, Academie voor Kunst en Industrie (AKI) in Enschede, Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, andDe Ateliers in Amsterdam (Tutorials and Coaching).[18]
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Dumas's work was included in the 2022 exhibitionWomen Painting Women at theModern Art Museum of Fort Worth.[19]
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Dumas's work is in the collections of theMuseum of Modern Art[20] andDordrechts Museum.[21]
Dumas has been represented byDavid Zwirner Gallery since 2008.[24]
The 2004 sale of Dumas'sJule-die Vrou (1985) positioned her as one of three living female artists to trade for over $1 million.[25] The sale ofThe Schoolboys (1986–87) reached $9 million at Art Basel Miami Beach 2023, replacing the high of $6.3 million for her workThe Visitor (1995) in 2008.[26]
In May 2025, Dumas's paintingMiss January (1997) — a portrait of a blonde woman nude from the waist down — sold for $13.6 million at aChristie's auction, which set a new record for a living female artist.[27][28][29]
Dumas has been featured in many films, includingMiss Interpreted (1997),Alice Neel (2007),Kentridge and Dumas in Conversation (2009),The Future is Now! (2011), andScrewed (2017).[citation needed]
Several books showcase illustrations by Dumas, such asMarlene Dumas: Myths and Mortals,Venus and Adonis,David Zwirner: 25 Years,Marlene Dumas: Against the Wall,Marlene Dumas: Sweet Nothings,Marlene Dumas: The Image as Burden,Marlene Dumas: Measuring Your Own Grave,Experiments with Truth: Gandhi and Images of Violence.[30]
She is in a relationship with Jan Andriesse and has a daughter.[24]
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