Amsterdam Diary: Marlene Dumas at The Stedelijk Museum

I went back to the Stedelijk to see Marlene Dumas' Image As A Burden exhibition. It' is exquisite. 

With almost two hundred drawings and paintings from private and museum collections throughout the world, Marlene Dumas – The Image as Burden is the first major solo exhibition of Dumas in the Netherlands in 20 years. It is the most comprehensive retrospective survey of her work in Europe to date and presents a compelling overview of her oeuvre from the late 1970s to the present.

In addition to her most important and iconic works, the exhibition also presents lesser-known paintings and drawings, including many works never before seen in the Netherlands, and a selection of her most recent paintings. The title of the exhibition is derived from the work The Image as Burden (1993), which refers to the conflict between the painterly gesture and the illusion of the painted image. 

You can read more about the exhibition here

You will see paintings inspired by photography, paintings, cinema, news, politics, emotions and even pop culture. It is a beautiful exhibition.

Below are some photos I took from the exhibition, divided based on some of the themes in the exhibition, but they are nothing compared to seeing the work in person.

After the photos is a video showing Marlene Dumas talking about her work and Leontine Coelewij (curator of the exhibition) talking about the exhibition.  If you are in Amsterdam, don't miss this, it is on till 4th January 2015. 

Child

Walls and Martyrs 

Magdalena 

Faces 

Body Language

The Image as Burden (1993)

Tears 

Models