Until 7 May, you can explore new work by the Dutch artist Marie Cecile Thijs at SmithDavidson Gallery in Amsterdam.
Thijs' picturesque photos are often most reminiscent of the portraits of the old masters or of classic food and flower still lifes. However, the artist refers not only thematically to the work of the old masters, but also in terms of colour and light. A red cabbage in one of her photos — complete with a lace tablecloth — almost appears isolated from a classic painting. Yet her photos are unmistakably contemporary, because of the addition of a contemporary haircut or a stubborn attitude for instance, which imbues the photograh with a surreal, timeless and dreamy effect.
Sometimes the works are also marked by a certain sense of humour, like when she placed a live chicken in the middle of a gigantic head of lettuce in a piece entitled "Chicken Caesar". Named after the famous salad of course, but the chicken appears so stately in the photograph that he also reminds you a bit of that famous French emperor. Other times the result is more poetic, like a floating, dripping, entwined octopus that almost resembles a human brain.
But Thijs is perhaps best known for her series of collar photos, in which she captured women, children and even cats, wearing an iconic 17th-century millstone collar. This original collar, from the collection of the Rijksmuseum, was photographed separately and was later digitally added to the models, because it was simply too fragile to use on a person. Sometimes the 17th -century collar gives way to a more classic collar or a collar that consists of white feathers. Thijs also captured Anky van Grunsven's famous horse Salinero, who won no fewer than two Olympic gold medals. She also immortalised many writers, politicians and artists.
In her latest work, currently on display at SmithDavidson Gallery, the artist takes a new direction, leaving room for experimentation. Slightly surreal situations arise in this way, including an orchid in a balloon, a floating mortar, reminiscent of Magritte's work, two pigeons on a flying globe or a mysterious green planet where human action is no longer central. That new work is accompanied by works that are a continuation of her earlier themes, including the "Food Portraits". For example, we see vegetables like an artichoke or a bean that effectively defy gravity.
The artist initially studied fashion design at St Joost in Breda for a year, followed by a law degree. After working as a lawyer for almost a decade, she decided to surrender to her passion for photography.
Thijs' work was exhibited at the Beijing International Art Biennale (2022), the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, Museum de Fundatie, Museum aan het Vrijthof and Museum Jan Cunen. Her photographs are included in the collections of the Rijksmuseum, which acquired several works, The Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) in San Diego, the National Museum of History and Art in Luxembourg and the Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond in the US.