For many years, former gallery director Laurie Cluitmans (1984) was a familiar face at Galerie Fons Welters in Amsterdam. In addition, she worked as an independent curator for among others De Appel in Amsterdam and De Hallen in Haarlem and as an art critic for publications such as MetropolisM, De Witte Raaf, Frieze and De Groene Amsterdammer. Cluitmans displayed her writing skills in her essay on the garden of the British artist, poet and director Derek Jarman, which landed her the Grand Prize for Young Art Criticism 2016. Since January 2018, Laurie has been working as a contemporary art curator at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. She is working on the exhibition On the necessity of gardening, which is planned for June 2021. Until then, we will have to settle for her choice of flowers that, like art, are sources of comfort.
‘During a global crisis as we are in now, both garden and gardening take on a whole new meaning. My research into this brings me not only to the metaphorical meaning of the term "garden" over the centuries, but also to the many floral associations. The flower is central to one of the chapters of this exhibition. In days of loss, uncertainty, semi-quarantine and social isolation, flowers provide comfort. Just like art. Incidentally, I hope that the flower industry - as a token of solidarity – is happy to share some of the Corona funds with the artists in my collection.’