Marlene Dumas : Open-End

Tender exhibition at Pallazo Grassi in Venice of work by Marlene Dumas.

Spread over two floors, the work was sparsely hung which gave it room to breathe. Rather than labels you were given an excellent booklet with explanations of the work.

At first glance the work looks rough and unfinished but the more you look at it the finer it becomes and, particularly the portraits, show great draftsmanship and insight.

My favourites were a series of drawings of gay men who’d faced persecution from Oscar Wilde to Justin Fashenu. Each had a short explanation of their story. I also loved this picture of naked women from behind based on an old photograph of nudists. I felt they looked like they were having fun.

Closes 8 January 2023


 

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