Marlene Dumas is a South African-born, Dutch-based contemporary artist, internationally acclaimed for her powerful, emotionally resonant paintings and drawings.
She was born in 1953 in Cape Town and has lived in the Netherlands since the late 1970s.
Her work often focuses on the human figure and explores intense themes such as:
Dumas is known for using photographs – personal and journalistic – as references, which she transforms through expressive brushwork into deeply psychological portraits.
Her style blurs the boundaries between intimacy and detachment, creating haunting and evocative imagery.
Most famous paintings by Marlene Dumas
Special mention: Miss January
Miss January (1997)
This artwork recently garnered significant attention when it sold for $13.6 million (R246 million) at Christie’s in New York on 14 May 14 setting a new auction record for a living female artist.
“Miss January” is a towering oil-on-canvas piece measuring approximately 9 feet tall (281.9cm x 101.6cm).
It portrays a blonde woman standing confidently, nude from the waist down, wearing only a single pink sock.
The subject’s direct gaze and assertive posture challenge traditional representations of the female nude, confronting viewers with themes of vulnerability, power, and the objectification of women.
Painted in 1997, the work revisits Dumas’s earlier explorations of femininity and identity, echoing her first known drawing, “Miss World,” created when she was just 10 years old.
Through expressive brushwork and a limited color palette, Dumas blurs the lines between intimacy and detachment, inviting contemplation on the complexities of representation and perception.
The sale of “Miss January” not only established a new benchmark for Dumas’s market value but also underscored her influence in contemporary art.
The painting was previously part of the esteemed Rubell Family Collection, known for its commitment to contemporary artists.
Legacy and impact
Marlene Dumas is considered one of the most important painters of her generation.
Her work is part of major collections, including:
Are you an art collector – or would you like to be one if you could afford it?
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