Berlinde De Bruyckere

Belgian artist Berlinde de Bruyckere's drawings and sculptures start as true-to-life anatomical studies, shaped by the traditions of the Flemish and German Renaissance which have had a profound influence on the artist's work, as much as by her own imagination and poetic sensibility. 

The paintings of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), in particular, were an early influence. Of her experience of his works, De Bruyckere says:

“When I look at his paintings, I experience their physicality as the medium to express the thoughts and concerns of those figures: their fears, their passions, their doubts … Above all I feel an affinity with the way he deals with corporeality, the way he uses the sensual body as an image for the mental body.”

De Bruyckere's powerful, contorted figures, human and equine, of wax, animal skins and hair, evoke contemporary narratives and personal experiences. Intuition is of great significance throughout her creative process but it is intuition led by erudition and a profound knowledge and love of the materials used.

In a career spanning three decades, De Bruyckere reached international acclaim at the 2003 Venice Biennale, when her sculptures were shown in the Italian Pavilion. This is her first exhibition in Iceland.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Reykjavík Arts Festival and the National Gallery of Iceland.