Marlene Dumas
South Africa/Netherlands · Painting
Known For
Portraits and figurative works that explore complex human emotions, race, and identity.
Exhibitions
Marlene Dumas: Measuring Your Own Grave
2009 · The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, USA & MoMA, New York, USA
A major mid-career retrospective that traveled between several major institutions, showcasing Dumas’ emotionally charged portraits and exploring themes of sexuality, race, and death.
The Image as Burden
2015 · Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands & Tate Modern, London, UK
A comprehensive retrospective featuring works from across Dumas’ career, focusing on her exploration of the human condition, with a particular emphasis on the complexities of identity and representation.
Broken White
2017 · Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
A solo exhibition featuring Dumas’ recent works, including paintings, drawings, and watercolors, exploring themes of love, loss, and political violence through her distinctive, expressive style.
Marlene Dumas: Myths & Mortals
2018 · David Zwirner Gallery, New York, USA
This solo exhibition focused on Dumas’ depictions of love and death, featuring a series of paintings and drawings inspired by Shakespeare's plays, Greek mythology, and modern-day figures.
The Venus Effect
2001 · The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA
A solo exhibition that explored Dumas' fascination with the portrayal of women in art history, examining the intersection of beauty, vulnerability, and power in her portraits.
100% Africa
2006 · Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Group exhibition where Dumas’ work was featured alongside other prominent African and African diaspora artists, exploring contemporary issues of identity, migration, and cultural memory.