Marlene Dumas just made history.
The Cape Town–born artist is now the first contemporary female artist to have her work added to the Louvre’s permanent collection. A major moment for her, and a massive win for South African art.
Nine of her portraits from the Liaisons series are now on display in the Denon wing, right in the heart of the iconic Paris museum. The works were commissioned by Laurence des Cars, the Louvre’s president and director, and come in Dumas’ classic style: quiet, emotional and full of mystery.
The Louvre unveiled the pieces on 6 November as part of its autumn season. The addition also ties into the museum’s big renewal project, the “Nouvelle Renaissance du Louvre”, which aims to reimagine the institution for the future. There’s even talk of giving the Mona Lisa her own dedicated space.
Who is Marlene Dumas?
Dumas grew up in Cape Town and moved to the Netherlands in the 1970s. Since then, she’s become one of the most influential painters of her generation. Her work has travelled the world, her style is instantly recognisable, and her pieces regularly break records. One of her paintings, Miss January, sold for $13.6 million at Christie’s in New York, a price that cemented her status as one of the most highly valued living women artists.
Her career comes with major highlights:
The Venice Biennale.
A MoMA retrospective in New York.
Multiple showings at Documenta.
Even a big exhibition at Standard Bank Gallery here at home.
Now, she’s in the Louvre.
Permanently.
It doesn’t get more iconic than that.
