Luc Tuymans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luc Tuymans
Tuymans in 2009
Born	(1958-06-14) 14 June 1958 (age 67) Mortsel, Belgium
Education	Sint-Lukasinstituut Brussels École nationale supérieure des Arts visuels de La Cambre, Brussels Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp Free University of Brussels
Known for	Painting
Spouse(s)	Carla Arocha ​ (after 1999)​
Awards	Orders: Order of Leopold (Commander) ICOCEP-International Congress on Contemporary European Painting (Medal of Honour) Academies for Excellence: American Academy of Arts and Letters (Honorary Member) Member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin Academic Honours: University of Antwerp (Dr.h.c.) University of Arts Poznań (Dr.h.c.) Royal College of Art (Dr.h.c.) Awards: The Vincent Award (Finalist) Coutts Contemporary Art Foundation Awards Flemish Culture Award for Visual Arts ULTIMA Award AmfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research Awards Prizes: Cultuurprijs K.U. Leuven, Prijs Blanlin-Evrart

Luc Tuymans (born 14 June 1958) is a famous Belgian artist. He is best known for his paintings that explore how people remember history. His work often deals with big historical events, especially World War II.

Tuymans became a well-known painter at a time when many people thought painting was becoming less important because of computers and digital images. His paintings often look blurry or out of focus. This is not an accident. He carefully paints them this way to make them look like faded memories or old photographs.

He gets his ideas from many places, like news photos, movie scenes, and even his own drawings. His paintings cover a wide range of subjects, from serious historical events like the Holocaust to everyday things like wallpaper or Christmas decorations. The titles of his paintings are also very important. They often add another layer of meaning and make the viewer think more deeply about what they are seeing.

Early Life and Education

Luc Tuymans, Antichambre, 1985
Oil on canvas, 69.9 × 80.1 cm, 271⁄2 × 319⁄16 inches, Collection M HKA Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp – Collection of the Flemish Community

Luc Tuymans, Body, 1990
Oil on canvas, 48.5 × 38.5 cm, 19 1⁄8 × 15 1⁄4 inches, Collection S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent

Luc Tuymans, Der diagnostische Blick IV, 1992. Oil on canvas, 57 × 38.2 cm, 22 1⁄2 × 15 1⁄8 inches, Private collection, on long-term loan to De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art, Tilburg

Luc Tuymans was born in Mortsel, Belgium, in 1958. His family had different experiences during World War II. His mother's family was part of the Dutch Resistance, helping to hide people. Some of his father's family members were said to have sympathized with the Nazis. This family history made Tuymans think a lot about good and evil, which later became a major theme in his art.

He showed a talent for art from a young age. He once won a drawing competition during a summer holiday, which made him feel that art was his path in life.

Tuymans studied art at several schools in Brussels and Antwerp. For a while, he stopped painting to experiment with making films. He later returned to painting with a new, faster technique. He decided to finish each painting in a single day. He also studied Art history at a university.

Famous Paintings and Themes

Exploring History and Memory

Many of Tuymans' early paintings are about World War II and its aftermath. He wanted to explore if art could still be meaningful after such a terrible event.

One of his most famous paintings from this time is Gaskamer (Gas Chamber) from 1986. It is a painting of a room in the Dachau concentration camp, based on a watercolor he made there. The painting is pale and simplified, which makes the viewer think about the horrors that happened in that place.

Another important work is Die Wiedergutmachung (The Reparation) from 1989. It shows the eyes of children who were harmed in experiments by the Nazis during the war. These paintings challenge viewers to remember difficult parts of history.

Portraits and Everyday Objects

Besides historical subjects, Tuymans also paints portraits. But his portraits are not meant to show a person's personality. Instead, they often look like masks or empty shells. This makes the viewer think about identity and how we see other people.

An example is the series Der diagnostische Blick (The Diagnostic Look) from 1992. These paintings were based on pictures from a medical book. They show parts of the body in a cold, clinical way.

Responding to World Events

Luc Tuymans, Lumumba, 2000, oil on canvas, 62 × 46 cm, 24 3⁄8 × 18 1⁄8 inches, Collection The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Tuymans often responds to political and social events through his art. In 2000, he created the series Mwana Kitoko (Beautiful Boy). It was inspired by a visit of the Belgian king to the Congo in the 1950s, when it was still a Belgian colony.

After the 9/11 attacks in New York, many people expected him to create a painting about it for a major art show called Documenta 11. Instead, he showed a huge painting of a simple still-life. He said he wanted to create an "anti-picture," a peaceful image in response to the terrible event.

Dispute Over a Photograph

In 2015, Tuymans was involved in a legal dispute. A photographer named Katrijn Van Giel said that Tuymans' painting A Belgian Politician was a copy of her photograph. Tuymans argued that his painting was a parody, or a critical commentary. They later reached a private agreement to settle the issue. This case started a conversation about how artists use existing images in their work.

More Than Just Paintings

Luc Tuymans, The Shore, 2014
Oil on canvas, 194.2 × 353.7 cm, 761⁄2 × 1391⁄4 inches, Collection Tate Modern, London.
Presented by the artist and David Zwirner, 2016

Luc Tuymans, Dead Skull, 2010
MAS Museum aan de Stroom, Antwerp

Besides painting on canvas, Tuymans works in many other forms.

Works on Paper

Drawing is a very important part of his process. He makes many sketches and watercolors to develop his ideas before starting a painting. He has said that drawing helps him think and that he often draws from memory.

Murals and Mosaics

Tuymans has created about 50 murals, which are large paintings done directly on a wall. Some are permanent, while others are temporary for exhibitions.

He has also designed large mosaics. One famous mosaic is Dead Skull (2010), located in a public square in Antwerp. It is made of almost 100,000 small stones in 11 different colors. From the ground, it's hard to see the image. But as you go up in the nearby MAS museum, the image of a skull becomes clear.

Prints

Tuymans also makes prints using various techniques like etching and screen printing. Like his paintings, his prints are often based on photos or film stills that he has changed until they look blurry and mysterious.

Sharing His Knowledge

Tuymans is not just an artist; he is also a teacher and a curator. A curator is someone who organizes art exhibitions.

He has curated many shows, often bringing together art from different cultures, like Belgium and China. One of his goals as a curator is to create a conversation between different artworks.

He has also worked as a guest teacher at art schools, helping to guide and inspire a new generation of painters. He often gives lectures and talks about his work at museums and universities around the world.

Recognition and Legacy

Luc Tuymans is considered one of the most important painters of his generation. His work is shown in major museums all over the world, including the Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

His paintings are highly valued and sell for large amounts of money at auctions. He has received many awards and honors for his contributions to art, including an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art in London.

Tuymans continues to live and work in Antwerp. He is married to the artist Carla Arocha. His unique style and thoughtful approach to history have had a big influence on contemporary painting.

Selected museums and public collections

See also

• List of Belgian painters
• New European Painting