Francien Krieg - Holding my own

I am Francien Krieg, a Dutch figurative painter. For more than 25 years the human body has been central to my work. I studied at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, and developed my painting further at the Free Academy. My work is exhibited internationally and selected for the Figurativas competition of MEAM in Barcelona. In 2023 I earned second place in Painting of the Year. Recently I was among the 25 finalists of Artist of the Year 2027. For many years I mainly painted older women in my series Precious Bodies, about which a book appeared in 2018. These paintings are about aging, visibility, and the narrow beauty ideals with which we look at bodies. I am moved by the traces of a lived life: changing skin, a characteristic posture, the presence of someone who is more than her appearance. In recent years I have also turned my gaze to young men and the insecurity of puberty. In portraits, figures in water, boxers, and boys with parts of armor I explore the tension between vulnerability and the expectation to be strong. Protection can offer safety, but it can also become a weight you carry with you. Although the ages of my subjects differ, the questions remain connected. What does a body reveal? What are we trying to hide? How much space do we give each other to change, to grow older, or to not know for a moment? The works in this two-person auction arise from those questions. I search for beauty in which discomfort and imperfection may also exist. For moments when a glance or a gesture lets something be felt that words cannot express.

Estimate:$3,361.32

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