Ilse D’Hollander
— The Arts Club, London 16 September 2019 — 18 January 2020

During her short life, Belgian artist Ilse D’Hollander (1968-1997) created a raw and highly resonant body of work. Her canvases and works on cardboard focus on the rich dialogue between representation and abstraction, shedding light on the ways in which colour and form are perceived. 

Born in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium D’Hollander later moved to the small pastoral town of Paulatem. Both settings became inspirations for her practice. D’Hollander subtly draws upon her experience and perception of place, particularly the Flemish countryside where she spent her last years. 

D’Hollander’s works present natural vistas, horizons and landscapes that are at once boundless and intimate. They reveal a command of graphic and painterly touch that captures, holds and averts attention. 

Her compositions are made up of striking geometric blocks and bands of colour, tempered by strokes of paint from a brush or even the artist’s own hand. The layered result can be read as a visual interpretation of her thought process. 

The past decade has brought renewed international recognition for D’Hollander’s extraordinary practice. The Arts Club will present a selection of paintings on canvas and cardboard. The estate of Ilse D’Hollander is represented by Victoria Miro London/Venice.

Ilse D’Hollander (1968-1997) was a Belgian abstract painter who graduated from the Hoger Instituut voor Beeldende Kunsten, Ghent, in 1991. Posthumous solo exhibitions have included Sean Kelly Gallery, New York (2019), Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, Belgium (2019), Victoria Miro (2018), White House Gallery, Leuven (2017), Auvergne, France (2016), Konrad Fischer Galerie, Berlin (2014), and Gallery Sofie Van Velde, Antwerp (2014). D’Hollander’s work has also been included in group shows at Galerie Albert Baronian, Brussels (2017), David Zwirner Gallery, New York (2014) and Kondrad Fischer Galerie, Dusseldorf (2013). 

Victoria Miro announced its representation of the The Estate of Ilse D’Hollander in April 2018. The Estate was established in 2001. Its mission is to preserve and promote the artist’s work and legacy.

The exhibition is curated by Amelie von Wedel and Pernilla Holmes of Wedel Art.