DALLAS — Luc Tuymans is a 50-something contemporary artist who uses images to make a statement.
He'll take a photograph — for example, of his own childhood doll — and by putting oil to canvas, Tuymans creates his own image of what is going on in the world, from 9/11 to the Holocaust.
"Luc talks about memory a lot, and the fallibility of memory, and the fact that both cultural and historical moments are distorted through time, and specifically through images," said Jeffrey Grove, curator of contemporary art at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Strolling among the more than 75 pieces in the DMA's exhibit, you realize Tuymans' colors are often muted, because memory can become foggy. You'll find patches of bright color in this exhibit, but the artist wants to dig deeper.
One of Tuymans' most haunting paintings is in the holocaust section. It portrays Albert Speer, Hitler's architect, on a ski vacation. The image was taken from a home movie still, and Speer is faceless.
Luc Tuymans continues to live and work in Antwerp, Belgium — a contemporary artist who grew up in the television era, creating art that has a lot to say about the impact of images in our own memory and in history.
This is a profound exhibit.
The Luc Tuymans exhibit runs through September 5 at the Dallas Museum of Art. General admission is $10.
E-mail gcogill@wfaa.com
