Ruud van Empel Art
Dutch, b. 1958
Original Ruud van Empel photocollages and prints have a number of disquieting aspects to them. The Dutch artist has gained an international following that includes Elton John, who dedicated a song to him.
Van Empel’s wide-eyed children, both of African and of European descent, project an innocence reminiscent of storybook illustrations or even the kitschy big-eyed kids painted by Margaret Keane. They are often exquisitely dressed, in clothes that look stylish but slightly out of date. They frequently inhabit improbable settings — a lush forest setting, a moonlit desert or jungle — again reminiscent of fairy tales. But the unreality of these beguiling kids owes much to the process by which they were created.
They have been photoshopped into being through a patchwork of features manipulated on the computer. The settings they inhabit also come about through photocollage: The Guardian reported that van Empel wanders “through Dutch forests, in search of fine leaves, perfect branches, and the right waters. Only to tear it apart and spend weeks reconstructing it all until both the person and the setting match his desired standard of photorealism.”
Van Empel was born in the small town of Breda and studied at the local art academy before moving to Amsterdam to pursue a serious career as a fine-art photographer. The earliest series to attract critical interest, “The Office” (1995), depicted staid office workers amid improbable props, referencing early 20th-century photomontage. As he has matured as an artist over the past 25 years, however, he has mastered a kind of realism that is somewhere between magical and dangerous.
Find original Ruud van Empel photography on 1stDibs.
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Artist: Ruud van Empel
Venus #2
By Ruud van Empel
Located in New York, NY
Signed, titled, dated and numbered, diasec flush mount.
Ruud Van Empel’s fantastical photographic portraits of children in verdant floral landscapes convey an air of innocence and a...
Category
2010s Modern Ruud van Empel Art
Materials
Dye Transfer
Price Upon Request
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b. 1951, St. Louis, MO
Education
1975 Mechanical Engineering Department, Stainless Steel Casting in Cooperation with Alloy Casting Corporation.
University of Illinois - Champaign
1974 Master of Fine Arts Candidate. School of Fine Arts. University of Iowa.
1973 Bachelor of Fine Arts. College of Fine Arts. University of Illinois – Champaign
Exhibitions
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Mary Block Sculpture and Print: A Dialogue Between Form and Image. University of Illinois.
School of Art and Design, Link Gallery. Champaign/Urbana.
1996 ASID Showcase, Chicago, IL
1995 New Glass Review, Corning Museum. Corning, NY. International Exhibition/Catalog featuring innovative glass
sculpture.
1996 Solo Exhibition, Nina Own Gallery, Chicago, IL
1996 Gallery Artists, Nina Owen Gallery. Chicago, IL
1995 Gallery Artists, Nina Owen Gallery. Chicago, IL
1995 Sandy and Dave, Group Exhibition. North Shore/Skokie Sculpture Park. Skokie, IL
1994 Sandy and Dave, Group Exhibition. North Shore/Skokie Sculpture Park. Skokie, IL
1992 Twenty Women, Adler Cultural Center. Libertyville, IL
1991 The Discerning Eye-National Exhibition, Charles A. Wustum Museum. Racine, WI
1988 North Shore Skokie Sculpture Walk, Curator: J. Folise. McCormick Blvd, Skokie, IL
Public Commissions
2022 Skyway Prints, Delta Airlines. Skyway Lounge, O’Hare Airport, Chicago, IL
2018 Mindfulness Center Sculpture, Roslyn Road School, Barrington. IL
2011 Grove School Children’s Amphitheater, Ft. Grove School, Barrington, IL
2007 Generations, Village Hall of Deerfield, Deerfield, IL
1999 Lifetime Learners, Danville Community College. Danville, IL
1997 Heroic Women Collection, Las Sendes Sculpture Park, Phoenix, AZ
1996 Wrapped Figure, Columbia College, Chicago, IL
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Ruud Van Empel art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Ruud van Empel art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of green, blue, yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ruud van Empel in archival pigment print, pigment print, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Ruud van Empel art, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Hellen van Meene, Carla van de Puttelaar, and Hugh Arnold. Ruud van Empel art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $9,539 and tops out at $31,342, while the average work can sell for $15,558.
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