Johannes Vermeer Award 2012 goes to

Marlene Dumas

Foto: Titia Hahne

The Dutch state prize for the arts, the Johannes Vermeer Award 2012, has been awarded to artist Marlene Dumas. The jury made its unanimous decision on account of her exceptional artistic talent and her unrivalled ability to capture human emotions in images. The State Secretary for Culture, Halbe Zijlstra, has presented the prize on 29 October in museum De Prinsenhof in Delft.

The jury of the Johannes Vermeer Prize 2012 commended Marlene Dumas for her impressive oeuvre. For over 30 years, her exhibitions have reached the highest form of poetic imagination. The jury also admired the way in which Dumas pursues her profession. She never fails to provide a context for her work for exhibitions. Dumas reflects constantly on the art of painting and on being an artist in general. She does so through literary texts and commentaries, and through the lectures that universities and museums frequently ask her to give. Her endless energy is admirable, as is her ability to address a wide variety of subjects. From year to year, she knows how to surprise her audience with new work, impressing again and again through her unique ability.