Ernst van de Wetering, world’s foremost authority on Rembrandt, 2018:
“Gezien van de Riet is an exceptionally gifted and driven artist. Her relation to nature in all its manifestations is astonishing. The love with which she captures those manifestations in her paintings arouses a special feeling of happiness in the beholder.”
Although I wanted to become a painter, I also had a keen social interest and got my Master's Degree in Sociology, University of Amsterdam, subsidiary subject History of Art. This brought me to Bolivia. My work with indigenous people allowed me to make a lot of drawings and watercolours, and I started following evening classes at the La Paz School of Fine Arts. The first exhibitions also took place in La Paz. I was frequently featured and interviewed by national press, radio and television and got a commission for a wall painting in a new hospital near La Paz.
Coming back to Europe as an artist, I got guidance from Diederik Kraaijpoel, former teacher and painter, and important publicist about (post)modernism in art. My techniques include oil paint, tempera, and pastel crayon.
Since 2016 I am an ‘Associated Living Master’ of the Art Renewal Center.
I participate in exhibitions of renowned galleries and prestigious Art Fairs (see my website) and yearly in Museum Møhlmann, an important Dutch platform for contemporary realism.
My works are included in the collection of this museum and I feature in its numerous books since 2001 Realisten; also in other books, newspapers and magazines (see my website). In 2014 I was selected by the Dutch Portrait Award, I was a finalist in ARC competitions (2015 and 2019) and passed in 2015 and 2017 the first selection of Figurativas, MEAM. Participation in the international exhibition ’20 years in 20x20’ of Artelibre en MEAM.
As an editor I wrote about realism, in monographs and magazines. My blog focusses on art history issues. I gave lectures about realism, also at TRAC2018.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
