Debora Makkus
Netherlands
As a self taught artist Debora Makkus has created a dynamic realistic painting style. In 40 to 50 thin (semi)transparant layers of acrylic paint she creates vibrant colours and intense depth. She often chooses unconventional compositions. Debora had over 30 museum exhibitions. Her work is part of many international collections and received several awards.
Debora Makkus was born in The Hague in the Netherlands in 1972. As a very young child she already had a passion for pencil and paint. In the early nineties she took life drawing classes. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 'PR & Education', she ran her own graphic design business. During the years of recovery after a traffic accident she taught herself to paint in oil and acrylics and developed her signature style.
She uses refined painting to explore the boundaries of still life themes. She creates bold and unconventional compositions, leaving lots of open space or even leaving half of the object to the imagination of the beholder. Her work is almost photographic in detail. Light is very important in her work. Debora is inspired by Dutch Masters from the past, like Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer, using dramatic clair obscur.
She is inspired by old objects, with traces of a rich and unknown past. Sometimes she uses inspiration from several objects to create a new object in which she combines the most interesting parts and details.
Debora Makkus has had over 30 museum exhibitions, among which 3 solo exhibitions. In 2016 she had a successful solo in Japanmuseum SieboldHuis (The Netherlands) ‘ARITA. Paintings by Debora Makkus’ which was opened by HRH Princess Laurentien. For this exhibition Debora created still life paintings of Japanese porcelain pieces from a.o. the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Keramiekmuseum Princessehof and the Groninger Museum. Also she will have a solo exhibition in 2022 at Museum Dejima, in Nagasaki, Japan (postponed because of COVID).
In 2009 Debora Makkus had the honour of painting a portrait of Mrs. Neelie Kroes, former vice president of the European Commission, in a television programm on Dutch national television.
In Bologna, Italy, Debora received an award for her series ‘BOUNCE’ in 2014. In 2019 she won a Gallery Award in Taipei at the International Artist Grand Prize Competition. She also had the honour of winning the Public Choice Award in Museum Gouda, The Netherlands, during the Salon 2019, which showed work by 25 professional artists who where selected by a jury.
Work by Debora Makkus is part of collections in the Netherlands, the USA, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Switzerland and Taipei.
‘What‘s so special and impressive about Debora Makkus’s still lifes, is that they are not still. On the contrary, they are very dynamic, full of energy and vitality.'
- Anthonie L. Stal, former Chairman Board of Trustees Kröller-Müller Museum
More information: www.deboramakkus.nl
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
