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  3. Nature Morte Vanite avec le Coeur de Sieur Lamoral d'Egmont
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Erwin Olaf

Nature Morte Vanite avec le Coeur de Sieur Lamoral d'Egmont

c. 2008

Fuji chrystal archive digital paper

100 × 133 cm

Ed./7 + 2AP

Location: Paris, France

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About the artwork

While the viewer might almost mistake this vanitas for a 17th-century Dutch masterpiece, Erwin Olaf's photography revisits this variant of the still life. Together with the skull and hourglass characteristic of this classic genre, the objects in this work symbolize the emptiness of earthly existence, the insignificance of human attachments and the futility of possessions.

Expert opinion

This work by Erwin Olaf demonstrates his mastery of the codes of photography and art history. Playing on the contrast between a pictorial genre scene and the photographic medium, it reveals the artist's sensitive aesthetic, whose singularity justifies his worldwide recognition and growing reputation.

About the artist

Erwin Olaf (1959 - 2023) is a Dutch photographer. His work borrows from the codes of both photojournalism and fashion photography, which he has mastered to perfection. In 1988, the photographer was awarded the Young European Photographer prize for his Chessmen series, marking his entry onto the international scene. Preferring to work in series, the artist tells tragic or sordid stories, constructing them through strong contrasts between photographed subjects, lights and objects. His work has been the subject of group and solo exhibitions worldwide, including at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Bilbao Art Center and the Museum of Modern Art in Moscow.

“I create a highly stylized appearance in my photographs that draws the viewer in... once they are "baited" by the "beauty", I hope they understand the second message or concept of [...] each series.”

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