may2014
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brussels
frommorethan50europeandestinations.
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school, and isnowhome to
studentsof over60nationalities.
Thedirectorwantedhim tomake
an imageabout tolerance, but
hewasn’t about todo that. “I told
her that youcan’tmakean image
about tolerance,”saysTuymans.
“Every image is intolerant.”
He takesadragof hiscigarette
andoffersawrysmile. True tohis
word, hehasmadeaworkabout
in
tolerance instead.Aversionof
his2012painting
München
, it
depictsMunichcarnival-goers in
the 1930smasqueradingasJews
(Tuymansoftenbaseshisworks
onpre-existing images– in this
case, anoldcliponYouTube).
He’salsobusypreparinga
largegroupof newworks that
will beexhibitedat theQatar
MuseumsAuthoritynext year,
which recentlyhostedDamien
Hirst. “Thedaughterof theEmir
wantedme tomakesomework
about theMiddleEast, but I’mnot
going todo thatbecause it’s too
difficult,”headmits. Insteadhe
will draw inspiration fromGoya’s
‘BlackPaintings’,whichhe
recently revisited inSpain, to
createsomething for the region.
Tuymans isalmost always
participating inanexhibitionsomewhere: between thevariousgroupand
soloshows–he installs the latterhimself–he typicallyspends five
monthsayearon the road.But rather thandecamping toanart capital to
facilitatehiscareer, hehasneverabandoned theBelgianportofAntwerp.
“Onehas tounderstand thatAntwerp, although it’ssmall, used to
be thebiggestport in the 17thcentury,”heexplains. “There isasort of
chauvinismabout it: all thesmart-mouthsof
thecountrywereborn in thecity, andall the
troublemakers too–and it’salwaysbeena
stronghold for artists.”
Living there isoneof the reasons forhis
typicallypalepalette. “If you lookoutside
there’saveryspecific light,which is typical
in the region,”hesays. “It’sverygreybut
hasa luminescence to itwhich isparticular
–and that of courseshapesyourwork.”
Thecityexertsanequallystrong lureon fashiondesigners: Tuymans
wasat theRoyal Academyof FineArtswhen theAntwerpSixwere
there, andknowsall of them. “I actuallycollaboratedwithWalterVan
Beirendonckonashirt for theartmagazine
Parkett
once, and I’ve
financiallysupporteddesigners fromadifferent generation, like
VeroniqueBranquinho,who I think isgreat,”he reveals.
Tuymans’ ownstyle ismoreconservative. “Inpart there’sanelement
ofwanting toblend in, so I alwaysweardark things,”hesays. “What’s
important is thatwhat Iwear isverycomfortable. Strangelyenough,
despiteknowing them, I’veneverwornanythingby theAntwerpSix.”
Tuymans’wife, theVenezuelan
artistCarlaArocha, doeswear the
local fashions, andhasstrong ties
to thePeterPilotto label.
According toTuymans, theyare
verydifferent–but, despitehis
greater fame, verywellmatched.
“Mywife isaveryanalytical person
whocandestroyeverygood idea
youhave in30seconds,”hesays,
breaking intoahoarse laugh.
“Onan intellectual level we’re
quitesimilar, though,which is
important. Thesecond thing is
thatwe’rebothverydomineering
characters,which iswhywe
decidednot tohavekids.”
Tuymanshasbeengoingat
hisart for decadesnow, but
still remembershischildhood
epiphany. “MymotherwasDutch
andweused togoonholiday
camps inHolland,”hesays.
“Ononeof thoseoccasions
when Iwassix, theydida thing
like theTour deFrance, and 150
of uskidshad tomakeachalk
drawingonasquare. Iwon the
yellow jersey, so itwasclear from
then that artwasgoing tobe the
way Iwouldbeaccepted.”
Not that thereweren’t
deviations from thepath: for a
decade, Tuymansworkedasabouncer in theclubsofAntwerp, Brussels
andGhent.He’dworkweekendnights, drinkhimself stupid, and then
startworkonhisart first thingMondaymorning. “I did it tosurvive,”he
says. “My fatherwasconvictedof fraud in the 1960s, andwhen Iwas 13
hewent to jail for twoyears. That’swhen I started towork in the
industry, fetchingbeer cratesand fryingchicken.”
Whenhedidstart painting in the late
1970s, theheydayof conceptual art, the
mediumwasviewedasanantique.Tuymans’
ingenious responsewas todevelopa
techniquecalled ‘authentic forgery’:
originalityseemed impossible, sohemade
art that lookedolder than it actuallywas.
Thesedayshehas littleneed for such
tactics. “First of all I don’t think I have to
defendmyself anymore,”hesays. “Over
time it hasbeenproven that painting isn’t going togoaway. It’sstill the
mostpowerful if not themost expensiveartifact there is. I havealways
said I amapainter because I’mnot naïve.”
Akeystage inTuymans’ development came in the 1980s,whenhe
brieflyabandonedpainting for filmmaking. “Iwanted tomakepaintings
like
TheDiagnosticView
back in 1978, but I didn’t haveenough
distance,”hesays. “At that point Iwasaveryexistential artist, very
tormented, and it sort of suffocatedme.”Ahauntinglydetachedwork,
TheDiagnosticView
(1992) featuresclose-upsof diseasedskin, and
drawson images fromaphysician’sdiagnosticguide.
“All the smart-mouths
and troublemakers
were born in Antwerp;
it has always been a
stronghold for artists”
REXFEATURES
LucTuymansathis
studio inAntwerp
