A new presentation of recent work by artist Jeff Cowen (b. 1966 in New York) opened at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. He created these works in the region of Provence in southern France. Vincent van Gogh lived in this area from 1888 to 1890 and was moved by the brilliant light and the beauty of nature. Now, in work made more than 130 years later, Cowen has also captured the sense of wonder evoked by Provence.
Cowen uses photography to convey his connection with the landscape. He makes large analogue prints on thick photographic paper and experiments with the chemicals that he uses for the photographic development process. Cowen’s photography includes all traditional art historical genres, such as still life, landscape and portrait. For him, these genres form an allegory of the region.
Van Gogh rendered his impressions of the southern French landscape in bright colours on canvas as well as in black-and-white drawings on paper. Both artists reveal the power and beauty of nature: from the immensity of mountain landscapes and fields to the smallest detail found in a simple leaf or fruit.
Collaboration with Huis Marseille
Simultaneously with this presentation, Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography in Amsterdam presents an exhibition of photographic works by Cowen, including new images of the Provence region of southern France. Following Cowen’s successful exhibition Photoworks at Huis Marseille in 2017, this is the museum’s second exhibition of Cowen’s work. Guest curator for Provence Works at Huis Marseille is Sara Tas, Associate Curator at the Van Gogh Museum.
Jeff Cowen grew up in New York City, studied at Waseda University, Tokyo, and is an Honors Scholar in East Asian Studies at New York University. In the late 1980s, while earning his living as a New York City taxi driver, he worked as an assistant to Larry Clark, where he familiarized himself with various darkroom techniques. In the 1990s, he studied academic drawing and painting. Cowen’s practice blends reality and surrealism. His work focuses on expanding the potential of analogue photography, investigating the intangible dimensions of time, memory, and spiritual resonance. The analog image captured by the camera is never the final product, but marks only the starting point of the artistic reflection of the motif. The prints are manipulated with various chemical processes and often include post-darkroom finishing techniques of painting and collage. Cowen was awarded the 2021 Pollock-Krasner Grant for Fine Art Still Photography.
Jeff Cowen & Vincent van Gogh : Provence Works
Until 13 October 2024
Van Gogh Museum
Museumplein 6
1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/visit/whats-on/exhibitions/jeff-cowen-and-vincent-van-gogh
