Monster, 1969
Emilio Kruithof graduated from the Sint Joost Academy of Fine Arts in Breda in 1995, and went on almost immediately to mount a number of exhibitions. Emilio’s fascinating portraits of women are highly regarded both in his native country and abroad, and were even featured in the US soap Gossip Girl.
He explained in an interview: “I go for what touches my heart. I find women beautiful: women are my subject. I used to collect illustrations of women from LP covers, internet and magazines. My female friends read Vogue and Cosmopolitan, and whenever I can I browse through their magazines. The colours of creams, make-up, lingerie… these are the colours of my palette.
The skin of models looks so magical. The skin must be unblemished, smooth to the touch. Silence of the Lambs? Ah, my favourite B-film. But I’m a painter, you understand. For me, the skin is everything. I can’t go for long walks along the beach, I have to paint. And when I do, I can’t have women around me. They are loved ones, my objects. They don’t mean any more to me than the form on which I project my love. Yes, they’re objects, like a vase for Morandi or celebrities for Warhol.
I paint for the same reason as women apply makeup. They do it every day with infinite care. I paint every day with the same care: erotic minimalism. The form, the appearance, the attitude, the tone, impasto, transparencies and the brush stroke. The final touch is what it’s all about. Once I’ve put my model on canvas, I’ve done everything I can. She has the right posture, the appropriate framing, a depth and structure. Finally comes my last, intimate ‘touch’, the brush stroke that justifies her slip or renders her lips monumental.”
When Dutch actress Halina Reijn was awarded the prestigious Theo d’Or in 2013, she commissioned Kruithof to paint the portrait of her that now hangs permanently in Amsterdam’s Stadsschouwburg theatre.
oil on canvas
2022
70 x 60 cm
€ 4.000
oil on canvas
2022
100 x 80 cm
€ 5.500
oil on canvas
2022
120 x 90 cm
€ 6.000
oil on canvas
2022
140 x 140 cm
€ 8.500
oil on canvas
2022
180 x 120 cm
€ 9.000
oil on canvas
2021
130 x 90 cm
€ 6.500
oil on canvas
2020
150 x 120 cm
€ 8.500
oil on canvas
2020
120 x 150 cm
€ 8.500
oil on canvas
2019
150 x 120 cm
€ 8.500
screenprint
2000
74 x 52 cm
Edition 40
€ 850
lithograph
2004
70 x 55 cm
Edition 150
€ 350
lithograph
2005
25 x 30 cm
Edition 150
€ 275
lithograph
2005
25 x 30 cm
Edition 150
€ 275
screenprint
2006
40 x 27 cm
Edition 150
€ 375
lithograph
2006
30 x 26 cm
Edition 150
€ 300
screenprint
2006
95 x 95 cm
Edition 150
€ 850
screenprint
2006
95 x 95 cm
Edition 150
€ 850
screenprint
2008
110 x 100 cm
Edition 150
€ 900
screenprint
2008
100 x 100 cm
Edition 150
€ 850
screenprint
2009
63 x 50 cm
Edition 150
€ 450
screenprint
2010
63 x 50 cm
Edition 150
€ 450
screenprint
2011
90 x 110 cm
Edition 150
€ 850
screenprint
2015
61 x 50 cm
Edition 150
€ 450
screenprint
2015
100 x 100 cm
Edition 150
€ 900