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Christian Rex van Minnen

Strawberry Tears

€2,500

Edition of 2596.4 (H) × 72.3 (W) cm

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Absurdism, horror, and cultivated arbitrariness meet canonical oil painting in a distorted portrait by Christian Rex van Minnen.

Grotesque and yet – somehow – delicious, plump gummy sweets float above a pulled and pinched face, veiled by a tattoo-esque layer of lurid cartoons. With a focus on tonal depth and richness of colour, the edition is printed in 34 distinct layers and finished with gold shimmer. Embossing and gloss varnish cause the gummies to jump forth from their surroundings, to surreal effect.

Specks, bubbling and pitting are a conscious choice by the artist, conceived to echo the aged surfaces of the centuries-old Dutch Masters paintings that inspire his work. The irregularities, unique to each print, are achieved by curing layers of ink for less time than usual – an experimental technique developed in collaboration with printmakers at Make-Ready in London.

The resulting artwork deftly entwines the precise technicalities of silkscreen printing with its lyrical unpredictability.

Framing

Prints can be ordered float-mounted in a bespoke wooden frame, painted matte black with open grain and fitted with an adjustable saw tooth hanging system. The artwork is mounted on an off-white backing board, and the frame is glazed with cast UV plexiglass.

Medium

34-layer silkscreen print with surface irregularities, gold shimmer, gloss varnish and embossed details on 600gsm Somerset Tub Sized Radiant White paper.

Certificate of Authenticity

Arrives with a certificate of authenticity.

Finishing

Individually signed (lower right corner) and numbered (lower left corner) on front in pencil.

Release date

June 06, 2023

Payment

Pay with bank card, crypto, Apple Pay or Google Pay. If you wish you to use an alternative payment method, get in touch.

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Returns and refunds

This artwork is protected by a resale agreement, which all collectors will need to sign before placing an order. More details in our FAQs

Behind the scenes

Christian Rex van Minnen wearing glasses and a bright orange sweatshirt

Christian Rex van Minnen4 collaborationsFor Christian Rex van Minnen, painting is an introspective process. His surreal canvases channel the raw chaos of thoughts and emotions into elegantly rendered images. Using oil painting techniques inspired by Renaissance and Dutch masters, van Minnen depicts his subjects with a decadent level of detail. His subjects themselves are, however, far from sublime: deformed faces, garish still lifes and disturbingly contorted bodies. Meanwhile, brightly coloured additions such as rainbows, hearts and gummy sweets reflect the influences of contemporary Surrealist-Pop Art. By playfully clashing with their surroundings, these details add a sense of absurdist humour to his artworks. The results are laced with irony – at once hyper-realistic and nonsensical, beautiful and ugly, historic and contemporary.

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Reviews from Avant collectors

Excellent quality of execution - love it!
Review of B BOY JUSHI
what an amazing experience from top to bottom. The best communication, print quality and packing. This is my first time purchasing from you and I look forward to my next purchase.
Review of Prismatic Head Composition
Thank you so much for the communications! Very surprised with the gloves, tote, personal card note, and COA! This a gorgeous piece and like nothing I’ve ever seen! Keep pushing the boundaries on art and technology!
Review of Love Ripples
The packaging is always good but this was superb. And the piece exceeded all expectations.
Review of Ugly Bastard
The packaging and care for the artwork was incredible. Thank You!
Review of Actual Size
It was a great experience on all levels...
Review of Lost in Time
The print itself is of the highest quality and above expectations. The packaging also is of the highest level.
Review of Ringers #962: The LACMA Iterations
We are incredibly impressed with the quality of our print and the level of professionalism of Avant Arte.
Review of Actual Size

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