Excerpt from ‘Light Play’
by Jurriaan Benschop
2023
De Moor’s work begins with something that the artist has observed or that has taken place in her life. She strives to evoke the essence of being and does so through interiors: living rooms or bedrooms, corridors, studios or stairwells. Her spaces have a particular atmosphere, are charged with the life that was lived in them, a particular incident that took place there. Not infrequently, however, the spaces are empty: most of the furniture has been cleared, the former inhabitants are absent. But it is easy to see that de Moor’s paintings are still about people as a result of the traces they left behind, their intentions being expressed by the furnishings: the wallpaper that they chose, or its discolouration, which occurred in parallel with the ageing of the former inhabitants. The few pieces of furniture or objects that are depicted have a clear presence in the otherwise empty spaces; they define both mood and space.
In Carl Jung’s psychology, the house symbolised man’s psyche. Jung dreamt of a large house and devoted himself to interpreting the different rooms he had seen, and how they connected him to the deeper layers of being. From this, he tried to develop a method of interpreting dreams. The drawing room on the first floor is where guests are received and could represent the dreamer’s current social life. One floor below, everything is slightly older; this is where the family history and the broader cultural background are anchored. In the basement, hidden from view, are even deeper layers, influences that the dreamer isn’t conscious of, but which still influence or co-determine their life.
With de Moor, it is not always clear where in the house a room is located, as the rooms have lost their previous functions, but it appears that the artist is interested in all floors of a house. In her paintings, several layers of time seem to have accumulated and settled down. There is a certain atmosphere or tension, but the reason for that is not immediately revealed, and nor is the story behind things. This makes de Moor’s paintings perfect surfaces for the viewer to project their own memories, feelings and thoughts onto.
Curriculum Vitae
Lara de Moor (The Hague, 1969) currently lives and works in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
She graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Akademie in 1993 and subsequently followed the two-year international residency programme at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. She has exhibited widely in her native country and internationally in London, Barcelona, Turin, Genoa and several German cities. Her work can be found in numerous private and public art collections. Museum MORE, the largest museum for Modern Realism in Europe, purchased several pieces to add to their permanent collection.
Education:
1994 – 1996 Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam
1987 – 1993 Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam
Selected Exhibitions:
2025
Beyond These Walls, Akzo Nobel Art Space, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Cache, Gasunie, Groningen, The Netherlands *
2023
Counterglow, Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands *
The Other Place, Museum MORE, Gorssel, The Netherlands *
Where We Meet, Kunstverein Emsdetten, Emsdetten, Germany
Constructed Choices, Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Personal Choices, Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2022
MORE & meer, Museum MORE, Gorssel, The Netherlands
Summer Show, Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art Rotterdam, Roger Katwijk, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2021
PAN Amsterdam, Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
BIG ART, Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Parallels, Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands *
2020
Realisme Nu, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam, The Netherlands
Eigen Collectie, Museum MORE, Gorssel, The Netherlands
2019
PAN Amsterdam, LangArt , The Netherlands
Le Latitudini dell’Arte IV Edizione, Biennale Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, Italy
There Is Nothing There, LangArt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands *
Schitteren door afwezigheid, Museum Henriette Polak, Zutphen, The Netherlands
Dwarskijken, Museum MORE, Gorssel, The Netherlands
2018
Lynne Leegte | Lara de Moor PAN, LangArt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Behind Closed Doors, PAK, Gistel, Belgium
Zo helder is het werkelijk zelden, Espace Enny, Laag Keppel, The Netherlands
RonLangArt, KunstRAI, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amulet, Buitenplaats Beeckestijn, Velsen-Zuid, The Netherlands
2017
YIA Paris, RonLangArt, Paris, France
Artist First Paper Only, Francis Boeske Projects, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Closer to the Sun, RonLangArt, Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
RonLangArt, Amsterdam , The Netherlands *
Art Rotterdam, RonLangArt , Rotterdam, The Netherlands *
Silence Out Loud, Museum Kranenburgh, Bergen, The Netherlands
2015
Amsterdam Art Fair, Kunsthal Citroën, Ron Lang Art, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2014
De ROCK show, Emile van Dorenmuseum, Genk, Belgium
Droomkunst, Singer Laren, Laren, The Netherlands
2013
To Catch a Falling Feather | Recomposed, Galerie LUMC, Leiden, The Netherlands
To Catch a Falling Feather, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amphia Ziekenhuis, Breda, The Netherlands *
2012
Fool’s Paradise, Maria Chailloux i.s.m. Galerie Metis_NL, Amsterdam, The Netherlands *
2011
Half Light, Maria Chailloux i.s.m. Galerie Metis_NL, Amsterdam, The Netherlands *
2009
Art.Fair 21, Galerie Maria Chailloux, Köln, Germany
Aanwinsten LUMC 2007-2009, Galerie LUMC, Leiden, The Netherlands
2008
Sink, Galerie Maria Chailloux, Loods 6, Amsterdam, The Netherlands *
Under, W139, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Other Grounds, Galerie LUMC, Leiden, The Netherlands *
*) indicates solo-exhibition
Selected Articles and Reviews
2023
Benschop, Jurriaan. Why Paintings Work. Helsinki: Garret Publications. 2022
2022
Benschop, Jurriaan. Waarom een schilderij werkt. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Van Oorschot.
2021
Van Huut, Thomas. “Vertrekpunten voor ongeschreven verhalen”, NRC, June 10.
Dijksterhuis, Edo. “Verkenning in verlaten landhuizen en oude inrichtingen,” Parool, June 11.
Dijksterhuis, Edo. “Uit” Parool, June 5.
2020
Leijser, Ellen. “De verstilde interieurs van Lara de Moor”, Residence, January/February.
Dijkstra, Julia (ed.), 100 jaar realisme. Gorssel: MOREBooks..
2019
Buser, Maarten. “Nieuwe Collectie”, Metropolis M, December 2018/January.
Liberodiscrivere. “Biennale Le Latitudini dell’Arte” IV Edizione, July 20.
Kunst laat het LUMC zien. Leiden: Directoraat Communicatie & Kunstzaken LUMC.
2018
Grootendorst, Sander. “Museum MORE in Gorssel wint prijs en koopt direct nieuw schilderij.” De Stentor, October 11.
2017
Dijksterhuis, Edo. “Altijd half zes ’s avonds.” Het Parool, March 3.
2015
“De keuze van Joost Zwagerman, Ode aan de Kunst.” Terra, October 17. 2015
Zwagerman, Joost. “Zwagermans droom.” De Groene Amsterdammer, December 10.
2014
Van Wezel, Gerard and Haverman, Mariëtte. Droomkunst | 1900 & 2000. Zwolle: Wbooks.
2013
Kleijn, Koen. “Poëtische opmerkzaamheid,” De Groene Amsterdammer, September 26.
Ter Borg, Lucette. “Tekenend op zoek naar essentie van een vluchtige waterval”, NRC, September 19.
Ekker, Jan Pieter. “Zwak oplichtende deeltjes waarheid”, Parool, September 4.
2012
Van der Lint, Roos. “Onder Spanning”, Kunstbeeld, November.
2011
“Voorkeur/Galerie” NRC Handelsblad, February 18.
2010
Onnen, Serge. Drawings on Hands. Atlanta/New York: J&L Books.
Frieling, Gijs. 2006–2010, Artists do what they want. Amsterdam: W139.
2009
“Galerie Maria Chailloux”, Art.Fair International, Oktober 28.
2007
Smallenburg, Sandra. “Duister en misleidend”, NRC Next, May 14.
Smallenburg, Sandra. “Geniepig glurend door de gordijnen”, NRC Handelsblad, May 11.
Van der Goes, Bernadette. “Schilderijen Lara de Moor zijn een beetje vreemd”, Leids Dagblad, April 28.
2006
Reinders, Arjan. “Lara de Moor ( Maria Chailloux)” Kunstbeeld, May.
Van Vollenhove, Jaqueline. “Kunst kopen” Safe, #05, March.
Berk, Anne, “Het nieuwe verlangen”, Financieel Dagblad, April 29.
Keijer, Kees. “De illusie dient te worden gekoesterd”, Het Parool, May 3.
2004
“Unheimliche Schutzengel.” Neue Westfälische Zeitung, Kultur/Medien, December 24.
Brandt, Anja. Engelhaftes, Der Traum von einer Sache. Bad Oeynhausen: Kunstforum Herz- und Diabeteszentrum.
2003
Van de Vliet, Viveka, and Van Noort, Sandrine. Het oog van de vrouw. Zeist: Stichting ter bevordering van tentoonstellingen in Zeist.
Jung, Gabriele C. “Literatur und Musik denken ähnlich”,Wiesbadener Tagblatt, September 23.
Krug Hasselbach, Carola “Dunkle Ahnung Fluestert”, Wiesbadener Tagblatt, November 3.
Jung, Gabriele C. “Eigenes Leben in Wort und Musik”, Wiesbadener Tagblatt, November 4.
“Lust an Subtiler Camouflage”, Wiesbadener Kurier, November 13.
2002
Koeman, Jean Bernard (ed.). 1999–2002, Wij bouwen nieuwe zinnen. Amsterdam: W139.
2001
Berk, Anne. “Lara de Moor” Kunstbeeld, September 4.
Bem, Merel. “Zonnestralen van gekleurde kabels”, Volkskrant, January 31.
Collections:
Museum More Art Collection, Gorssel
Akzo Nobel Art Foundation, Amsterdam
Oce-van der Grinten, Venlo
Honeywell, Amsterdam
KPMG, Amstelveen
LUMC, Leiden
Menzis Art Collection
Several private collections