Marcel van Eeden mesmerizes with his Sammlung Boryna exhibit (2009) at Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, showcasing 60 sketches and two sculptures. The masterpiece has already been acquired by the museum. Marcel van Eeden draws from source material predating his birth year of 1965 to create intricate and interconnected series of visual narratives, weaving together a complex (crime) saga. Reality and fiction interweave seamlessly within these narratives, with recurring appearances by three characters – botanist Karl McKay Wiegand, archeologist Oswald Sollmann, and psychiatrist Matheus Boryna. All three are both admirers and producers of art. In Sammlung Boryna, the spotlight falls on Matheus Boryna, modeled after German psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn, who curated a collection of artworks created by his patients in the 1920s. Prinzhorn was among the first to appreciate the value of so-called “outsider art.” Sammlung Boryna pays homage to his collection while drawing from a diverse array of visual sources.
www.ftn-books.com has the invitation for this exhibition now available.
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It’s fascinating how van Eeden blurs the lines between fiction and reality in his work. Using historical source material to create new stories makes his art feel like a timeless exploration of truth and imagination.