Marlene Dumas

Myths & Mortals

David Zwirner

New York, 537 West 20th Street

This exhibition, the artist's second with the gallery and her first solo presentation in New York since 2010, will feature a selection of new paintings that range from monumental nude figures to intimately scaled portraits. Alongside these works, Dumas will debut an expansive series of works on paper originally created for a recent Dutch translation by Hafid Bouazza of William Shakespeare’s narrative poem Venus and Adonis (1593). In these drawings—tender and erotic with hints of violence—the artist renders the story of Venus, the goddess of love, and her tragic passion for the handsome youth Adonis in her singularly expressive ink wash.

Marlene Dumas, She speaks (2015–2016. ©Marlene Dumas. Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York/Hong Kong.