English artist Annie Kevans created the series “Ship of fools”, addressing her interest in the changing perception of madness and its relationship with societal notions of success and achievement, in 2009. The fact that 1 in 4 people experiences some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year and is still stigmatised, was the conceptual inspiration behind the exhibition. Her examples include Winston Churchill, Michael Jackson, Kirsten Dunst, Jackson Pollock, Drew Barrymore, Charles Dickens, Yves Saint Laurent, Albert Camus, Beyonce Knowles, Ewan McGregor, and Mark Twain.
Kevans’ semi-translucent style possesses a slightly melancholy quality. It is interesting that her paintings are achieved not by using watercolour as one might expect, but thinned oil paint on canvas paper. Via Artnet
Pier Angeli
Diana Spencer
Beethoven
Patty Duke
© Annie Kevans
