"This is one of my favorite spots in the living room. Above the large calathea, I placed the work 'Heda 1b, 2021' by Lonneke de Groot. Her work refers to the paintings of the 17th-century artist Willem Claesz. Heda. Instead of the richly set table in Heda's work, Lonneke shows the empty table without any luxurious products. In the series 'Heda' Lonneke creates a space between presence and absence and between what is visible and invisible. She explores the concept of vanitas and the way we perceive things.
'For a long time I felt uncomfortable showing a self-made copy, but next to Lonneke's work I think this corner shows my enormous love for Heda in both a historical and contemporary way.'
I am a huge fan of Heda and immediately fell in love the moment I saw Lonneke’s work with my colleague Nadia at the photography fair Unseen at Galerie Ron Mandos. It was a special edition of the winners of the RM Photo Talent Award / Best of Graduates, an initiative for young photographers and young collectors. I decided to combine this work with a historical reconstruction I made for the selection procedure of the Master Technical Art History in 2017. I wanted to investigate how Heda worked and how he managed to paint so finely. It took me no less than a year to get close to his style. For a long time I felt uncomfortable showing a self-made copy, but next to Lonneke's work I think this corner shows my enormous love for Heda in both a historical and contemporary way."