A sudden flash of bright, vivid eyes. A toss of exquisitely styled hair. These are
timeless moments when we encounter high fashion, and artist Anja has caught themall and more in her truly remarkable new body of work mixing both classical and
contemporary ideas of fashion. Anja specializes in large-scale portraiture featuring
beautiful, expressive women, and her images have the power of enticing viewers
and leading them to interpret a variety of meanings in each expression.
Born in Belgium in 1969, Anja Van Herle combines a European sense of high
fashion in her artwork with an American sense of wonder. Her childhood years were
devoted to exploring the fundamentals of her art using crayons, pencils and
watercolors. In 1987, she enrolled in Belgium’s Higher Institute for Art Education
where she earned a Master’s of Fine Arts in Painting. In 2003, Anja relocated to Los
Angeles, where she now concentrates on figurative paintings that are inspired by
both classic and contemporary fashion while exploring issues of identity, emotion
and human interrelationships. As timelessly chic as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at
Tiffany’s, Anja’s women are playfully sexy, and their expressions and eyes tell
stories that go far beyond the simple exhibition of fine fashion. In Anja’s masterful
hands, fashion becomes alive. “These women—they feel.”
“My work is an attempt to capture the complexity of emotions that are
conveyed in the human face. I’ve been painting portraits since I was a child,
continually drawing closer to the face and eyes in order to explore the emotions
they contain. There’s a story behind every face; my paintings are an attempt to tell
these stories by capturing delicate facial expressions and juxtaposing them with
vibrant color and the dramatic interplay of shadow and light that both inform my
subjects and maintain their enigmatic aura. I’m constantly delighted by the various
interpretations my work receives. For some, a subject may be pensive, while to
others it may be seductive or confrontational. Part of the viewing experience is for a
viewer to attach his or her own emotional meaning to a work.”
Jack Gallery, New Orleans, French Quarter, January, 2010
Jack Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada November 2009- Present
Michael J. Wolf Gallery, San Diego, CA June 2009 - Present
Arty Gallery, Los Angeles, CA August 2009
White Orchid Gallery, West Hollywood, CA July 2007 - July 2009
The Lurie Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA October, 2008
James Gray Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA Oct.-Nov. 2007
NOHO Gallery L.A., North Hollywood, CA November-December 2006
Girari Contemporary Art, Beverly Hills, CA October-December 2006
Juried Exhibitor, Malibu Arts Festival, Malibu, California 2006
Juried Exhibitor, Affaire in the Gardens, Beverly Hills, California 2006
Juried Exhibitor, Affaire in the Gardens, Beverly Hills, California 2005
Solo Show, Diest Provincial Museum, Diest, Belgium 1995
Solo Show, Da Carlo Gallery, Heusden, Belgium 1994
Juried Exhibitor, Antwerp City Art Council, Antwerp, Belgium 1992
Jordan McGraw & Dr. Phil McGraw, Los Angeles, CA (Dr. Phil)
Jamie Kennedy, Los Angeles, CA(Scream, Malibu’s Most Wanted, Boiler Room)
Fred Savage, Los Angeles, CA (The Wonder Years)
Ben Savage, Los Angeles, CA (Boy Meets World)
Cassandra Mann, Alfred Mann Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
John Calley, John Calley Productions, Los Angeles, California
Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, California
Siegfried & Roy, Las Vegas, Nevada
Warren Beatty, Los Angeles, California (Bonnie & Clyde, Reds, Bulworth)
Deaniemel Custom Jewelry Designs, Beverly Hills, California
The Glowacki Group, CPA Financial Planners, Los Angeles, California
Randall Davis Company, Houston, Texas
Weytjens Optical, Brussels, Belgium
VanWassenhoven-Vangenechten Architects, Brussels, Belgium
Spar Supermarkets, Beringen, Belgium
Bibliography:
Bluff Magazine, August, 2006. Advertising Artwork, Image: ‘Focus’
Cardplayer Magazine, Vol. 19/No. 13 July 11, 2006. Advertising Artwork, Image: ‘Focus’
Belang van Limburg, Chris Craps, May 9th, 2005.
