Lot #38: Hellen van Meene

Hellen van Meene Untitled #97, 2000 Archival pigment print Edition: 2 of 10 15 x 15 inches Courtesy of Gary Metzner and Scott Johnson   Estimated value: $7,500 Starting bid: $5,000   Hellen van Meene (Dutch, b. 1972)  Hellen van Meene is a still life and portrait photographer best known for her images of adolescent girls in domestic and natural spaces. The girls in her portraits often appear with their eyes closed or gazes adverted, imbuing her carefully and intentionally staged photographs with a candid sensibility. Interested in the psychological tension between childhood and adulthood, van Meene works with an attention to light and composition comparable to 17th and 18th century paintings, creating a softness that is otherworldly and dream-like.   Hellen van Meene studied fine art at Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. She was a recipient of the Royal Photographic Society Honorary Fellowship in 2016. Her work has been exhibited by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Art Institute of Chicag