Madeleine van Manen
Cape Town
Fine artist (painter and printmaker) in Cape Town. Focused on cityscapes and landscapes.
Message
I graduated in 1989 with an NDip Fine Art (Painting) from the then Port Elizabeth Technikon (now Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University). After leaving art school, I worked in the advertising and publishing industry for two decades, owned and ran a small gallery before finally getting an opportunity to start working as an artist full time. I currently work from my studio in Bree Street, Cape Town, doing mainly painting and printmaking.
Early career
During my early career – before becoming a full time artist in 2010 – I not only worked as a graphic designer, but also as a freelance writer and journalist, a campaign manager at a large corporation and a short stint in the advertising industry. I also illustrated two short story books.
Teaching
From September 2019 until December 2023 I was a part-time art teacher at the Lycée Français du Cap. While it was fulfilling, I needed more time and energy for my own art. On request, I present small workshops in various painting and printing techniques.
Community work
Some projects include working with Lesedi La Batho (Mamelodi), a farm school in Durbanville, donating art to various causes as well as teaching two special needs teenagers (autism and fetal alcohol syndrome) on an individual basis.
Groups
I have been part of Creative Block with Spier Arts Trust since 2018. Recently I’ve also been invited to submit for Union Fair.
Since the start of 2023, I have been part of The Printing Girls. We are a group of about 100 women in printmaking who share skills and exhibit together.
Exhibition highlights (full exhibition list available on request)
I have taken part in various group exhibitions across the country, but mostly in and around Cape Town.
My first solo was in 2019 at Rust en Vrede Gallery, titled You Find Silence Where You Expect Noise. This was the first body of cityscapes that I exhibited.
A group exhibition (Between a Rock and a Hard Place) at AVA in August 2022, with Jo Roets, Clare Menck, Kristen McClarty and Laurel Holmes.
My second and last solo was at NEL, titled BUILT. This was a body of cityscapes, with scenes from Cape Town city centre, some of them being views from my studio window.
With this exhibition I received press coverage in print and online media, and television.
2024
Group exhibitions with The Printing Girls at Gallery 2 (June) and AVA (October).
Group exhibition: Nando’s Creative Exchange at Union House (November)
Various group exhibitions in SA.
2025
Group exhibition: Nando’s Creative Exchange at AVA (February)
TWO ARTISTS. ONE CITY with Jenny Parsons at RK Contemporary. (August)
Various group exhibitions
Confirmed exhibitions for 2026
Solo at LM Studios, Hyères, South of France (April 2026)
Solo at Sisonke Gallery, Cape Town (date to be confirmed)
Statement
I obsessively work with the city, aiming to capture the essence of a scene and the emotion related to that moment, trying to make sense of who and where I am.
Belonging. Be(long)ing. To have an infinity for a place, the sense of being accepted as part of a group. A sense of fulfilment.
Buildings tell the story of humanity. They are places to hide, rest, share, gather, work, worship, in- and exclude, invest, feast, heal, make love, dream, learn, create … places to experience all human emotions, satisfactions, and discords. They are containers and incubators.
Yet, in a city of nearly five million people, it is surprisingly easy to feel isolated, anonymous, alone and even lonely. There can be a great silence within all that noise.
Even when my subject matter is nature, I tend to intuitively work towards the same result of a quiet and isolated situation.
Using various materials together to coherently work on canvas, paper or board, I manage to portray this calm and quiet within all the structures of the city. My images are often heavily distilled in order to achieve this.
Materials could include gouache, pencil, pastel, charcoal, oil, collage and engraving – at times all of these on one painting. I pay strict attention to the qualities of the materials I work with, ensuring longevity of the work.
Similarly, in my printmaking work, I often work experimentally and may combine various techniques in one artwork.