In the work of Nele Boudry (°1961, BE), the human being undeniably plays a key role. Informed by the legacy of the Renaissance masters, she regards her practice as a framework in which she explores and questions the nature of our existence. With her images, sometimes larger than life, other times intimate and modest, she creates hushed portraits of human beings, offering contemplative, timeless narratives. In these, our bodily reality appears tangible and vulnerable, but above all compassionately reveals what slumbers below the skin. She works with oil paint and charcoal alike, invariably pursuing a technical prowess, yet equally allowing the work to forge its own path, so that the image that gradually emerges guides and encourages her actions.

Boudry was born in Poperinge, Belgium. She discovered painting at the local Art Academy of Poperinge, before continuing her primary training at the Art Academy of Bruges, she studied painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, continued with various specialisations. She lives and works in Caunes-Minervois, France.