Maya Wildevuur - acrylic on canvas - poppies - signed and 2021

Wildevuur studied at the Academy of Art and Industry in Enschede. She first lived in Enschede for a few years and became known in the years 1980–1985 for her 'silk collages', which were inspired by English landscapes. The silk technique she used in her first works radiated both simplicity and complexity. This made her well-known in the Netherlands and abroad.[1] Later she also applied other techniques, but her style always remained recognizable. Maya Wildevuur's work is characterized by the use of strong contrasting color accents, tight but sometimes whimsical shapes and emotionality, although the latter is not always evident at first. In her last years she worked with different styles and techniques. Maya Wildevuur mainly painted flowers, landscapes and sometimes animals, but also became known for her characteristic portraits of celebrities in a very personal style. She made paintings of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Princess Máxima, Paul van Vliet and other famous Dutch people. With all the nuances between grey, green and blue, Maya Wildevuur's collages depict landscapes and events. A huge bouquet that she received as a gift at the first opening of her gallery became the start of a watercolour, after which the silk collages slowly made way for canvas. In 1984 she opened the gallery Maya Wildevuur in the Hiemstrastate in Hooghalen with her partner Jan de Gans (1930-2015). Since 1992 they lived at the invitation of the foundation Het Groninger Landschap in the Ennemaborg in Midwolda in East Groningen, where the gallery was also moved. In her private life she suffered major setbacks on several occasions. In 1994, for example, she was one of the passengers on the cruise ship Achille Lauro, which was destroyed by fire near Somalia.[2] She died on April 11, 2023 in her hometown of Midwolda at the age of 78.[3] She was buried there on April 18.