Rademakers Gallery | Anne von Freyburg

Anne von Freyburg is a Dutch artist based in London whose work operates at the intersection of fine art and craft. Her practice reconsiders the role of textiles and decoration within contemporary art, engaging with themes of femininity, beauty, and material culture. Drawing on historical references, particularly Rococo painting, she reinterprets these visual traditions through contemporary textile techniques, combining tapestry, fashion fabrics, and painting into layered, materially complex works.

Central to von Freyburg’s practice is an investigation into how ideals of beauty and femininity are constructed and maintained. Her work often draws from Rococo portraits, particularly those by artists such as Fragonard and Boucher, which she digitally manipulates and reworks into new compositions. These idealized depictions are then translated into textile-based works, where surface and structure are disrupted through the use of contemporary materials. In this process, she creates a dialogue between historical representation and present-day image culture, questioning how identity is shaped within shifting visual and social frameworks.

Material plays a defining role in her work. Von Freyburg employs a wide range of textiles, including quilted fabrics, lace, faux leather, and printed materials, layering and collaging them onto painted surfaces. These materials are not only aesthetic choices but also conceptual ones, referencing contemporary forms of bodily modification and consumption. Through this juxtaposition, her work draws parallels between the opulence and excess of Rococo culture and current forms of self-representation and consumerism.

Textiles function in her practice as both medium and narrative device. By integrating fabrics traditionally associated with fashion and decoration into the context of fine art, von Freyburg challenges established hierarchies between disciplines. Her work repositions textile as a central and critical element within contemporary art, while also addressing its historical associations with femininity. In doing so, she creates works that are both tactile and conceptually layered, engaging with questions of value, authorship, and material culture.

Her background in fashion design continues to inform her approach. After studying at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem, she developed an understanding of textiles as both structural and expressive elements. This foundation is combined with digital processes, including the manipulation of historical imagery, which she uses as a starting point for her compositions. The translation from digital image to physical object remains an essential part of her process, allowing for an ongoing exploration of texture, colour, and form.

Working between her home and studio, von Freyburg’s practice brings together handcraft and digital techniques. Sewing, layering, and assembling fabrics are central to her daily process, resulting in works that are both constructed and intuitive. This combination of methods reflects her broader interest in the relationship between tradition and contemporaneity, as well as the evolving role of textile within artistic practice.

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