Evelyne Axell

Evelyne Axell was a renowned Belgian 60’s pop artist and pioneer of feminism in the art world. Her perspective was unique in that she defended women without being opposed to men — fueled by her early career in TV & film where she had grown tired of objectification.

As the only student of surrealist painter René Magritte, Axell began her career working in the medium of oil painting; later establishing her signature technique of using auto-enamel on plexiglas. Many of her pieces are self-portraits which communicate the internal struggle she was facing amidst the civil rights movement.

In 1969 she became the first woman artist to win the “Young Belgian Painter Award”. In 1972, Axell was on the way back from an exhibition when she lost her life in a tragic car accident at the young age of 37, but her work continues to take on new lives. Axell’s work has been strongly embraced by young people around the world who see her as a member of their generation. Her iconic painting “Ice Cream 1” graces the cover of Lucius’ debut album Wildewoman, and with the gracious support of Axell’s son, Philippe, that modern connection now extends to other pieces in Axell’s collection. Learn more at https://evelyne-axell.inf

"Ice Cream 1", 1964, oil on canvas, 95.3 x 69.9 cm

"This bright, blissful painting certainly exudes a delicious ecstasy with its dizzying monochrome blocks of green, yellow, and blue shapes spiralling throughout the background. The fire red hair of the figure contrasts with the black and white brush-strokes that comprise the face. Through both a figurative and abstract approach, the face acts like a photograph collaged on top of the competing background shapes. The psychedelic shapes swirl around the face, privileging the emotive and individualistic quality of the woman featured in the painting. Her tongue shamelessly sticks out to lick up the drips of what looks like mint and strawberry ice cream. In Ice Cream, the figure’s eyes look down, sealed shut to reject a male gaze. Entirely focused on the task at hand, the woman remains unconcerned with the viewer. Axell presents a subject that refuses to pleasure the viewer and occupies a space outside the mediation of the male gaze. Unadorned and unapologetic, the woman takes pleasure in her own actions." — Camille Erickson in Walkerart Blog

“La conductrice et son double: Les DS", 1965, oil on canvas, 102 x 121 cm

This piece is part of Axell’s most well-known series, “Erotomobiles”, which are erotic depictions of female figures in cars. The nude female figures are self-portraits, and the two circular figures in front represent steering wheels. It was painted in a surrealist style (as taught to her by surrealist artist René Magritte) where the painting explores the motive of female twin — mirroring the duality of Lucius’ lead singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig.

“Le mur du son” (The sound barrier), 1966, Oil on Canvas, 200 x 200 cm

Here again she did a first version that she changed at a later stage. In the first version you can see a tooth but she removed it later.

The open mouth of the woman is a powerful symbol of expression and liberation. It can be seen as a defiance against the societal expectation for women to be seen and not heard, a literal and figurative breaking of silence. On a personal level, the painting reflects Axell's own experiences and struggles as a woman artist in a male-dominated field, shouting to be heard and acknowledged.

“Auto-stop”, 1965, Oil on canvas, 97 x 146 cm

In “Auto-stop", the woman on the road is inspired by a 17th century painting by Diego Velázquez “The Toilet of Venus”.

In fact, the estate discovered that Axell had once done another scene behind her figure which was quite different.

Originally, there was a car driving toward the woman with the headlights on. The headlight on the right of the painting was represented by concentric circles (a bit like in “La conductrice et son double: Le DS") with an eye in the center (similar to the eye in "Permis dans les Deux Sens"). On the front hood of the car there was the number “59”. The estate has not yet uncovered what it refers to, but the leading hypothesis is that it might have referred to Route 59 going from Canada to Mexico.

Only the woman’s body is original. The road and the sky were overpainted at a later stage.