Christian rex van minnen artist statement

Throughout history, the old masters would refine their craft and develop a system of apprenticeship to create workshops where patrons could commission large works. This patron class was exclusive and predominantly individuals of great wealth and power. It is interesting to consider how art history would be different if the patrons were a group, deciding content and concept, and the workshop leaderless (decentralized), driven by the pursuit of the craft.

Instead of a half-crazed inbred monarch laying claim to the content of the greatest painters' paintings, what would happen if that patronage, and thus the direction of art history, was turned over to the hive-mind madness of the internet? Ultimately, this is the project.

Van Minion seeks to create a community centered around art where boundaries between 'creator' and 'community member' are blurred--where distinctions between patron and artist, physical and digital, studio and metaverse, individual and colle

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”It looks almost traditional, an oil on panel, meticulously glazed. But really, it’s a portrait of europeisk and American History as a colorful tumor. It’s as if the Dutch Painters had ingested some magical psychoactive that allowed them to see the full scope of history ahead — American Colonialism, the Genocide of Native Americans, the seeds of racism and social injustice, the prison systems, the ghettos, the rich history of oppression beginning in those first celebratory brush strokes… Everything, all at once. Their still lifes exploded with globs of flesh sprouting symbolic tattoos. Their portrait faces of Colonial figures ate themselves, caved in and grew over with greasy ridges, instant scar tissues sucking arrowheads further inside. But theirs didn’t. Van Minnen’s did.

Van Minnen produces about two paintings a month but works on a dozen at a time. There are layers and layers of glaze which takes a long time to dry. Not all his paintin

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Christian Rex van Minnen

American contemporary artist

Christian Rex van Minnen is an American contemporary artist known for his distinctive and surrealistic style. Born in 1980 in Providence, Rhode Island, van Minnen grew up in Colorado and developed a passion for art from an early age. He pursued his interest in painting and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Regis University in 2002. Van Minnen began his professional painting career around 2005–2006, initially working on smaller scales and creating personal pieces. As his career progressed, he transitioned to larger scales, evolving his technique and balancing complexity with composition. Notably, van Minnen has embraced the internet as a platform for showcasing and sharing his work, bypassing traditional art scene barriers. His artwork often features vividly rendered, fantastical subjects that elicit both attraction and repulsion, exploring themes of life, absurdity, and power. While his work has drawn comparison