Image: Ira Stehmann Fine Art, Munich
Ira Stehmann Fine Art has announced a new collaboration with Dutch fine art photographer Neeltje de Vries, presenting a selection of recent archival pigment prints that foreground female autonomy, freedom and identity. The gallery’s announcement introduces de Vries to its collectors and friends with works spanning 2022 to 2025, including 'Sirocco' (2025) and 'New Moon' (2024), alongside earlier images such as 'Louvres' (2023), 'Out of thin air' (2023) and the paired works 'In the passing of summer I' and 'In the passing of summer II' (both 2022).
According to the gallery, de Vries is based in Amsterdam and was born in 1976. Her practice is described as challenging traditional patriarchal representations of women by presenting them as self-determined subjects rather than objects of the gaze. The source material also states that nudity in her photographs functions as a metaphor for liberation, vulnerability and self-possession. These themes run through the gallery’s selection, which places particular emphasis on the emotional and conceptual tension between independence and intimacy.
The pictures shown in the announcement are largely black-and-white compositions made with natural light. The gallery characterizes the resulting images as marked by compositional clarity and quiet emotional intensity. In this framing, de Vries’ subjects are shown as women whose presence is defined by confidence, intimacy and independence, while their averted gazes resist the expectation of pleasing the viewer. The gallery also notes that her visual language is shaped by a background in graphic design, balancing precision with intuition and seeking a subtle tension between harmony and imbalance.
The works are offered in archival pigment print, with multiple sizes and edition structures listed for each image. 'Sirocco' (2025), for example, is available in four sizes ranging from 150 x 110 cm to 60 x 45 cm. 'New Moon' (2024) is offered in three sizes, while 'Louvres' (2023) is listed in two sizes. Other works in the selection include 'Silver lining' (2023), 'Lemonade' (2023) and 'Salvation' (2024), each presented with signed, titled, dated and numbered certificates.
Ira Stehmann Fine Art’s announcement presents de Vries’ oeuvre as both timeless and contemporary, but the source material stays focused on the work itself rather than on a specific exhibition program. The gallery’s communication functions as a launch for the collaboration and as an introduction to a body of photography centered on the female experience, using controlled lighting, restrained palettes and carefully staged compositions to articulate ideas of freedom and authenticity.
The gallery’s online presentation also includes work pages for the featured images, indicating the scope of the collaboration across a broader group of photographs. The announcement closes with contact information for inquiries and a link to further insights from the artist’s studio, while the works listed include 'Sirocco' (2025), 'New Moon' (2024), 'Louvres' (2023), 'Out of thin air' (2023), 'Silver lining' (2023), 'Lemonade' (2023), 'Salvation' (2024), 'By the pool' (2022) and the paired 'In the passing of summer I' and 'In the passing of summer II' (2022).
