Carel de Nerée tot Babberich - Figure with Closed Eyes

Carel de Nerée tot Babberich (1880–1909)

Figure with Closed Eyes in Profile

Circa 1899–1901

Pencil on paper

19.5 × 21 cm

Provenance:

Mak van Waay, 1932–33; Kunsthandel Oostenbrink; private collection, Netherlands; JK Art Foundation.

Exhibitions:

Singer Laren, 2021; Noordbrabants Museum, 2024.

Literature:

Illustrated in Sander Bink, Verfijnde Lijnen: Carel de Nerée tot Babberich, 1880–1909, WBOOKS, 2025, p. 308, cat. no. 301.

Additional information:

This exceptionally delicate pencil drawing depicts a woman near a window. It is executed on paper bearing the watermark “Buitenland”. The woman may be an imaginary figure, but could also have been based on one of the artist’s friends in The Hague.

The closed eyes and the fragile, almost ethereal appearance are characteristic of De Nerée’s early Symbolist period. Influenced by the Symbolist drawings of Jan Toorop, he developed a visual language around 1900 centred on stillness, introspection and mysticism.

The closed eyes evoke the neo-mystical ideas popular at the time. These ideas placed greater importance on the inner world than on visible reality. The woman does not look outside. Instead, she appears completely absorbed in her own thoughts. This gives the work a striking psychological intensity.

Carel de Nerée tot Babberich (1880–1909) was one of the most intriguing Dutch Symbolists of his generation. Well versed in literature and active within The Hague’s society, he developed a highly distinctive style influenced by Aubrey Beardsley and Jan Toorop. His work is characterised by refined draughtsmanship, a Gothic atmosphere and a subtle sense of decadence.