Special Exhibition "Gazing at the Everyday – Dutch Artist Henk Helmantel" at Chimei Museum Heals the Soul

A wooden soup bowl and plums by the master of contemporary realism, Henk Helmantel. (Provided by Chimei Museum)

Still Life with a Large Wine Glass and i?r. (Provided by Chimei Museum)

Modern life is full of pressure, and people often forget the beauty of ordinary, everyday moments. How long has it been since you last looked up from your phone screen? At the start of 2018, Chimei Museum invites the contemporary master of realism, Henk Helmantel, to Taiwan for its annual special exhibition "Gazing at the Everyday – Dutch Artist Henk Helmantel." Through his deeply healing artworks, the exhibition moves the heart and encourages visitors to slow down and appreciate the quiet beauty of daily life.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the "Chimei Arts Award" and highlight the charm of realistic painting, Chimei Museum has specially invited this contemporary master of realism. The special exhibition "Gazing at the Everyday – Dutch Artist Henk Helmantel" runs from January 25 through February 25 of next year. The museum hopes that through this healing exhibition, modern people can find peace in their busy lives and rediscover the beauty in the unchanging routines of everyday living.

Henk Helmantel, a 73-year-old Dutch artist, is regarded as an iconic figure in European contemporary realist painting. With over half a century of painting experience, he primarily focuses on still lifes and interior scenes. He does not paint grand spectacles but instead finds inspiration in everyday objects. To him, small things are as beautiful as majestic mountain landscapes, and seemingly trivial subjects can become the protagonists of his works, transformed into something beautiful.

Having shown artistic talent from a young age, Helmantel was inspired by the works of masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. He developed refined classical painting techniques and combined them with expert-level modern materials to depict still lifes with meticulous detail and clarity. Whether it’s light and shadow, texture, material quality, or even air, his delicate brushwork brings objects to life on the canvas.

In addition, Helmantel’s compositions are rigorous, and his color palettes are elegant and restrained. His careful attention to the arrangement of each scene creates an otherworldly sense of harmony that even photorealistic mechanical brushwork cannot achieve. Though his works appear simple and clean, they also reveal Helmantel’s artistic cultivation and unique temperament—sincere, simple, earnest, and understated. This allows viewers to slow down and find calm, both visually and emotionally, ultimately experiencing healing.

“I try to depict a harmonious world—a world that feels good, a world that remains beneficial to people even in difficult times.” The magical Helmantel style captures the extraordinariness within the ordinary.

In addition to exhibitions in the Netherlands at venues such as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Rembrandt House Museum, his works have traveled across Europe, Asia, and the Americas—including the UK, Germany, the US, Czech Republic, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Hungary, Japan, Indonesia, and Singapore. He enjoys a loyal fan base around the world and holds an unshakable position in the field of contemporary still life painting.

Regarding the carefully curated exhibition at Chimei Museum, Helmantel is very excited. “I have a feeling this will be the best exhibition of my career!” This exhibition brings together the highlights of Helmantel’s half-century of creation, featuring a hundred exhibits including oil paintings, sketches, drafts, creative tools, technique explanations, and interview videos.

Tickets for the "Gazing at the Everyday" special exhibition will go on sale on the 25th. Full-price tickets are NT$200, discounted tickets NT$150, and a combo ticket (permanent exhibition + special exhibition) is specially priced at NT$280. To make it easier for the public to plan their visits, Chimei Museum will remain open during the winter vacation period.