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One at the Time

A work made of oil on canvas.
© 2005 Michaël Borremans

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  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

2003

Artist:

Michaël Borremans
Belgian, born 1963

About this artwork

Michaël Borremans’s mysterious, often discomfiting images of self-absorbed subjects in indeterminate settings are inspired by photographs, film, magazines, and illustrated books. Although the aesthetics of these pictorial sources seep into his work—the coloration, hairstyles, and clothing recall the 1930s and 1940s—Borremans’s paintings ultimately lack a clear narrative. While his characters appear engaged in actions that require meticulous attention, more often than not the paintings offer little indication of what preoccupies them. Borremans explained, “A painting is not just an image: it is an object with a multi-layered character.” One at the Time is one of several works in which figures in white lab coats attend to flat surfaces. Rife with psychological overtones and ambiguity, two men and a woman stare at a cloth-covered table on which three white shelves seem to be floating.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Michael Borremans

Title

One at the Time

Place

Belgium (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 2003

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

85 × 100 cm (33 1/2 × 39 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by The Buddy Taub Foundation, Jill Roach and Dennis A. Roach, Directors

Reference Number

2006.69

Copyright

© 2005 Michaël Borremans

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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