On show: 14 February to 6 September 2026
Official private opening: 27 February, 18:00–20:00, followed at 20:00–23:00 by the Bonnefanten Free Friday to celebrate the opening publicly
Artists: Keetje Mans, Tanja Ritterbex and Aline Thomassen Curators: Celien Govaerts and Roxy Jongewaard
Three pioneers of figurative painting, three solo exhibitions and three distinct painting practices. In Bitches Brew, Bonnefanten brings together three exceptional artists: Keetje Mans, Tanja Ritterbex and Aline Thomassen. The three artists work on the basis of their personal experiences, yet their work is not necessarily autobiographical. It broaches bigger themes that are hot topics: identity, intimacy, motherhood, shame, humour and alienation. The everyday is magnified, twisted or brought up for discussion. Each artist does so through new and existing work.
Colouring outside the lines
Mans, Ritterbex and Thomassen cannot be put in the same pigeonhole. The distinctive artists all work with their own styles and themes. All three are undauntedly themselves. And what they have to say, they paint.
Keetje Mans (1979, Amsterdam) makes paintings, drawings, installations, objects and textile art. In her solo exhibition, Shimmer of Bliss, she is presenting mainly new work. Painted outdoor scenes, in which figures and natural elements - with which she grew up - transcend the everyday in an alienating way. The colours of her oil palette clash, perspectives shift or situations are familiar yet also strange. The title refers to the sensation Mans seeks out while painting: a glimpse of ecstasy.
In Mama Steht Kopf, on the other hand, Tanja Ritterbex (1985, Heerlen) sheds light on the dynamics of family life and the changes brought about by motherhood. Other themes in her work are the beauty industry and the like culture on social media. She brings everything to life with lots of colour: on canvas, on paper and through performances or installations. One of the works she is presenting in this solo exhibition is a painting on a 12-metre-long canvas, created especially for the occasion. Inspired by the conversations and the collaboration with the two other artists in Bitches Brew, she created The Three Graces: three artists, three mothers, three sisters, three friends, three generations.
The solo exhibition I am You- You are Me shows the emotionally charged female bodies created by Aline Thomassen (1964, Maastricht). Her watercolours on paper are direct, larger than life and conceal nothing. She takes inspiration from the people she meets, personal experiences and world events that make a deep impression on her. Her works are a pure revelation of what it means to be human. She searches for what moves below the surface and captures it on paper.
It’s a Bitches Brew
The title of the project refers to a mix of differences and similarities - in experiences, characters, ways of working, encounters and perspectives. Bitches Brew shows an overview of three independent oeuvres. The works are recognisable by their universal themes, and although they sometimes clash, they actually reinforce one another by doing so. Together, they give scope to subjects that are sometimes difficult to express and remain undiscussed.
“The three artists are strong, independent women who are not afraid to enter into confrontation in their work with others and with themselves. Together, they brew something that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Hence the title: Bitches Brew.”
– Celien Govaerts & Roxy Jongewaard
Returning to Bonnefanten
Bonnefanten has followed the three artists for some time already. Around ten years after their last presentation in the museum, they are returning to show where they stand in their practice today. Meanwhile, they have received major awards, such as the Hermine van Bers Art Prize and the Royal Award for Modern Painting (Keetje Mans and Tanja Ritterbex), the Jeanne Oosting Prize and the Ouborg Award (Aline Thomassen). Works by Mans, Ritterbex and Thomassen are in the collections of Bonnefanten, Museum More (Gorssel), Kunstmuseum Den Haag and Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, among others.