Christine Comyn (b.1957, Tielt, Belgium) is a distinguished artist who, for the first two decades of her career, gained recognition for her large acrylic paintings and watercolors, often depicting portraits of young women with suppressed emotions. In 2007, she began to merge her interest in contemporary female portraits with her passion for 18th-century history, focusing on the figure of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France.
Comyn’s deep research into Marie Antoinette’s life, letters, and the historical context of the time led her to a profound realization: humanity evolves in cycles, and the present often mirrors the past. She drew compelling parallels between the indulgences and excesses of the 21st century and those of the Ancien Régime, with a particular focus on women. Her latest project, La Douceur de l’Ignorance, arose from this insight, creating a bridge between Marie Antoinette’s life and the modern world.
In La Douceur de l’Ignorance, Comyn captures a range of emotions from Marie Antoinette’s life—her longing for happiness, excesses, weaknesses, and misfortunes—through portraits of contemporary women. These are not 18th-century aristocrats, but rather modern mothers, wives, glamour girls, and even prisoners, each reflecting the timeless aspects of womanhood. Through her art, Comyn shows the universality of women’s emotions and experiences, portraying Marie Antoinette as a figure who lives on in the women of today.
Christine Comyn has exhibited widely in solo shows such as "Amazing Graces" (1999), "True Colours" (2002), "Horae" (2006), and "The Twilight Zone" (2009). Her work has been featured internationally in art fairs, including the New York Art Expo and Miami Art Fair, and has been displayed in prestigious institutions like the National Museum of Copenhagen, Riddarhuset in Stockholm, and Rittarihuone in Helsinki. Through her thought-provoking portraits, Comyn continues to captivate audiences with her exploration of historical and contemporary female identity.