“It’s a very stupid painting really, but that’s why it’s a good one,” said artist Michaël Borremans, describing his painting of a brick and a shoe.
The Belgian artist—who the New York Times said might be “the greatest living figurative painter”—is known for his unnervingly enigmatic scenes painted sensuously in oils.
Given his often-charged subject matter, Borremans was refreshingly game when asked whether he had a favorite work from his current museum survey “A Confrontation at the Zoo” at Museum Voorlinden in the Netherlands (through March 23).