Quinces

About this work

Fruit is an important theme in the works of Henk Helmantel. How could it be otherwise? The grower's son does not deny his heritage. As the son of a fruit grower, Henk has captured the yields of the land in his works throughout his life. Secretly, he conveys his message to the viewer. Look then, how beautiful and how rich Creation is. Beauty lies in the ordinary, in the earthly, in nature and the bounty of the land, where the world rushes and passes it by. But in a good still life, time also stands still for a moment; it breathes peace and timelessness. Helmantel's fruit is so tangible that it sometimes makes you crave it. The Limburg Museum commissioned the originally French chef Philippe Mattioni to work with the fruit and vegetables from Henk's works. This resulted in the Edible Helmantel, a mouth-watering ensemble of small dishes. Henk wouldn't be Henk if, amidst all that ordinariness, he didn't still display his own preference. Henk primarily paints quinces. He shows the public precisely a 'forgotten' fruit that the world passes by. Take a look, and don't forget what nature has to offer!