I saw a queen clad in a golden dress; and her dress was all full of eyes; and all those eyes were clear as crystal, and the eyes that she had on her dress were fiery, and all the others were like crystal; and she had a crown upon her head, which had as many crowns one above another as there were eyes on her dress. And before her went a terrible sword, which was sharp on both sides; and in her left hand she held a scepter, which was a deep abyss, and in her right hand she held a palm, on which was written: The palm of unconquerable strength. Then I cried out with a loud voice and said: You are the reason of my soul!” – Hadewijch of Brabant
My painting explores an inner archaeology between abstraction and figuration, deeply informed by ancient myths and medieval mysticism. In my work, figures like Gilgamesh or Circe, along with plants and insects, emerge as animate beings—hovering between ancient world-explanation/Wisdom and internal vision to expand our contemporary view of the world.
Béatrice Dreux
Born in Versailles, my history is defined by the contrast between inherited structures and a radical, chosen autonomy. My father, a sign painter and, carried the weight of the Algerian War—a formative trauma of a drafted seventeen-year-old. This legacy of institutional force stood in stark opposition to the world my mother opened for me. My true education took place under the open sky. For months every year, we lived on the beach—a life without money or societal rules, but rich in books, stars, and silence. In this paradise of necessity, living among wild dogs and the vastness of the ocean, I discovered a profound trust in an order that requires no command. These years, later followed by a life in the cave houses of Santorini, solidified my absolute pacifism. I distance myself from institutional violence and the systematic removal of both humans and animals from their natural state. Witnessing how structures of power and military ‘orders’ can break the human soul, my work became a commitment to dialogue. My artistic practice is a bridge between the inherited precision of the line and an ancient, peaceful wisdom. It is an act of trust in a world that exists beyond borders–a search for the sky I first discovered on the sand.
mail: beatrice.dreux@gmx.net
Public & Corporate Collections (Selection)
Belvedere Museum, Vienna, Austria (Österreichische Galerie Belvedere)Flowers for Medea, large-format paintingEnigma, 7-part edition (Acquired for the permanent collection in 2026 by the General Directorate and Collection Management)Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz, Austria Major monumental paintings from the Mothers series Federal Art Collection of Austria (Artothek des Bundes)State Art Collection of Upper Austria, Linz, Austria (Kunstsammlung des Landes Oberösterreich)Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) / Wiener Städtische, Vienna, Austria (Corporate Art Collection) Art Collection Telekom / Magenta Telekom, Austria (Corporate Art Collection) Friends of the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, Austria (Gesellschaft der Freunde der bildenden Künste) Wien Museum / MUSA, Vienna, Austria (Collection of the City of Vienna)
Solo Exhibitions
Back Dragon Society, Los Angeles (1996), Gallery Mezzanin, Vienna (1999), Gallery Menotti, Vienna (2001), Gallery Hubert Winter, Vienna (2004), Gallery Hubert Winter, Vienna (2005), PARALLEL Vienna curated by Vita Zaman (2016) LENTOS, Kunstmuseum Linz, Austria curated by Robert Fleck and Stella Rolling (2016), Traklhaus Salzburg, Austria (2017), CORDONHAUS, Cham, Germany (2018), Salon Schmitz, Cologne, Germany, Helmuts Art Club, Vienna (2020), Giese & Schweiger, Vienna (2023), She Knows, Vienna (2024)
Group exhibitions
Gallery Nächst St. Stephan, Vienna, curated by Franz Graf (1996), National Gallery, Kairo, (2003), Salzburger Kunstverein (2005), Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul (2006), Kunsthalle Palazzo Switzerland (2009), Museum der Moderne, Salzburg (2010), ACE museum, Los Angeles (2011), Kunsthalle Wien(project space) curated by Catherine Hug (2012), LENTOS Kunstmuseum, Linz (2013), Gallery im Körnerpark, Berlin (2013), MUSA (2009), MAK, Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art, curated by Peter Noever, Vienna (2000), „LOKALVERBOT“, Hamburg, curated by Roberto Ohrt (2016), „Rabenmütter“, LENTOS Kunstmuseum Linz(curated by Stella Rolling), Salon Schmitz, Cologne, Germany (2017) OFF IS, curated by Angela Stief (2016), „WOMAN KNOW“ Austrian cultural forum New York (2018) Subversive Imagination, MUSA, Vienna, „Goddess in practice“, Kunstraum Retz (2019), „Taking Root „KIT – Kunst im Tunnel, Düsseldorf (2019), Salon Schwarzenbergplatz, Wien(2021) “how Lovecraft saved the world “Universitätsgalerie der Angewandten im Heiligenkreuzerhof,(2021) Wien, „A Grammar of Gestures “Kourd Gallery, Athens,(2022) amongs others. UNKNOWN FAMILIARS (2024) The Collections of the Vienna Insurance Group, Leopold Museum, Vienna, Austria (Exhibition and catalogue)2015 Rabenmütter. Zwischen Kraft und Krise: Mütterbilder von 1900 bis heute, Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz, Austria (Exhibition and catalogue) Triennale Linz (2010) 1.0. Contemporary Art in Austria, joint exhibition by Lentos Kunstmuseum, Landesgalerie Linz, and OK Offenes Kulturhaus, Linz, Austria (Exhibition and catalogue)
Post Graduate
Residencies & Grants (2020), Artist-in-Residence(2026), Saye Collective, Istanbul, Turkey. Artist-in-Residence (2023) , Cité internationale des arts, Marais Site, Paris, France. (Awarded by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Culture) Artist-in-Residence(2022) CCA Andratx, Artist in Residence Program, Mallorca Spain. Federal Studio Award / Staatsatelier, Federal Studios Westbahnstraße, Vienna, Austria. (Studio fellowship awarded by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Culture) Artist-in-Residence (2020), Cité internationale des arts, Montmartre Site, Paris, France. (Awarded via the French Selection/Cultural Program) Artist-in-Residence (2007), Rome, Italy. (Studio grant awarded by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Culture / BMUKK)2000 SOART Austria (2021), EXSLA, eastside international residency, Los Angeles (2018), Artist residency Program, Paris (2022), Schindler Scholarship, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Mackey Apartments, Los Angeles, USA. (In cooperation with the MAK Museum Vienna)