Sophie Steengracht & Lydia Radda

Sophie Steengracht (1991) was born exactly one hundred years after the French artist Lydia Radda (1891-1967). In the Utrecht Lokaal, their still lifes are shown side by side for the first time. Steengracht paints mythical worlds in which humans, plants, and micro-organisms are interconnected. Inspired by dreams, stories, and animism, she felt a special affinity with Radda’s work in relation to her own practice.

From the 1920s onwards, Lydia Radda painted floral still lifes and underwater worlds with fish and aquatic plants. At that time, she already stood out with her intuitive and energetic style. Until recently, little was known about Radda’s personal life. Thanks to new art historical research, her work is now given a contemporary interpretation. For example, new letters and articles about her life have been discovered. Radda was self-taught, yet moved within circles of artists.

Cover image: Lydia Radda, Fond de Mer, 1934, 54 x 62 cm, oil on canvas, Collection Centraal Museum, on loan from the Van Baaren Foundation | photo: Adriaan van Dam