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Born in Belgium, Julie Lucht de Freibruch spent her early years in France and England before coming to Australia in 2006. Julie comes from a family of artists, including great-grandfather Ricciotto Canudo (1877-1923), friend of Picasso, Matisse and Jean Cocteau during the Cubist movement in 1910s and 1920s Paris. Her work is inspired by her local environment, exploring Queensland’s vibrant tropical landscapes, its nature and distinctive buildings. The contrast between man-made and natural forms is a popular theme in her work. Julie uses fluid acrylics in her paintings, her style inspired by the strong graphic design elements of printmaking, and atmospheric details of illustration. Her characterful, colourful style has seen her undertake numerous private commissions and she is collected across the world. Julie was a finalist in the National Emerging Art Prize 2022. She currently lives near Noosa on the Sunshine Coast with her husband and two young children.
Julie’s paintings explore moments in time that are both quietly meditative and full of hope. Using layers of fluid acrylics, she loves to use light and shadow to give depth to her work. Julie contrasts the friendly familiar shapes of homely buildings, with the wilder natural shapes of trees and plants. Her hope is to recreate the feeling of safety and connection she gets with the landscape, and nature more broadly, when it has been partly tamed through its interactions with human design.
Established in 2021, the National Emerging Art Prize was created to provide an annual, highly visible national platform to identify, promote and support the most promising emerging visual and ceramic artists in Australia.