Sex sells.

Everything obvious is and has already been shown in excess. In a directness and an exposure that tortures the human eye more than it really succeeds in sensually capturing the subtle, the surprising and the mysterious. But that's where the real game of eroticism lies? The comprehensive, subtle beauty and truth of nature demonstrates this. Thus, the personality of the flower of wickedness comes to light in the book project through the artist's photographic perspective, as does the sweet plant of innocence in all its vulnerability and tenderness. Her entire fascinating spectrum, between pride and fragility, becomes visible. In the planned book, Hildegard Theodora Monssen provides her unique insight into a hidden world.

“The collection of the Museum van Bommeln van Dam in Venlo includes four photographic works by the German artist Hildegard Theodora Monssen (born 1948 in Vorst). These works were created exclusively with natural light. (…) Excited and inspired by the new viewing angles, the photographer finally created a remarkable full-color series in 2012. She captures her subjects in extreme close-ups and sensitively combines wilting flowers with the appropriate lighting mood. The expressive, yet mysterious, colorful floral worlds transform into magical floral landscapes. Here the microcosm subtly becomes the macrocosm. In her work, Hildegard Theodora Monßen uses carefully chosen excerpts to show the beauty of transience and temporality in a philosophical sense. Decay and death are paired with an aesthetic that is astonishing in many ways." – Rick Vercauteren, Director van Bommel van Dam (until 2004 to 2016)"

About the author:
Hildegard Theodora Monssen, born in Vorst on the Lower Rhine, studied art education and German in Cologne and worked as both a teacher and a journalist . Only later did she turn exclusively to photography. Studied with Prof. Dr. Herta Wolf in Essen and was active on projects with Arno Fischer from Ostkreuz, the school for photography in Berlin. In addition, there were regular work stays in the Netherlands and numerous exhibitions in Düsseldorf, Neuss, Luxembourg, Paris and Venlo.