For a large retrospective in the Museum Catharijne Convent in Utrecht, Franciscus was asked to choose one of the paintings from the collection for a new work. This became the adaption of ‘De Doornenkroning’ by the Utrecht neo-caravaggist Dirk van Baburen. This resulted in a work called ‘Decoronation, an Allegory on Violence’ and has been included in the collection of the Centraal Museum in Utrecht in 2012 after years of touring.
In the painting we see a transvestite being molested by a Mediterranean-looking posse. Here, more than ever, Franciscus gave a stage to minorities. Between 2006 and 2009 the eclectic and monumental seven-panel 'Seven Works of Mercy' were created. This series was originally a commission for the seven European offices of a fundraising company for charities. In 2008 this company collapsed due to the crisis, but Franciscus finished the paintings as autonomous work. A monograph has been created around these seven paintings. They have been part of many exhibitions. Meanwhile, the works have found their way into collections around the world. Franciscus was commissioned to make copies in all sizes of these ‘Works of Mercy’. The images have also been given a place in murals on the walls of the rooms in New York’s, Ye Olde Carlton Arms Hotel.
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Mary Grooteman
Rienus Gundel
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