Suzanne Perlman (1922–2020)

Suzanne Perlman (1922–2020) did not simply pass through Curaçao. She built her life and artistic practice there. A current exhibition in Laren brings renewed attention to her work, but for Curaçao she is not a rediscovery. She is a long-standing presence—an artist who worked on the island for decades and helped shape its modern visual culture.  

By Jorge Cuartas

Perlman was not Caribbean by birth. She arrived on Curaçao as a refugee during the Second World War and remained there for more than fifty years. Her artistic formation unfolded there. That fact complicates easy categorization. Where do we place her within Caribbean painting?

Inclusion

Caribbean art is often defined through geography: artists born on the islands, shaped by local histories, working within regional contexts. It also includes members of the Caribbean diaspora—children and grandchildren who were not born on the islands, and who may never have lived there, yet remain connected through heritage and perspective. Birthplace and identity tend to determine inclusion.

Understanding

Perlman did not inherit Caribbean identity. She entered it. Her understanding of the island developed through her paintings. Her Curaçao works focus on everyday life—markets, couples, interiors, street scenes. The figures are never exoticized types or mere decoration. They feel grounded in lived experience. Her paintings suggests that sustained engagement matters. Decades of working on the island placed her within its artistic history, even if her origins lay elsewhere.

The exhibition in Laren brings her work back into view. It shows that Curaçao was not a side chapter in her career. That time shaped her as a painter and left its mark on the island’s artistic development.

Exhibition Information

Suzanne Perlman
Singer Laren, Laren, The Netherlands
On view until 28 June 2026

• Paintings used in this article:
  • ‘Daily Problems’, 1950, oil on canvas, Suzanne Perlman Estate
  • ‘Curaçao Male’, 1971, oil on board, Suzanne Perlman Estate
  • ‘Simadan II’, 1964, oil on canvas, Suzanne Perlman Estate
  • ‘Curacao Lovers’. 1956, oil on board, Ben Uri collection
  • ‘Casa Bolivar’, 1945, oil on canvas, Suzanne Perlman Estate
  • ‘Emmabridge’, 1958, oil on canvas, Suzanne Perlman Estate