What’s in a name? (updated in 2026)
Art and Luxury in Noordwijk: What Gives an Original Artwork Its Value?
Luxury is often associated with refinement, exclusivity and beautiful objects. For me, it begins somewhere else.
It is found in the freedom to create, the time to look closely and the possibility of living with something that continues to reveal itself.
In February 2025, I presented my work at the Art & Luxury Fair at Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk. Surrounded by art, design and craftsmanship, one question stayed with me: what do we really mean when we call something luxurious?
01 · The encounter
The Art & Luxury Fair at Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin
The Art & Luxury Fair brought contemporary art, fashion, design and craftsmanship together at Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk. Within this setting, artists and makers could meet visitors directly and share more than a finished object.
“For me, making art is a form of luxury. Not because the process is always comfortable or polished, but because it allows me to follow what cannot yet be fully explained.”
Leonoor Ruigrok
That personal encounter matters. A painting may first attract someone through colour, movement or atmosphere. But its meaning often changes when you hear where it began, how it developed and why certain elements kept returning.
Art is not only something to be viewed from a distance. It creates a conversation between the work, the maker and the person standing in front of it.
02 · Original work
The Value of Original Art: More Than an Object
An original painting carries traces of decisions, doubt, movement and time. Some marks are deliberate. Others emerge while I am working and lead the painting in an unexpected direction.
That is what distinguishes an original artwork from a purely decorative object. It does not have to reveal everything at once. Its presence can grow over time.
The luxury of time, attention and freedom
The word luxury can suggest perfection. Yet perfection is not what I seek in my paintings.
I am more interested in presence.
A rough line may hold more energy than a carefully controlled one. A partly hidden figure may feel more powerful than a fully explained image. A dark edge can make the light around it more intense.
Creating art gives me the freedom to stay with these contrasts. It allows uncertainty to remain part of the work instead of removing it too quickly. That freedom is valuable, but it also requires time, concentration and trust in the process.
Perhaps that is where art and luxury truly meet: in giving something enough attention to become more than was initially planned.
03 · Living with art
Why Original Art Changes a Space
A painting does more than complete an interior. It can alter the atmosphere of a room and influence how that space is experienced.
Some works bring stillness. Others create tension, movement or an unexpected point of focus. The relationship changes with the light, the surroundings and even the mood of the viewer.
Choosing original art is therefore highly personal. It is rarely only a decision about colour or dimensions. Often, a person recognises something in a work before being able to put that feeling into words.
The strongest connection is not always with the most obvious image. It may begin with a detail, a gesture or a sense of familiarity that remains difficult to explain.
Contemporary Art Rooted in Landscape and Experience
My work is shaped by physical landscapes as well as inner ones. The dunes and bulb-growing region around Noordwijk and Voorhout, the open landscapes of Iceland and time spent near Lake Orta in Italy have all found their way into my visual language.
I do not paint these places as literal records. They become starting points.
A house may become a symbol of shelter. A field or horizon may carry a feeling of expectation. A figure or animal can appear between strength and vulnerability. Through painting, the visible landscape shifts into something more personal and psychological.
This is where the work begins to move away from a specific location and towards a wider human experience.
From an Art Exhibition in Noordwijk to the Studio in Voorhout
An art fair offers a concentrated moment in which many works, makers and visitors come together. The studio offers another kind of encounter.
In my studio in Voorhout, close to Noordwijk, paintings can be seen in the surroundings where they were made. Visitors can look at individual works, discover connections between different series and experience their scale, surface and presence without the distance of a screen.
A studio visit is not an obligation to purchase. It is an opportunity to spend time with the work and see what continues to draw your attention.
Because perhaps the real luxury of art is not owning something prestigious. Perhaps it is finding a work that keeps opening a space within you.
Archive · 2025
Art & Luxury Fair, Noordwijk
This article was originally published as an announcement of Leonoor Ruigrok’s participation in the Art & Luxury Fair and was later expanded with reflections on art, value and the experience of living with an original artwork.
Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin
Koningin Astrid Boulevard 5
2202 BK Noordwijk
8–9 February 2025
Visit the Studio of Leonoor Ruigrok
Leonoor Ruigrok is a contemporary Dutch artist based in Voorhout, in the Bollenstreek near Noordwijk. Her paintings explore the space between strength and vulnerability, light and darkness, control and surrender.
Studio visits are available by appointment. You can also explore selected portfolio series and available original works online.