THE RELEASE OF THE WORLD
THE RETURN TO THE UNFORBIDDEN.
In The Release of the World, Stefan Marcel Gerard reclaims the Fall - not as punishment, but as liberation. For centuries, Eden was painted as paradise. But what if it was a prison? What if exile was the first act of freedom?
Through haunting beauty and raw sensuality, the series breaks the chain of generational shame - a wound etched in flesh, passed down in silence. At its core lies a reckoning, born from a family secret tied to the Catholic Church - one that reshaped the artist’s very identity.
In this reimagination of Genesis, Adam and Eve do not fall.
They rise.
ACT I: PARADISE
THE LORD GOD MADE ALL KINDS OF TREES -
TREES THAT WERE PLEASING TO THE EYE
GENESIS 2:8
Not all who desire may possess. Only those who dare.
ACT I. Voyeur II
100x70 (1/12) €6.993,-
130x91 (1/9) €9.993,-
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
ACT I. Axis Mundi I
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
ACT I. Axis Mundi II
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
180x125 (1/3) €29.993,-
ACT I. Voyeur I
100x70 (1/12) €6.993,-
130x91 (1/9) €9.993,-
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
All prices exclude VAT and transportation costs. Please enquire for availability here.
A behind the scenes shot of ACT I. Voyeur I of the FABULA OBSCURA Collection.
ACT II: TEMPTATION
FOR GOD KNOWS THAT WHEN YOU EAT FROM IT
YOUR EYES WILL BE OPENED
GENESIS 3:4
To stand before this is one thing. To take it is another.
ACT II. Pierce
130x91 (1/9) €9.993,-
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
180x126 (1/3) €29.993,-
ACT II. Aftermath
180x126 (1/3) €29.993,-
ACT II. Fruit
100x70 (1/12) €6.993
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
ACT II. Unveil
100x70 (1/12) €6.993.-
130x91 (1/9) €9.993,-
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
All prices exclude VAT and transportation costs. Please enquire for availability here.
Photography artist Stefan Gerard and his team on set, in a behind the scene shot for ACT II: Pierce.
THE TRINITY EXPOSITION
The Trinity was the exclusive South African release at the esteemed Athletic & Social Club on the shores of Cape Town.
IT IS THE ONLY COLLECTION THAT
SOLD OUT ON OPENING NIGHT
Athos, the founder of Athletic and Social remarks 'Stefan incited a lot of enthusiasm with his proposal for the South African launch of THE RELEASE at our venue. At first I was sceptic. It was our first art exhibition since our inception several years ago. But that changed quickly. It is the only collection that sold out on an opening night.'
ACT III. SEDUCTION
YOU WILL NOT CERTAINLY DIE,
THE SERPENT SAID
GENESIS 3:4
To possess this is to wield its power.
ACT III. Throne
130x91 (1/9) €9.993,-
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
180x126 (1/3) €29.993,-
ACT III. Dwell
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
ACT III. Shame
100x70 (1/12) €6.993,-
130x91 (1/9) €9.993,-
ACT III. Struggle
100x70 (1/12) €6.993
130x91 (1/9) €9.993,-
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
All prices exclude VAT and transportation costs. Please enquire for availability here.
The creation of the THE RELEASE OF THE WORLD Collection involved a big struggle that included buying new shoes.
BROUT HALL OF SHAME
Ton Keunen, the CEO of BROUT, a leadership institute in Maarssen, the Netherlands, chose THE RELEASE Collection as part of his new interior for the Oval - the executive office of a 17th century castle on the shores of de Vecht.
IT CHANGED THE WAY I INTERACT
WITH MY CLIENTS.
'In our line of work of leadership training, shame is often the biggest obstacle. I wanted to make a point that shame can be a beautiful thing as long as it is out there. I commissioned the artist to make a selection out of his collection for the BROUT Hall of Shame. Due to the symbolic power of the collection, it changed the way I interact with clients here in my office.'
ACT IV.
THE MAN HAS NOW BECOME LIKE ONE OF US,
KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL.
GENESIS 3:21
It belongs to those who understand its weight.
ACT IV. Past and Future
100x70 (1/12) €6.993,-
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
180x126 (1/3) €29.993,-
ACT IV. Salvation
160x112 (1/6) €19.993,-
180x126 (1/3) €29.993,-
ACT IV. Metamorphosis
100x70 (1/12) €6.993,-
ACT IV. Sunkissed
130x91 (1/9) €9.993,-
160x112 (1/6) € €19.993,-
180x126 (1/3) € €29.993,-
The artist taking his final shot - exactly where he needed to be.
SPECIFICATIONS
Please inquire for the availablity and size of the artworks below.
The goal of collecting a Gerard is to gift it to the next generation - in original state. This is why all artworks are delivered according to the highest standards. Each artwork comes professionally framed in grade 1 walnut wooden frame. Each limited work is printed on Hahnemule 100% cotton paper to create a crafty, matt - yet deep colour profile.
COLLECTING A GERARD - IS TO GIFT IT
TO THE NEXT GENERATION.
To protect the paper from wrinkling over decades, it is attached to an aluminium surface. In addition, all artworks come with UV-protective museum glass which is galvanised on both sides during framing, to stop dust from accumulating over time.
NOCHE DE SALON
Beneath the flickering glow of candlelight, in the hallowed halls of the Sofitel Legend The Grand, a new ritual was born. NOCHE DE SALON is not merely a dinner - it is an initiation, an unraveling, a night where the veil between art and revelation dissolves.
In collaboration with Dutch Global Media and Macallan Whisky, this gathering fused the elegance of wining and dining with the raw intimacy of storytelling. Glasses clashed, whispers lingered, and between courses, something ancient stirred. At its heart? A moment of unveiling. A secret revealed. A myth reborn in the eyes of those daring enough to witness.
This is was not an event. This was a rite of passage.
AND IT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Stefan (1989) is a Photography Artist. He moved to Buenos Aires at an early age, where he got infected by the blend of European chic and Latin sensualness, a trait still clearly visible in his signature today.
Stefan's limited edition prints are inspired by Renaissance's greatest painters, Rubens and Caravaggio, who were able to tell a story on a - single - canvas. His work is subject to the Human Condition including timeless archetypical truths such as belonging, esteem, anger and hope. His collections are celebrated for its cinematic aesthetic.
ART HELPS ME EXPLAIN WHY I ACT THE WAY I ACT.
I am heavily influenced by Carl Jung and te idea of the collective unconsciousness. It am still figuring why I do the things I do. By using photography as a medium to paint with archetypes: universal truths about the human condition. I try and explore the unconscious. These truths, in turn, helps me to explain why I act the way I act. That is true art for me.
He resides between Madrid and Cape Town.
WHAT IS NEXT?
BIBLICAL
BIBLICAL is Stefan Gerard's coffee table book that includes three collections inspired by Genesis. In order of first publication: HORSEMEN is based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, THE RELEASE OF THE WORLD is a retelling of the banishment out of the Garden of Eden, and I AM CAIN is a tribal retelling of Cain and Abel.
THE PRADO NACIONAL
THE PRADO museum stands as the guardian of European artistic heritage, a temple of old-world mastery where the Catholic gaze has shaped centuries of narrative. The Release of the World enters this space as both a return and a rupture - bringing Africa’s Genesis into the halls of the European canon. Here, the myth of exile begins to unravel, confronting the legacy of colonialism, power, and religious control.
IN THE PRADO, EDEN IS RECLAIMED.
THE VATICAN MUSEUM
The Vatican Museum.
The Vatican is the seat of spiritual empire, the enforcer of what was deemed holy - and what was cast into exile. To exhibit The Release of the World within its walls is to bring the forgotten back into the light - to stand where sin was first declared and undo the shame that has bound generations. This is more than an exhibition. It is a confrontation, a reclamation, a prophecy fulfilled.
If we linger too long
beneath the shadow of the Tree of Life,
do we recieve - or bleed?
When we taste
of each other's fruit,
do we awaken gods - or ghosts?
If we listen
to the whisper of the serpent,
do we inherit knowledge - or pain?
And when we step
beyond the threshold of paradise,
are we falling - or are we finally free?
THE RETURN OF THE UNFORBIDDEN IS INEVITABLE.
CLAIM YOUR PLACE IN HISTORY
INQUIRE AVAILABILITY
If you would like to acquire a Gerard for your collection, please enquire our team for size and availability. All prices exclude possible VAT and transportation costs.
THE BEGINNING