DAVIS LISBOA
FIGURATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY OIL PAINTINGS ON CANVAS
Who inspired the works?
I was formally inspired by Gerhard Richter’s contemporary figurative paintings, who began in the 1960s to create his iconic photographic paintings. From a collection of photographs that he added throughout his life – from press clippings to family photos – Richter projected and drew the images on a canvas. In the process of recreating the photos, he erased the images, leaving the subjects unidentifiable.
What do you hope its viewers will feel/think?
I hope that viewers understand that there is a narrative within the history of art that deals with the artists who created their museums. This narrative is constructed through Marcel Duchamp (Boîte-en-valise, 1936-1941), Robert Filliou (Galerie légitime, 1962-1963) and Marcel Broodthaers (Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles, 1968-1972). Following this narrative, I decided to create the Davis Mini-Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona (2009-ongoing), which is, simultaneously, a ready-made sculpture, a non-profit collective art project, and at the same time, a cultural entity recognized by the Generalitat de Catalunya (an Autonomous Community in Spain).
Created symbolically in an electoral ballot box and disseminated mainly through Facebook, the Davis Museum is also the smallest contemporary art museum in the world.
This cultural entity has several sections and one of them is The Paintings Section From Davis Museum. It is divided into portraits and still lifes. The portraits represent Marcel Duchamp, Robert Filliou and Marcel Broodthaers; while still lifes represent the Boîte-en-valise (Box in a suitcase), the Galerie légitime (Legitimate gallery) and the Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles (Museum of Modern Art, Department of Eagles).
Why did you choose the medium, the frame format, and color?
I chose oil on canvas because I am interested in painting not only because of its versatility as a medium but also because of its historical repository of images and ideas. Only the best painting materials have been used: linen fabrics, Blockx essence of turpentine and linseed oil and Old Holland oil paintings. As the Davis Museum is a cube, I chose the frame of the paintings to be square. I chose the gray color of the paintings from 2011 to 2016. Then, the blue color of the paintings from 2016 to 2018. And I chose the combination of blue and yellow colors of the paintings from 2019 to the next.
How will your artwork be packed for a movement?
Artwork will be guaranteed to be shipped in accordance with high security standards, so that your shipment is as safe as possible while traveling from the artist’s studio to your museum, gallery, hotel, business or home. For this, your oil paintings on canvas will be sent unrolled, stretched out on a wooden frame, flat, without frames and any special assembly. The packaging of wrapped canvases consists of:
· An acid-free archival quality glassine paper cover
· Two sheets of Foam boards
· A sealed heavy plastic bag (to protect against moisture)
· Two layers of bubble wrap and secure with tape
· Cardboard protectors to each corner of the oil painting
· Two other larger sheets of Foam boards
· A sturdy cardboard box marked as Fragile
THE PAINTINGS SECTION FROM DAVIS MUSEUM IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
• The Alejandro Vásquez Herrero Collection, Viladecans, Spain
• The Daniel Marcoux Collection, Montreal, Canada
• The Denise Siqueira Collection, São Paulo, Brazil
• The Francesc Torres Collection, Barcelona, Spain
• The Geert De Kegel Collection, Zele, Belgium
• The Philip Henderson Collection, Atlanta, USA
• The Soteris Argyrou Collection, Nicosia, Cyprus
• The Taylor Smith Collection, Indianapolis, USA