Galerie illégitime 5

A minimal painting derived from a motif by Robert Filliou, where a stone topped with a folded paper hat is translated into a quiet, controlled image.

Using a blurred pictorial language associated with Gerhard Richter, the work reduces the motif to subtle tonal variations set against a flat blue ground, balancing presence and restraint.

Part of The Paintings Section of the Davis Museum Barcelona, the painting engages with the legacy of Marcel Duchamp, Robert Filliou, and Marcel Broodthaers.

Original · Signed · Certificate

€610

Product Details

Davis Lisboa, Galerie illégitime 5, 2017. Oil on canvas, 30 × 30 × 3.5 cm (11.8 × 11.8 × 1.38 in).

The painting draws from one of the eight elements that compose Marins et capitaines du temps jadis (1980) by Robert Filliou: a stone topped with a folded paper hat. This modest, precarious gesture encapsulates a key dimension of Filliou’s practice, where play and fragility converge in everyday forms.

In painterly terms, the work aligns with the procedures of Gerhard Richter, particularly in the use of blur as a structural device. The image is translated into painting through softened contours and restrained tonal shifts, avoiding sharp definition.

From this point of reference, the work establishes its own resolution. The surface is built with thin layers of oil that unify the image, while the flat blue background and the subtle modulation of the central form introduce a distinct visual atmosphere that distances the painting from direct quotation.

The work belongs to The Paintings Section of the Davis Museum Barcelona, conceived as a miniature museum and active archive. Within this framework, it enters into dialogue with Marcel Duchamp (Boîte-en-valise), Robert Filliou (La galerie légitime), and Marcel Broodthaers (Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles).