Self-portrait 3 (Tonsure, Marcel Duchamp)

Davis Lisboa, Self-portrait 3 (Tonsure, Marcel Duchamp), 2021. Oil on linen, 50 × 50 × 3.5 cm (19.7 × 19.7 × 1.38 in).

A conceptual portrait that takes as its point of departure the iconic photograph Tonsure by Marcel Duchamp, taken by Man Ray in 1921. The tonsure—traditionally associated with religious renunciation—is reinterpreted here as a gesture of withdrawal from the art system, while also alluding to Duchamp’s alter ego, Rrose Sélavy. The five-pointed star introduces a symbolic dimension linked to identity, transformation, and ambiguity.

In this work, Lisboa replaces Duchamp with his own self-portrait, adopting his viewpoint as a strategy of appropriation. Seen from behind—shaved head, glasses, and a navy-blue jacket—the figure introduces a contemporary social dimension. The background, a nocturnal Atlantic seascape rendered in cobalt and Prussian blues, creates a restrained and atmospheric visual field. Two colored stars replace the original tonsure, transforming the religious sign into a visual motif that resonates with Latin American traditions, where modernity and popular culture intersect.

The work is part of The Paintings Section from Davis Museum Barcelona, a project that operates between painting, archive, and museological structure. The series includes portraits of Marcel Duchamp, Robert Filliou, and Marcel Broodthaers, alongside still lifes that reinterpret their artist-generated museums.

Executed with high-quality materials, the painting combines pictorial precision with a controlled chromatic range. The square format refers to the cubic geometry of the Davis Museum Barcelona.