Marcel Broodthaers 25 (Four Commas)

Inspired by a black-and-white photograph by Bernd Jansen, this work reimagines Marcel Broodthaers seated in Kunsthalle Düsseldorf during his 1972 exhibition, Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles, Section Cinéma. Broodthaers is portrayed wearing Robert Filliou’s “Galerie Légitime”—a hat-as-museum that symbolizes a portable, invisible exhibition space. This conceptual overlay explores the intersection of institutional critique, cinematic silence, and the subversive potential of conceptual art.

The painting encourages reflection on artists who redefined the museum as an artwork itself—Duchamp with his Boîte-en-valise, Filliou with his Galerie Légitime, and Broodthaers with his fictional Musée. In this lineage stands the Davis Museum Barcelona, symbolically founded in a ballot box and disseminated via social media. It is both a sculptural ready-made and a recognized nonprofit art project. The Painting Section, its only commercial component, presents works grouped by genre, paying tribute to these conceptual legacies.

Executed in oil on linen canvas with Old Holland paints and Talens mediums, the work affirms a commitment to artisanal excellence. Its square format reflects the museum’s cubic architecture. Belonging to the Full Color Period (2019–present), it vibrates with chromatic vitality and conceptual depth.