Marcel Broodthaers 12

This painting is conceptually inspired by an enigmatic black-and-white photograph taken by Maria Gilissen, wife of Marcel Broodthaers, in which the Belgian artist appears to be performing an apparently trivial yet ironic gesture: placing his finger on his nose. Formally, the work reveals the influence of German painter Gerhard Richter, who, beginning in the 1960s, developed a pictorial style that blurred the contours of photographic images, dissolving the boundaries between photography and painting.

The painting is part of «The Paintings Section From Davis Museum,» conceived as a collection of portraits of artists who created their own museums, such as Marcel Duchamp with his «Boîte-en-valise» (1936-41), Robert Filliou with «La galerie légitime» (1962-63), and Broodthaers himself with his «Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles» (1968-72). These projects challenged traditional museum conventions, rethinking notions of authorship, authenticity, and value in the art system.

Inspired by these initiatives, Davis Lisboa founded the Davis Museum Barcelona in 2009, as a readymade sculpture, a collective project, and a cultural entity recognized by the Generalitat of Catalonia. Symbolically conceived within a ballot box and disseminated primarily through social media, this museum stands as the smallest in the world within the realm of contemporary art.

The choice of oil on canvas reflects a deliberate engagement with painting as a medium steeped in historical and symbolic significance. The work employs the highest quality materials—linen canvas, Old Holland oil paints, and Blockx mediums—and adopts a square format that resonates with the cubic architecture of the Davis Museum Barcelona. Blue, the museum’s signature color, dominates the composition, reinforcing the visual and conceptual coherence between the artwork and the broader museum project.