Gê Orthof 1

Davis Lisboa, Gê Orthof 1, 2012, oil on linen, 30 × 30 × 3.5 cm (11.8 × 11.8 × 1.38 in)

Conceived within The Paintings Section from Davis Museum Barcelona, this work forms part of a portrait series dedicated to the first artists linked to the institution. It focuses on the Brazilian artist Gê Orthof, whose practice moves between conceptual strategies, performance, and urban intervention, where play and critique remain closely aligned.

The image draws on photographic source material, softened through a controlled, translucent application of oil. The surface oscillates between presence and erasure, echoing a visual language associated with Gerhard Richter’s photo-paintings while maintaining a measured distance from direct representation.

Produced during the Gray Period (2011–2016), the painting adopts a restrained tonal range that reinforces its quiet intensity. The square format, consistent with the museum’s structural logic, situates the work within a coherent spatial and conceptual framework.

As part of Davis Museum Barcelona—conceived as both institutional structure and artistic proposition—the series extends a lineage of institutional critique. This position unfolds implicitly, aligning with precedents such as Duchamp’s Boîte-en-valise, Filliou’s Galerie légitime, and Broodthaers’ Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles.