Private Collection, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
New York, Harper's Books, Genieve Figgis: Yes Captain, 5 July - 6 August 2014
Catalogue Essay
Irish contemporary painter Genieve Figgis is widely celebrated for her fantastical compositions that strike a unique balance between abstraction and portraiture. Drawing inspiration from lavish 18th-century Rococo-style scenes, Figgis reinvents historical depictions of the bourgeois elite with a playfully dark twist.
Executed in 2014, Gentleman Caller is not only a striking example from Figgis’ charmingly macabre oeuvre, but also one that succeeds in showcasing the artist’s adroit handling of her medium. As suggested by the title, the painting presents a couple caught amid a friendly embrace: a gentleman bowing in front of his female companion and her miniature dog, the woman’s hand affectionately clasped in his. The pair’s defining features are lost, however, in the elaborately textured brushstrokes that appear to cake, swirl and melt before the viewer’s eyes. Appearing at once highly controlled whilst also entirely accidental, the distorted depiction of the pair almost reduces their bodies to wisps, introducing a humorous yet eerie quality to the dream-like scene.
Ever since the renowned American painter Richard Prince introduced Figgis to the New York art scene after discovering her work on Twitter in 2014, she has enjoyed a meteoric rise to international acclaim. In recent years, this has included solo exhibitions at prestigious galleries, including Almine Rech in Shanghai (2019) and Paris (2018), and the Half Gallery in New York (2018).
2014 signed, titled and dated '"Gentleman Caller" Genieve figgis (2014)' on the reverse oil on wood panel 38.1 x 30.5 cm. (15 x 12 in.) Painted in 2014.