Executed in 2018, Untitled showcases a new technique used by Nicolas Party in depicting a human figure head, through the process of inlaid marble. The ridged pastel pink that forms the backdrop of this figure creates a contrast to the sculpted facial features which are depicted in two different types of marble. Accents to the face, such as the cheekbones, chin, under eyes and forehead are highlighted by the artist’s use of a pale green/beige. These facial features harmoniously blend into the earthly tones used for the skin, emphasising the darker blue, brown, and black tones used to represent the hair, eyebrows, eyes, and lips. The mouth is left slightly open showcasing a set of white teeth, alluding to a smile, but also giving room for interpretation on the exact emotions.

Untitled, is a prime example of Party’s interest and work in “pietra dura”, a stone-inlay technique, involving the cutting and fitting of coloured marbles or precious stones to create different patterns and images. Historically originating in Florence and being perfected during the Renaissance, this method of marbleising or faux marbleising has always resonated with the decorative arts: The Grand Ducal Florentine workshops utilised the marbleising process to produce various tabletops, cabinets and church furniture. Nicolas Party, celebrated for exploring the possibilities of art through different mediums, showcases a new development in his mastery of materials and deft skill.

The present work was exhibited at Kaufmann Repetto, Milan’s Pietra Dura in 2018, and showcased in a stacked tile format alongside other inlaid marble works. The representation of portraiture in this medium and format highlights Party’s interest in recontextualisation, particularly with regards to cultural representation. Untitled is reminiscent of Noh theatre, especially in the use of Noh masks. Similar to how viewers bring their own preconceived notions to the meaning of a work of art, in Noh theatre it is up to a performer to imbue the [Noh] mask with emotion. In utilising his recognisable aesthetic in combination with an underrepresented artmaking technique, Party is successful in repositioning cultural connotations within a modern context.

Left: Japanese Noh Mask of a Woman. Image: Granger / Bridgeman Images
Right: Noh Mask, Japan. Image: © SZ Photo / Scherl / Bridgeman Images

By choosing to use marble within this representation, Party is able to transform the ephemeral nature associated with wall paintings, making them as enduring as the material that they are made from. This choice of medium and technique, historically used both decoratively and functionally, underscores and redistributes the discussion between the fleeting and the permanent. In addition to highlighting Party's ongoing fascination with the concept of time.

Born in 1980 in Lausanne, Switzerland, Nicolas Party currently resides in New York, working across disciplines that include painting, drawing, sculpture as well as performance. Beginning first as a graffiti artist, Party is famed for his major mural commissions for the Dallas Museum of Art and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, which influenced his approach in the installation and presentation of his works, resulting in dazzlingly immersive and site specific exhibitions, including the artist’s latest solo show, L’heure mauve (Mauve Twilight), which opened 12 February at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and will last until 16 October, 2022.

Exhibition installation shot from Pietra Dura, Kaufmann Repetto, Milan, 2018. Image: Andrea Rossetti, Artwork: Courtesy the artist and Kaufmann Repetto Milan / New York
- Provenance
  Kaufmann Repetto, Milan
  Acquired from the above by the present owner
- Exhibited
  Milan, Kaufmann Repetto, Pietra Dura, 12 February - 30 March 2018
- Artist Biography
  Nicolas Party
  Nicolas Party (b. 1980) is a Swiss visual artist living and working in New York City and Brussels.
  He received his BFA from the Lausanne School of Art in 2004 and his MFA from the Glasgow
  School of Art, in Glasgow, Scotland in 2009. Party’s works on paper and canvas are most often done
  in colorful soft pastel, the most common subject matter being fantastical still life and portraits.
  
  Recent solo exhibitions include Karma, New York (2021–22, 2017); Le Consortium,
  Dijon, France (2021); Kunsthalle Marcel Duchamp, Cully, Switzerland (2021); MASI
  Lugano, Switzerland (2021); Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles (2020); Xavier Hufkens,
  Brussels (2019); Modern Institute, Glasgow (2019); M Woods Museum, Beijing
  (2018); Magritte Museum, Brussels (2018); Kaufmann Repetto, Milan (2018);
  Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2016); and Dallas Museum of Art (2016). Party’s
  work is represented in the collections of the David Roberts Art Foundation, London;
  Migros Museum, Zurich; Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany; and the Sifang Art
  Museum, Nanjing, China.
  
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