Acrylic on linen canvas mounted on wood
Winter 2015/2016
Single panel dimensions: 93 × 140 × 2 cm
Overall dimensions: 160 × 148 × 2 cm
Typically, the signature on a painting is discreet. Though present, it is not the subject of the work; what truly matters is the image represented by the painting itself. One could say the signature belongs to the painting’s external, sociological dimension. And yet, the signature alone can dramatically increase the value of a painting, regardless of its aesthetic worth or artistic merit. Much like its author, if the artist is widely recognised, their signature alone can elevate the work—rightly or wrongly.
The Arrogance of the Artist illustrates this very mechanism. A painting is given the honour of bearing my signature in grand fashion. The signature is the artwork. It takes up the entire canvas, eclipsing everything else—because everything else is lacking. To heighten this display of ego, the signature even spills beyond the frame, encroaching upon the space of the exhibition itself, staking its claim on what now belongs to it. It signals, in no uncertain terms, that the sovereign here is the signature—and by extension, its author.
Does a work of art lose value without the artist’s signature? Is the signature a guarantee of the value of the work it marks? Is the artist a permanent label of quality?
Acrylic on linen canvas mounted on wood
Winter 2015/2016
Exhibition venue: Casa Bossi, Novara, Italy
Exhibition date: Spring 2018
Single panel dimensions: 93 × 140 × 2 cm
Overall dimensions: 160 × 148 × 2 cm
Acrylic on linen canvas mounted on wood
Winter 2015/2016
Exhibition venue: Casa Bossi, Novara, Italy
Exhibition date: Spring 2018
Single panel dimensions: 93 × 140 × 2 cm
Overall dimensions: 160 × 148 × 2 cm
Acrylic on linen canvas mounted on wood
Winter 2015/2016
Excerpt 1
Acrylic on linen canvas mounted on wood
Winter 2015/2016
Excerpt 1