Ibiza

A warm, golden sand-colored background, like a cove at the end of the day. And in front, a close-up portrait so tightly framed that it almost fills the entire canvas: Luxxo in his most dazzling form. GNelly’s signature character has landed in Ibiza, the island people visit as much for the light as for the partying.

The head is divided between two moods. On one side, turquoise and cobalt blue; on the other, lemon yellow and orange: the sea and the sunset on the same face. At the center are two large, thick black crosses, raised in relief, one topped with a few eyelashes. The body carries the party on with fuchsia, lilac, lime green, red, and touches of black. The paint, applied with a palette knife, builds up in places until it protrudes, and no color stays neatly within its area.

Travel memories are written directly onto the character. The word “Ibiza” runs up the shoulder in white letters. A white line-drawn flower blooms on the chest, perhaps a nod to the island’s hippie years. Beside it, a black spiral spins like a record. There’s also a scribbled red heart, lime-green curls cascading down one arm, a chain of rings on the other, a yellow zigzag stitch on the skull and, at the very bottom, a game of tic-tac-toe already underway. Fine white and colored splatters spill onto the sandy background.

A hand-painted black frame borders the composition. The name Luxxo runs vertically along the right edge, and GNelly’s signature appears in a black cartouche at the bottom right.

Here, automotive varnish works like water on a pebble: it brings everything it covers to life. The colors become more saturated, the sandy background takes on a lacquered sheen, and the smooth, glossy surface reflects the room’s light as the day goes on.

A unique, sun-soaked and festive piece, somewhere between pop art and urban art, signed and delivered with its certificate of authenticity.