Baldur Helgason

Picaresque

€1,500

Artwork

Edition of 5064.0 (H) × 54.0 (W) cm

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Delirious and distorted, Picaresque by Baldur Helgason captures a moment of unchecked emotion.

Helgason’s smiling subject joins a cast of darkly-humoured characters found throughout his paintings that parody modern, exaggerated self-presentation. To authentically represent his drawing style, the artist hand-etched a copper plate at his studio in Iceland. Then, in London, the plate was inked and used to print the edition one by one. The wide tonal range afforded by etching captures Helgason's rounded, lively marks with an elevated level of precision.

Framing

Prints can be ordered float-mounted in a maple wood frame, fitted with UV plexiglass for protection.

Medium

Hard ground etching on 300gsm Somerset Satin White paper with hand-torn edges.

Certificate of Authenticity

Arrives with a certificate of authenticity.

Finishing

Individually signed, dated and numbered by the artist.

Release date

November 14, 2022

Payment

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Returns and refunds

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Behind the scenes

02:05

Baldur Helgason2 collaborationsModern life is comical and unsettling. Just like caricatures by Baldur Helgason. Often, they’re in the style of cartoons from the 1950s – like Betty Boop and Mickey Mouse. The figures are clown-like, grappling with tricky spaces, smoking, or painting. On the surface, the oil paintings are playful. But they deliberately confront the ambient anxiety of society. Helgason starts with a “blank canvas and puts down a layer of Burnt Umber.” Then, he layers pigments of bright vivid colours over it. His artistic inspiration comes from “the Masters style of painting skin tones. Like Rembrandt or Sargent.” Like Helgason, their portraits reflected on society in the 17th-century and Edwardian-era.

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Reviews from Avant collectors

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