“Everything we do not see in others is a reflection of ourselves.” —— Carl Gustav Jung
One of the rising French contemporary artists, Rebecca Brodskis finds inspirations from quotidian scenes and expressive states of anonymous passer-by who cross her path in public space. Having travelled and lived between France and Morocco during childhood, Brodskis went on studying painting at the Ateliers des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris and at Central St. Martins in London. She now lives and works in Paris.
"I am just obsessed with human figures. To me they are infinite landscapes. There's just so much to it. It's endless. I always love to stare at people. I find faces incredible. The weirder they are the more I adore them. I find beauty in distortion. I admire asymmetrical figures, bended bodies, misshaped profiles. This is what I want to paint and what gives me eternal inspiration.” —— Rebecca Brodskis
Brodskis’s art explores themes such as identity, individuality, ethnic and gender issues in contemporary society. Her brightly coloured backgrounds echo the emotions exuding from the eyes and body language of the subjects on canvas, giving hints of the internal journey of her often enigmatic and wistful figures. Painted in 2019, L'homme du Train portrays an unidentified young man in front of a fleshy pink background, who stares out the image with a subtle yet complex look. Coming from a family of filmmakers, the artist’s cinema aesthetics reveal themselves through the figure’s sharp silhouette in contrast to the backdrop, adding to psychological drama of the pictorial space, while allowing for deep and personal exchange between the subject and the viewer to take place.
The present lot (second from the right) presented in the artist’s studio
The artist has shown work internationally in United States and across Europe. Her latest exhibitions include solo shows such as Let’s Talk About You and Me at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (4 November – 3 December 2022), Crossroads at Cuturi Gallery, Singapore (1 – 23 December 2022), and The Passengers at Christine König Galerie, Vienna (7 July – 27 August 2022) and Equilibres at Fabienne Levy Gallery, Lausanne (12 April – 4 June 2022). Her upcoming solo exhibition will open in early 2024 at the Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Palm Beach.
Brodskis made her auction debut at Phillips Hong Kong in June 2022 with Amour Propre (Self-Respect) (2020), which was sold for 239,400 HKD Premium, almost tripling the pre-sale high estimate.
Provenance
Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London Acquired from the above by the present owner
signed, titled and dated ' "L'homme du train" 2019 Brodskis REBECCA BRODSKIS' on the reverse oil on linen 73 x 60 cm. (28 3/4 x 23 5/8 in.) Painted in 2019.