Presented at Galerie Max Hetzler in Paris is From Wounds and Starry Dreams, a solo exhibition by Romanian-born painter Victor Man. The show features a suite of melancholic, introspective portraits in moody hues of green and blue, reminiscent of the cool pallor of Picasso's Blue Period paintings.
Three astonishing new works (all 2022) capture the psychological precision for which Man has become known. Eyelids, Towards Evening depicts a sleeping woman resting her head against a pillow; Girl with Laughing Cat tenderly portrays the relationship between person and pet; and Untitled (From Wounds and Starry Dreams) stages a modest portrait of a young woman. Typically working with oils on a small scale, Man is able to achieve a depth of colour and atmosphere in his portraits with a poignant, dreamlike ambivalence.
Despite having painted since the 1990s, Man has only in more recent years gained more widespread international recognition. He represented Romania at the Venice Biennale in 2007, and was featured also in the biennale's 2015 iteration too. In 2014, he was awarded the Deutsche Bank Artist of the Year.
With few of his works coming to auction, Victor Man has not yet shared the market acclaim of his Romanian contemporary Adrian Ghenie. Recently, however, Man's works have caught the attention of a number of influential collectors, and the market appears to be catching up. In March this year, his portrait D with Raven (2015) was the star of the show at Christie's 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale. Selling for ten times its estimate, the result represents a newfound interest and confidence in the artist.
