Belle des nuages

A floating head stands out on the dark canvas. Black on a black background, the bowl cut characteristic of the 1960s surmounts a face in green, a colour Martial Raysse enjoyed using in his female portraits. Lush lashes and electric blue lips add to the intense flashiness of La Belle des nuages (The beauty of the clouds).

A photo portrait flocked on canvas and covered in fluorescent paint, this face without a body moves away from human materiality. The white cut-out that distinguishes it from the background increases the sense of isolation, making the face look more like an impassive mask.

A major example of Raysse's reflections on contemporary female stereotypes, Belle des nuages denounces the phoniness of make-up widely used by the film industry. This work in the Pinault Collection was first exhibited at the "Sequence 1" show in 2007 at the Palazzo Grassi.