The Model

1993

Oil on board

29 x 25 cm (11 7/16 x 9 13/16 in.)

The feminine spectacle presented by The Model, as expressive as it is horrifying, deeply unsettles the viewer. A large smile with impeccable teeth transcends raw, glowing flesh that makes the subject impossible to recognise: the eyes and nose are totally drowned in these bloody masses.

An oil painting created in 1993, The Model is one of the most poignant “bloody heads”. This series of paintings representing bleeding and mutilated heads was begun in the 1970s by a Llyn Foulkes at the time involved in a deep self-reflective phase.

Llyn Foulkes’ The Model is a harsh critique of the moral deterioration of the United States, expressed here through the destruction of the female icon. This painting, part of the Pinault Collection, was first shown at the 2013 “Prima Materia” (“Raw Material”) exhibition at the Punta della Dogana.
Exhibitions