Accidental Portrait 54

Beppe Giacobbe, born in Milan in 1953, is an illustrator and longtime contributor to Corriere della Sera, trained at the Accademia di Brera and in New York.

A figure in profile, facing left, against a ground of warm grey. The head is a black silhouette - sharp nose, set jaw - enclosed in a tall blue shape that rises above it like a lampshade, or a crown.

Lines of white script run down through the head and neck. Below, the shoulders are made of something else entirely: fine black whorls and loops, the ridges of a fingerprint, magnified until they become a body. Thin gold lines run down the left edge.

Ritratti accidentali - accidental portraits. Each is paired with a few lines by the Italian writer Edgardo Franzosini. The lines for this one belong to a woman tired of being a spectator, a mere guest in the world. She wanted to leave a trace of herself. Giacobbe makes her out of one.

Made in 2023 and first shown at Distrazioni (Bonvini 1909, 2024). Fine art print on 308gsm Hahnemühle cotton. Image 15 × 21 cm on 29.7 × 21 cm sheet. Edition of thirty, each with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.

Exclusive to Australia.