Acrylic on canvas

149 × 51 × 4 cm. 58 5/8 × 20 1/8 ×1 1/2 in.

Signed in English and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Important Private Collection, Asia

Millennial Hipster Culture Meets the Humorous Art of “Weirdness”
Coté's Quirky World

Born in Spain in 1982, artist Coté Escrivá has been influenced by cartoons, pop culture and graffiti art since childhood. Many of his works include the word “Creep” in their titles, and he has created “his own cartoon characters” by adapting familiar cartoon characters of the millennial generation, such as Garfield and the Simpsons. His work is particularly attractive because of the contrast between his sweet cartoon appearance and the skeletal elements of traditional Spanish culture. In the past three years, he has been active in exhibitions both at home and abroad, such as the Scope Art Show in Miami and Art Central in Hong Kong, and has been invited to collaborate with Yamaha motorbikes and Bershka, making him a favourite of fashionistas. Since 2019, his works have often sold out in the gallery, and this spring auction is a rare opportunity to acquire a large scale painting of nearly 1.5 metres in height, entitled Creepy Bart - Mono Pink.

A Unique Dark Humour, a Rebellious Statement of Individuality

The main character Bart Simpson, whose name means “naughty boy”, the protagonist of The Simpsons, is a rebellious character who likes to watch comics and skateboard, and has a disdain for authority. Since its inception in 1989, the show has resonated with teenagers and created a “Bart Mania phenomenon”. In Creepy Bart - Mono Pink, the classic standing pose is chosen, with a slight bend of the back and a slight smile at the corner of the mouth, half curious and half challenging, highlighting his fearless and rebellious character. Coté's extremely delicate, flat brushstrokes are used to hand-paint the image as if it were a digital print, changing Bart's original bright colour scheme to grey and white, highlighting only the pink of his top to echo the veins that appear on his body. The face, forehead and limbs are as white as an x-ray, the eyes are deliberately black, and the rest of the body seems to be melting away, showing the real nakedness of life in a cute, humorous cartoon, and the preciousness of life in the context of death.

As in Mexico on the Day of the Dead, skeletons are painted in a joyous atmosphere, accompanied by flowers and food for the extradition of the dead. Coté uses art to express his awareness of “death” - not as the end, but as the beginning of a new chapter. The viewer would not only be impressed by Bart's gentleness, but also make aware of the artist's unique approach to time and life.

Price estimate:
HKD: 30,000 – 40,000
USD: 3,800 – 5,100

Auction Result:
HKD: 36,000