Popay (1971) - Sans titre

Popay, whose real name is Juan Pablo de Ayguavives, was born in 1971 in Barcelona, Spain. He grew up in Paris, where he began painting in the streets in the mid-1980s. He now lives and works in Felletin, in the Creuse department.
Considered one of the pioneers of Parisian graffiti and street art, Popay belongs to the founding generation that contributed substantially to the emergence and development of urban art in France. A recognized artist, his career is documented in particular by a Wikipedia page tracing more than thirty-five years of creative work. He is regularly invited to create monumental murals, public commissions, projects with foundations, and artist residencies in France and abroad. His works are now held in numerous public and private collections and are sought after by urban art enthusiasts around the world.
For nearly forty years, Popay has developed a distinctive body of work at the crossroads of graffiti, painting, and illustration. His work today revolves primarily around two complementary visual languages. On the one hand, he creates geometric compositions built from horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines, arranged in areas of flat color and rhythmic patterns. On the other, he develops these structures into impressive imaginary cities in axonometric perspective, dense and teeming with detail, where buildings, streets, cars, trucks, pink clouds, airplanes, blue cats, road-marking arrows, iguanas, and oddly proportioned figures unfold in an infinity of detail.
But Popay's world is not limited to this exploration of the city. A highly talented draftsman, painter, and illustrator, he has always cultivated a free and virtuosic graphic practice. His career has led him to collaborate on publishing, comics, posters, record sleeves, fanzines, and numerous cultural projects. His remarkable command of drawing enables him to create both portraits of great expressive intensity and characters, animals, and creatures imbued with whimsy, humor, and poetry.
The fish presented here perfectly illustrates this other facet of his work. With its rich expression, delicate drawing, and freedom of interpretation, this work bears witness to Popay's exceptional qualities as an illustrator. Far more than a simple depiction of an animal, this fish becomes a fully realized character, immediately lively and endearing, revealing the full scope of the artist's graphic sensibility.
This is an original painting on paper by a historic figure in the French art scene, whose rarity on the market represents a genuine opportunity for collectors.

Framing:
This work is presented in a frame made entirely to measure by L'Arbre à Cadres, a Parisian framing workshop renowned for the excellence of its craftsmanship.
The drawing is enhanced by an aluminum frame molding selected from among the finest models in the collection. Its highly durable, glossy red lacquer was chosen to harmonize perfectly with the work's tones, intensifying its impact and visual presence.
The whole is further enhanced by a double-thickness mat, creating a subtle sense of depth that sets off the drawing and gives it a presentation worthy of museum standards.
To ensure optimum preservation while offering an exceptional viewing experience, the work is protected by anti-reflective, UV-filtering glass, allowing the drawing to be fully appreciated without the distracting reflections usually caused by conventional glazing.
This framing, which cost approximately four hundred euros to produce, reflects the particular care taken in presenting this unique work.
The work is offered ready to hang, in a presentation case designed to protect, preserve, and showcase this original work by Popay over the long term.