In a vividly coloured interior reminiscent of Mondrian’s palette, a scene unfolds between three protagonists. The absence of any openings to the outside and the geometric rigour heighten the atmosphere of confinement and enclosure.

On the left, the head of an androgynous-looking woman rests directly on her legs; the removal of the torso challenges conventional representations of anatomy. It reduces the human body to its expressive function (the face) and its functions of movement and seduction (the skirt and legs).

At the centre, a young girl kneels, lost in thought. A dog gazes at her with desire: it has a human face, its mouth obscured by a grimacing mark (as in the film Joker), and its chest is adorned with a pink heart.

The association of familiar elements within an absurd or dreamlike context — the hybridisation of body and head, and an animal with a human face — creates an unsettling sense of strangeness.

PAT ANDREA (b. 1942, The Hague, Netherlands) studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague before travelling extensively in Europe and Latin America. A painter and draughtsman, he lives and works between Paris and Buenos Aires. His work has been exhibited internationally since the 1970s and is held in major public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and Kunstmuseum Den Haag.

A major retrospective, ¿Qué pasa?, was presented at Museum MORE, Gorssel, in 2021, followed by a further presentation at Château de Ruurlo in 2022. Recent exhibitions include Crosswalk, Galerie Laurent Strouk, Paris (2023), and Pat Andrea, la visite surprise, Galerie Sonia Zannettacci, Geneva (2025). His extensive project inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass resulted in two illustrated editions published by Diane de Selliers in 2006 and 2015, alongside international exhibitions of the original works. His practice also encompasses monumental drawings, ceramic murals and outdoor sculpture.

Andrea was Professor at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1998 to 2007. He has been a corresponding member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts at the Institut de France since 2002.