The large-scale portrait shows a human face emerging from a dense composition of geometric shapes, fragments of lettering and brightly coloured areas. Blues and turquoise dominate the image, contrasted by yellow, orange, pink and grey. Particularly striking is the combination of realistically rendered facial features – especially the eyes, nose and mouth – with highly abstract graphic elements.

The signature in the lower right corner can be read as “TORE”. It corresponds to the style and signature of the Paris-based graffiti artist Tore or ToreOne, whose real name is given in art-market sources as Maxime Olivier, born in 1972.

Tore describes his practice as a combination of abstract graffiti lettering and figurative painting. Faces have become an important part of his work; in an interview, he explains his interest in capturing physiognomy, gaze and emotion. The combination of portraiture with fragmented lettering and graphic shapes is therefore characteristic of his artistic language.