New Artist Spotlight: Alexis Ralaivao at Kasmin
Portrait of Alexis Ralaivao in his studio. Photo by Rosa Lacavalla. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin, New York.
“New Artist Spotlight” is a recurring editorial series featuring artists who have recently joined the rosters of Artsy’s gallery partners.
Self-taught French artist Alexis Ralaivao is captivated by the small details. His oil paintings, whether close-ups of shimmering jewelry or cropped portraits of the human figure, exude a palpable sensuousness that elevates mundane scenes into cherished moments. An alum of The Artsy Vanguard 2022, Ralaivao draws inspiration from Dutch Golden Age masters like Johannes Vermeer and Gerard ter Borch, channeling their obsessive attention to the details of lived experiences into genre paintings of his own that prominently feature clothes, flesh, glass, metal, and jewels.
Now represented by Kasmin, Ralaivao will show two new paintings in the gallery’s presentation at Art Basel Hong Kong from March 26th through 30th. The representation announcement follows Ralaivao’s debut solo exhibition with Kasmin, “On s’enrichit de ce que l’on donne, on s’appauvrit de ce que l’on prend,” at the gallery’s Chelsea location in June 2023.
Focusing on domestic settings, Ralaivao carefully frames his subjects like a photographer or cinematographer—imbuing his paintings with a sense of drama or tension, and cropping them in a way that invites viewers to linger on the minutiae. Works like Deux verres sur un piano (2023), which depicts two glistening, translucent wine glasses on a wooden surface, approach inanimate objects with genuine care and attention. Meanwhile, his portraits, like La sieste (The nap) (2021), often portray Black figures in repose, conveying a simple elegance that gives the human form a dreamlike quality.
In many of his latest works, Ralaivao explores themes of luxury and consumerism, using his expertise in texture and light to examine the materiality and allure of consumer goods. His close-up of an ear with a shining silver earring, La source lumineuse (2022), exemplifies his ability to capture the subtle interplay between object and identity. The work considers how these shiny luxury items can be both vectors of desire and symbols of social exclusion.
In a press statement, Eric Gleason, head of sales at Kasmin, said that “Alexis’s painting practice is one of the most genuine, sincere, and thoughtful that I have encountered within his generation. His obsession with the history of painting is unwavering, his technical facility impressive, and his commitment to the studio inspiring.”
Ralaivao, who is 33 and based in his hometown of Rennes, France, first gained significant attention after contributing to high-profile group shows in 2021, including Anat Ebgi’s “Pt. 2: Invasive Species” in Los Angeles and a three-person exhibition at Galerie Hussenot in Paris. Shortly after, in 2022, he presented two solo shows: “Glittering Short Stories” at Rome’s T293 and “Start with the Truth, End with a Fantasy” at Miami’s Bill Brady Gallery. Ralaivao’s work is included in several collections, such as the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, and the Musée des Beaux Arts de Rennes in France.
