A young woman engrossed in a game of cards on a bed. A cat curled in an armchair with its back firmly turned. A man lost in the crowd at a chic nightclub. A woman in a theatre, leaning on a balustrade; another sitting in a park, gazing into space... While Jean-Claude Götting's previous series of paintings featured multiple figures, for this new exhibition the artist has opted to represent figures in isolation.

Götting may be emphasising the notion of absence. Or celebrating silence, perhaps. At any event, what we have here are more of the artist's precious snapshots from life. These precisely rendered scenes (executed in acrylic) are shrouded in mystery and invite the viewer to formulate his or her own story. The composition of each of these works is an object lesson in harmony and contrasts, the whole supported by a vibrant colour palette.

Five rare engraved wood panels also form part of the exhibition, together with a selection of original comic book plates and black and white illustrations on the gallery's mezzanine floor.

Jean-Claude Götting is a French comic book author, illustrator, draftsman, and painter, born in 1963 in Paris. In 1986, while studying at the École des Arts Appliqués Duperré in Paris, he published Creve-Coeur, his first comic book with Futuropolis. After several other titles, he devoted himself to press and publishing illustration, as well as to painting. His canvases have been exhibited in Paris, Geneva, and Brussels, particularly at the Huberty & Breyne gallery, with which he has participated in international fairs such as BRAFA, Art Paris, and Art Elysées.

He is the author of numerous book covers (notably for the French edition of the Harry Potter series), several drawing collections, and children’s books. He has collaborated with various newspapers and magazines such as Libération, Elle, Vanity fair, The New Yorker, Jazzman, Lire, and has occasionally created illustrations for major brands such as Chanel, Piper-Heidsieck, and Nicolas.

In 2004, marked his return to comic books. Since then, he has published La malle sanderson and Happy living (Delcourt), followed by Pigalle 62-27 with Loustal, Watertown (Casterman), and Nouveaux détours (Barbier). In 2017, he produced his first animated short film, Tapas nocturnes, followed the next year by Un café noir, which was screened at festivals including Stuttgart, Geneva, and Montreal.