RAPH ASSIS is an original bronze sculpture by Bruno Catalano, part of his celebrated Les Voyageurs series, now considered one of the most iconic bodies of work in contemporary sculpture. Its fragmented, torn silhouette bears the instantly recognizable visual signature of Catalano, who uses his figures to explore the emptiness left by exile, separation and departure.
Seated high on a vertical plinth engraved with the phrase “Dieu reconnaîtra les chiens”, the figure appears suspended between two worlds, with his suitcases resting at his feet.
This title, at once harsh and ambiguous, evokes ideas of judgment, boundaries and exclusion, intensifying the introspective dimension of the work and the tension between humanity and symbolic violence. The composed posture, with hands gently clasped on the knees, lends the sculpture a rare meditative depth. Rather than depicting the traveler in motion, RAPH ASSIS captures a moment of pause, a necessary halt in which the voyager seems to confront what the journey has taken away and left behind.
The polychrome bronze, worked with remarkable finesse, highlights the details of the clothing, shoes and luggage, down to the folds in the fabric and the textures of the suitcases. The richness of the patina and the vibrancy of the colours reflect the high level of craftsmanship typical of Bruno Catalano’s sculptures and contribute to the profoundly human presence of this fragmented figure.
RAPH ASSIS thus represents an exceptional opportunity to acquire an original Bruno Catalano sculpture at the crossroads of the intimate, the poetic and the tragic, fully in line with his most sought-after Voyageurs.
