Francesco Clemente: Self-Portraits in the Bardo
25th June, 2025 – 27th September, 2025
Lévy Gorvy Dayan
35 Dover Street
London W1S 4NQ
A vivid fusion of self-reflection and Tibetan spiritual symbolism in Francesco Clemente’s latest works.
LONDON — Lévy Gorvy Dayan presents Francesco Clemente: Self-Portraits in the Bardo — a significant series from the artist’s recent practice, on view for the first time. In eight vivid and visionary canvases, Clemente fuses self-portraiture with imagery inspired by traditional Tibetan Buddhist representations of the bardo.
In Tibetan Buddhism, the bardo is a liminal state of consciousness between death and rebirth. The awe-inspiring figures in Clemente’s paintings draw on the sacred peaceful and wrathful deities said to inhabit this non-corporeal realm—brought to life through his vibrant compositions.
Self-Portrait in the Bardo II
Oil on canvas
29½ × 24 inches (74.9 × 61 cm)
Courtesy of Lévy Gorvy Dayan
The history and texts of Tibetan Buddhism have long been a source of inspiration for Clemente. Since the 1970s, he has traveled extensively, particularly in India and Tibet, immersing himself in the regions’ literatures, cosmologies, and iconographies. For many Tibetan Buddhist schools, the bardo is not only a stage in the cycle of life but also a metaphor for transitional experiences that occur throughout existence. While it offers the potential for enlightenment, it also presents challenges—deities may guide or mislead the soul on its journey to the next life.
Clemente has described the bardo as “a place in between lives, but also a place in between affirmation[s] of being.” Reflecting on an experience at age nineteen, he recalls perceiving “a gap, an absolute emptiness” before the return of “the simple feeling ‘I am.’” For him, the bardo is inseparable from the experience of life and identity—a recurring theme in his oeuvre, especially in his self-portraits, which he calls “homage[s] to the bardo,” portraying the self as discontinuous and ever-changing.
In Self-Portraits in the Bardo, these themes converge. Each canvas presents a grisaille self-portrait in the foreground against a richly hued, otherworldly backdrop. Deities appear in kaleidoscopic forms, their opulent tones—ochre, umber, orange, red, and pink—evoking both the majesty of enlightenment and the inevitability of mortality.
The works reflect Clemente’s decades-long engagement with the bardo as an ancient lens for understanding life and death. Details abound, from the ornate attire of the deities to subtle variations in the artist’s own expression. The grisaille technique, a hallmark of his work, underscores the interplay between the earthly and the transcendent.
Self-Portrait in the Bardo VIII
Oil on canvas
36 × 30 inches (91.4 × 76.2 cm)
Courtesy of Lévy Gorvy Dayan
At once rooted in spiritual tradition and attuned to the joys and struggles of contemporary life, these paintings affirm Clemente’s belief in art as a vehicle for insight and enlightenment.
Self-Portraits in the Bardo marks the gallery’s third solo presentation of Clemente in London and the first in its new space at the Empress Club, 35 Dover Street. The exhibition is accompanied by an essay by Sir Norman Rosenthal.
Francesco Clemente: Self-Portraits in the Bardo opens on the 25th of June, 2025 until the 27th of September, 2025 at Lévy Gorvy Dayan
©2025 Lévy Gorvy Dayan
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