Luc Tuymans - hand-signed screen print | 'Trouble Spot' | 1999

Hand-signed color screen print by Luc Tuymans from 1999. This iconic work is not only visually intriguing but also houses a fascinating piece of Belgian art history.


Where most viewers see an abstract, organic form, the pure essence of Luc Tuymans' oeuvre lies here. The composition is, in fact, directly based on a photograph of a large, peeling patch on the ceiling of the former NICC (New International Cultural Centre) building in Antwerp.


Tuymans is known for transforming 'worthless', overlooked, or historically charged photographic sources into penetrating art. By isolating the decaying, flaking paint from the ceiling and reproducing it in muted tones on heavy, speckled Hahnemühle paper, he makes the invisible monumental. The work reflects the raw, institutional reality and the underground atmosphere of the Antwerp art scene at the end of the 1990s. Thematically, it aligns seamlessly with his renowned exhibition project 'Trouble Spot - Painting' from the same year (1999).


This work was published in 1999 as part of the legendary NICC Edition Folder in support of the association for visual artists. Prints by a select group of absolute top artists (including Franz West and Joëlle Tuerlinckx) appeared within this folder. Graphic sheets from this folder are now considered key museum pieces of recent Belgian art history.


Works by Luc Tuymans with a direct link to his home base of Antwerp and early conceptual projects such as the NICC are rare and highly sought after on the international art market. This is a unique opportunity to acquire a work with a rock-solid and documented backstory for your collection.


The whole is in very good condition, with only traces of removed pieces of tape on the back. The front is in mint condition. Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist.