A panoramic mosaic depicting a woman's face, facing forward with closed eyes, composed of small tesserae of off-white, beige, and pale pink marble. Hair is suggested by areas of dark stone with flashes of intense blue, red, and yellow at the edges. A vertical, rust-brown metal pipe runs across the left side of the composition. The outer edges are finished with irregular, rough stones, contrasting with the delicate detail of the central portrait.

Sappho on a bus

Support:

Mosaic of smalti, marble, and metal
Wooden support

Size

50 x 100 x 3.50 cm

Year:

Feb 24, 2026

Description:

I wanted to depict an educated woman, dreaming of what she is about to write. She is sitting on a bus, surrounded by the violence of the world (fires, swirling souls...).
Her face is inspired by that of Sappho, a Greek poetess of antiquity (7th–6th centuries BCE) (based on a painting found in Pompeii that has graced many school textbooks!).
Sappho in the 20th century, sitting on a bus, in a nod to Rosa Parks.

Mosaïque verticale rectangulaire représentant une femme assise, vue de trois-quarts, tenant un livre ouvert dans sa main gauche et un stylo ou crayon près de sa bouche. Elle porte une veste sombre sur un haut blanc et une jupe bleue à motifs. Ses cheveux bruns sont courts et bouclés. L'arrière-plan est composé de tesselles grises, bleues et de touches de couleurs vives (rouge, orange, jaune). Deux montants verticaux en bois clair encadrent l'œuvre. Technique mosaïque avec tesselles de verre et pierre.

Sappho in a bus