Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Vhils Print Index
Palimpsest Monography
Summary
Palimpsest Monography (2016) is a monotype on acrylic glass framing advertising posters collected directly from the street, mounted on Valchromat. Issued in an edition of 35 plus 10 APs at 60 × 40 × 2.6 cm, each example is unique, signed and numbered by the artist.
Why It Matters
The word palimpsest — a surface reused and overwritten — is the literal subject here. By embedding scavenged advertising posters behind an acrylic-glass monotype, Vhils makes the city's discarded skin part of the artwork itself, collapsing the gap between his street sourcing and the studio object.
Collector Perspective
This is among Vhils' most object-like editions: a mounted, three-dimensional work rather than a flat print, with a small edition of 35 and genuine variation between examples. The incorporation of real street posters gives each piece a documentary, one-off character that appeals to collectors seeking his sculptural side.
Historical Context
Vhils has long harvested layered billboard and poster fragments from urban walls as raw material. Palimpsest Monography formalizes that gathering instinct into a framed editioned format in 2016, sitting alongside his door and wall pieces that treat found urban surfaces as archaeology.
FAQ
What makes each example unique?
It is a monotype combined with individually collected street advertising posters, so no two share the same underlying found material.
How is it constructed?
A monotype on acrylic glass frames street posters, mounted on Valchromat, at 60 × 40 × 2.6 cm.
How large is the edition?
35 numbered examples plus 10 artist's proofs.
About the Artist
Vhils is the working name of Alexandre Farto, a Portuguese visual artist born in 1987 near Lisbon. He is internationally recognized for a pioneering "carving" technique in which he excavates portraits from layered walls, billboards, and surfaces using chisels, drills, and controlled explosives, effectively creating images by removing material rather than adding it. His large-scale murals appear in cities across the globe, and his studio editions translate this bas-relief, destructive-creation aesthetic into prints, laser-cut works, and mixed-media pieces. Vhils has exhibited widely and collaborated on major public and institutional projects.
Collecting Vhils at Gauntlet Gallery
What Vhils works can I collect?
Beyond his walls, Vhils produces signed, numbered studio editions including screenprints, hand-carved paper, laser-cut metal, and mixed-media relief works. Editions that preserve his signature carving texture are especially sought after. Gauntlet Gallery favors pieces in excellent condition with intact surfaces and complete documentation.
How is a Vhils piece authenticated?
We sell Vhils works with documented studio provenance, supported by the edition's signature and numbering. Each piece is photographed exactly as it will ship, including signature, edition number, and any embossing or studio marks, so details are verifiable up front.
What drives value?
Medium and technique (unique carved and relief works over flat prints), edition size, scale, condition, and documented provenance all shape price. Hand-worked, textural, and one-of-a-kind pieces carry the highest premiums.