Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Vhils Print Index
The Unknown Icon
Work Summary & Collector Notes
The Unknown Icon , from 2008, is a one-colour hand-pulled screen print measuring 50 x 70 cm, made using bleach on hand-painted inks in an edition of 150. The image draws on Vhils's photographs of homeless people in his native Portugal, elevating an anonymous, overlooked subject to the status of a monumental icon.
Collector notes: First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 150. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
This print embodies Vhils's core humanist gesture: rendering forgotten, unnamed people at heroic, iconic scale, forcing recognition of those the city passes by. Sourced from his own street photography of the homeless, it ties his portrait practice to a direct social conscience, making it one of his more narratively pointed early works.
Collector Perspective
At an edition of 150, The Unknown Icon is among the more available early Vhils prints, a good entry point that still carries his signature bleach-on-ink technique and strong subject matter. The larger circulation means condition and finishing quality should guide selection. Confirm signature and the integrity of the bleached surface.
Historical Context
In 2008 Vhils photographed homeless people while walking the streets of Portugal, turning these found subjects into portraits, a practice rooted in his conviction that anonymous individuals carry the same weight as public icons. This aligns with his wall portraits of ordinary faces, monumentalizing those usually rendered invisible in urban life.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2008
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print; catalog dimensions 70 x 50 cm; One color hand-pulled screen-print using bleach on hand-painted inks; He turns these and other found images into oversize silkscreens and prints them onto thick art paper with a concoction of household bleaches and then dribbles ink over them.
- Edition details
- First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 150.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Vhils's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: In 2008 Vhils photographed homeless people while walking the streets of Portugal, turning these found subjects into portraits, a practice rooted in his conviction that anonymous individuals carry the same weight as public icons. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2008 and attributes the edition to Pictures On Walls.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to Pictures On Walls. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, year, edition, dimensions, medium, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- Vhils — official site — Vhils studio · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official artist site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
- Vhils — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Vhils (Q115823) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
Who is depicted?
The image derives from Vhils's own photographs of homeless people in Portugal, presented as an anonymous but monumental icon.
What is the technique?
A one-colour hand-pulled screen print using bleach on hand-painted inks, measuring 50 x 70 cm.
How large is the edition?
An edition of 150, one of the more accessible Vhils prints from this period.
