Artwork
Smoking Head
Smoking Head is a print by Tony de Latour. It dates from 2004 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2004 as part of a twenty‑four‑print series for the SOFA Print Project, this work is a monochrome print that presents a single, oversized head in profile. The figure clutches a cigarette between its teeth, its expression marked by a strained gaze, while the ear is surrounded by a ring of studs and the hair forms a shape reminiscent of an ancient war helmet.
Subject & Meaning
The composition juxtaposes a human profile with exaggerated, almost caricatured features—a lone, large eye and wild, curling hair—that give the image a slightly unsettling quality. The title, Smoking Head, suggests a play on words, inviting viewers to consider the tension between the ordinary act of smoking and the distorted, almost grotesque facial rendering.
Technique & Style
Executed in a loose, sketch‑like manner, the print relies on rapid, uneven lines that convey a sense of immediacy rather than refined finish. The stark contrast of black ink against the paper emphasizes the bold outlines of the head, the cigarette, and the ancillary elements such as a stick‑figure body holding a cross, a jagged‑lettered word, a lightning bolt and a small circle.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to a limited portfolio commissioned for the SOFA Print Project, an initiative that gathered contemporary printmakers in 2004. Since its inclusion in that series, the work has circulated within the project's distribution network, appearing in exhibition catalogues and print collections associated with the project’s participants.
Context
Within the early‑2000s print scene, artists often explored graphic, low‑brow aesthetics that merged street‑culture motifs with fine‑art practices. This print reflects that trend, employing visual shorthand—studs, helmets, and stylized text—to comment on identity, consumption, and the visual language of subcultural symbols.
Artist & collection
Artist
Tony de Latour’s prints blur pop and street with a bold line. Try *Smoking Head* (2004), a print where a cartoonish face exhales smoke like a neon sign. The work sits in the same print tradition as Basquiat’s early…
