El académico [The Academic]

Antonio Seguí moved to Paris in 1963 and shared a studio with Romulo Macció. They had in common an interest in expressionistic figuration, which Seguí pursued for the rest of his career. “El académico” is part of a gallery of ironic portraits produced in the early 1960s, through which Seguí challenged authority figures. Here, a learned man seems to hold court on a throne-like chair. The clear labeling and his unsettled expression suggests that he is no longer an agent validating knowledge, but an historical subject put on display.