Abundant with references to mythological and biblical stories, Gérard Garouste’s paintings, sculptures, and works on paper are expressive and surreal. Influenced by seminal French artist Marcel Duchamp, Garouste temporarily abandoned painting to pursue theater and set design early in his career. He returned to painting shaped by the theater, creating figures whose faces and bodies are contorted with emotional intensity, set against moody backgrounds. In his works, Garouste often references canonical artists, including Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco and British painter Francis Bacon.