Genieve Figgis: A Baroque Indulgence for the Modern Collector

In celebration of her 2024 solo exhibition Unearthly Pursuits in Venice, acclaimed Irish artist Genieve Figgis released her fifth limited edition print in collaboration with Almine Rech Editions. The enchanting Marie Antoinette’s Cakes (2024).

For those already familiar with Figgis’ world, her paintings exist somewhere between the decadent and the disquieting. Rococo elegance meets gothic fantasy. Layers of pastel sweetness conceal darker undercurrents; polite society dissolves into a surreal theatre of colour, texture, and mischief.

A Portrait of Opulence and Unease

Marie Antoinette’s Cakes captures the artist’s fascination with beauty’s fragility and excess. Much like her literary forebears, Poe, Wilde, and Goya, Figgis blurs the line between grace and grotesque. The scene is at once celebratory and haunting: a feast frozen in time, where lavish cakes and powdered faces melt into dreamlike abstraction.

Her painterly technique, thick, flowing acrylics that swirl and drip, amplifies the sense that nothing in Figgis’ universe stays still for long. There’s humour in the horror, charm in the decay. The result is a visual feast as indulgent as its title suggests. One that rewards long, lingering attention.

The Allure of the Limited Edition

As the fifth collaboration between Figgis and Almine Rech Editions, Marie Antoinette’s Cakes is a collector’s delight. Figgis’ previous editions have become highly sought after, prized for their blend of recognisable iconography and expressive freedom.

This release feels particularly resonant. In Venice, a city synonymous with art, pleasure, and masked intrigue, Figgis’ work takes on new context. Marie Antoinette’s Cakes becomes not just a print, but a reflection on the timelessness of excess, and the beauty in impermanence.

For the Modern Collector

For collectors who seek art that balances narrative, personality, and visual impact, Figgis offers the perfect intersection. Her works bring conversation and contrast. Striking enough to stand alone in a hallway or dining room, yet layered with cultural texture that reveals itself over time.

This is art that feels alive, playful, cerebral, and unapologetically decadent. A piece that doesn’t just decorate, but transforms the mood of a space.

Genieve Figgis: Marie Antoinette’s Cakes (2024)

Limited edition print (80 + 10 AP) released by Almine Rech Editions in celebration of Genieve Figgis' solo exhibition, Unearthly Pursuits, Venice 2024. Archival pigment print on cotton paper. Signed & numbered.

Available to purchase on Electric Gallery HERE