Galerie Jocelyn Wolff
Francisco Tropa , Portugal
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"MISS AMERICA"
Francisco Tropa, Cheminée, 2025, painted plywood, patinated bronze, screen print on plywood, 158 x 90 x 30 cm unique, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Jocelyn Wolff, photo : Pedro Tropa
Francisco Tropa is a Portuguese artist whose work is grounded in an imaginary world constantly nourished by literature, philosophy, history, and conversation. Certain themes particularly interest the artist, such as Vanitas and Time, which he continually revisits and renews.
Miss America is the name of an imagined boat, which one boards as soon as the gallery doors are crossed. It is also the title of a narrative, visualised by Tropa. The exhibition thus allegorically invokes the maritime world, and more specifically the naufragium in its ancient (Roman) sense—that is, an accident or uncontrolled fall. The term was used to describe both shipwrecks and chariot crashes in the Roman circus. The boat, the sailors, and the shipwreck are also figures that have evoked imagery since ancient times, such as Ulysses in the Odyssey, and are associated with the story of a character constantly in motion.
At the origin of this exhibition lies an object discovered during an excavation by an archaeologist friend: a small bronze tower with an internal staircase, used to cast dice from an opening at the top, thus invoking chance or randomness. It is, in fact, a beautiful allegory of the Roman idea of naufragium. The first part of this fiction, Miss America, was recently presented at Palazzo De’ Toschi in Bologna, curated by Simone Menegoi. At Galerie Jocelyn Wolff in Paris, visitors are invited to discover two new chapters that complete the story of Miss America: Poor Captain and Shipwreck.
The myth of the sailor is also accompanied by songs. The artist therefore asked a close collaborator from the maritime world to write three songs, each inspired by one of the three chapters of the story. They reflect the language of sailors and provide clues for deciphering the allegory. These songs are made available to the public in a leaflet at the entrance of the gallery.
Solo show of Francisco Tropa
From April 29 to June 20, 2026
Rendez-Vous
Friday 29 May 2026 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Opening of the exhibition – Galerie Jocelyn Wolff
Paris, France 01 42 03 05 65 www.galeriewolff.com
The gallery
Based in Paris, Galerie Jocelyn Wolff has been promoting a rigorous and committed vision of contemporary art for over twenty years, supporting emerging artists while fostering the recognition of historical figures. The gallery has developed an artistic program guided by progressive aesthetic values, encouraging the circulation of both artworks and ideas.
Gallery artists
Manuel Alvess (estate of), William Anastasi, Zbyněk Baladrán, Diego Bianchi, Katinka Bock, Mélissa Boucher Morales, Colette Brunschwig, Marcelle Cahn, Miriam Cahn, Harald Klingelhöller, Irene Kopelman, Isa Melsheimer, Frédéric Moser & Philippe Schwinger, Imre Pán (estate of), Santiago de Paoli, Ulrich Polster, Prinz Gholam, Elodie Seguin, Francisco Tropa, Franz Erhard Walther, Christoph Weber, Clemens von Wedemeyer
