Archival pigment inks on 308gsm cotton rag
50 × 50 cm
Edition 1 of 80
Signed and numbered by the artist
From The Allun Lewis Collection
Sometimes the story of acquiring a piece becomes almost as important as the artwork itself.
This piece completed a trilogy for us.
We already owned the first two works in the series, but by the time I went looking for the third, it had sold out. I searched for another without success and eventually decided there was only one thing left to do — phone the number on Magnus's website and ask.
I wasn't expecting Magnus himself to answer.
That conversation became my first ever interaction with him.
I explained that we already owned the other two pieces and that I was trying to complete the trilogy. Rather remarkably, Magnus told me that he'd recently returned from Florence and that he did, in fact, have one remaining. A previous purchase hadn't completed, meaning this supposedly sold-out work had unexpectedly become available again.
I didn't need asking twice.
I snapped it up.
Not only had I managed to complete the trilogy, but the piece that arrived was Edition 1 of 80 — something that has made it feel even more special ever since.
The artwork itself is also one I've always found incredibly reflective.
At its centre is perhaps one of the most universal images there is: the human skull.
Strip away status, possessions, success, failure and all the labels we accumulate throughout our lives and, ultimately, we all end up the same.
But Magnus doesn't leave the skull untouched.
Across it are flowers, colour, beauty, darkness and imperfections. And that's where I find the meaning in the piece.
Because perhaps what ultimately distinguishes one life from another isn't the destination. It's everything that happens on the journey towards it.
The people we love.
The experiences we collect.
The mistakes we make.
The scars we carry.
And the marks we leave behind.
We may ultimately share the same destination.
But the story we leave behind is entirely our own.
And there's something wonderfully fitting about this particular piece.
It was the final artwork I needed to complete a trilogy.
It was Edition 1 of 80.
And it became the first chapter in my relationship with Magnus Gjoen.
From The Allun Lewis Collection
Archival pigment inks on 308gsm cotton rag
50 × 50 cm
Edition 1 of 80
Signed and numbered by the artist
From The Allun Lewis Collection
Sometimes the story of acquiring a piece becomes almost as important as the artwork itself.
This piece completed a trilogy for us.
We already owned the first two works in the series, but by the time I went looking for the third, it had sold out. I searched for another without success and eventually decided there was only one thing left to do — phone the number on Magnus's website and ask.
I wasn't expecting Magnus himself to answer.
That conversation became my first ever interaction with him.
I explained that we already owned the other two pieces and that I was trying to complete the trilogy. Rather remarkably, Magnus told me that he'd recently returned from Florence and that he did, in fact, have one remaining. A previous purchase hadn't completed, meaning this supposedly sold-out work had unexpectedly become available again.
I didn't need asking twice.
I snapped it up.
Not only had I managed to complete the trilogy, but the piece that arrived was Edition 1 of 80 — something that has made it feel even more special ever since.
The artwork itself is also one I've always found incredibly reflective.
At its centre is perhaps one of the most universal images there is: the human skull.
Strip away status, possessions, success, failure and all the labels we accumulate throughout our lives and, ultimately, we all end up the same.
But Magnus doesn't leave the skull untouched.
Across it are flowers, colour, beauty, darkness and imperfections. And that's where I find the meaning in the piece.
Because perhaps what ultimately distinguishes one life from another isn't the destination. It's everything that happens on the journey towards it.
The people we love.
The experiences we collect.
The mistakes we make.
The scars we carry.
And the marks we leave behind.
We may ultimately share the same destination.
But the story we leave behind is entirely our own.
And there's something wonderfully fitting about this particular piece.
It was the final artwork I needed to complete a trilogy.
It was Edition 1 of 80.
And it became the first chapter in my relationship with Magnus Gjoen.
From The Allun Lewis Collection
