Xevi Solà Makes His Monaco Debut with ‘Thoughts of a Bigger Splash’

RIVIERA BUZZ25 August, 20263 Mins read73

Opera Gallery Monaco welcomes Spanish artist Xevi Solà this autumn for a solo exhibition of new paintings.

Marking Solà’s first major exhibition in Monaco, Thoughts of a Bigger Splash brings together works created during 2026 and centres on a recurring motif in his paintings: the swimming pool.

It runs from 18 September to 15 October 2026.

The exhibition title deliberately recalls David Hockney and his celebrated depictions of Californian swimming pools, which came to represent leisure, affluence and the optimism of the 1960s.

Solà approaches the familiar subject from a very different perspective. In his paintings, the pool becomes less a symbol of status and more a stage for human behaviour, isolation and ambiguous relationships.

^{Xevi Solà, Bamboo, 2026, oil on canvas, 130 x 162 cm | 51.1 x 63.7 in}

His elongated figures gather beside pools, stand against simplified architecture or gaze towards distant horizons. They may occupy the same space, but there is often little sense of genuine connection between them.

Influenced by fashion photography, cinema stills and mugshots, Solà combines strong blocks of colour with flattened perspectives and carefully constructed compositions. The result is distinctly cinematic, as though each painting captures a single frame from a larger story whose beginning and ending remain unknown.

Figures caught in the moment

Solà’s characters frequently have the appearance of fashion models, yet their expressions are deliberately restrained. They gather, wait or drift apart, their distant gazes contributing to the sense of psychological tension running through the exhibition.

The absence of an obvious narrative leaves viewers free to interpret the scenes for themselves.

^{Xevi Solà, Coupe De Monde, 2026, diptych, oil on canvas, 162 x 130 cm | 63.7 x 51.2 in (each)}

Among the works on display is the diptych Coupe Du Monde, in which elongated figures stand around a swimming pool framed by simplified architecture and vivid colour.

In Rendez-vous, two figures appear caught in a moment of anticipation against a twilight horizon, while Sunrise transfers that same feeling of suspended expectation to a setting overlooking the sea.

^{Xevi Solà, Vestiaires, 2026, oil on canvas, 130 x 162 cm | 51.1 x 63.7 in}

Even Vestiaires, which moves away from the pool itself, retains the characteristic interplay of glances, distance and silent figures found throughout the exhibition.

Beneath their bright colours and seemingly serene settings, the paintings explore more complex ideas of presence, detachment and human interaction.

We’re honoured to present Xevi Solà’s first major exhibition here in Monaco. His approach places him within a broader lineage of contemporary figurative painting, while his distinctive use of colour, composition and cinematic framing establishes a visual language entirely his own.”

Federica Beretta, Global Director of Opera Gallery.

About Xevi Solà

Born in Santa Coloma de Farners, Catalonia, in 1969, Xevi Solà lives and works in Girona. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona in 2007 and has since exhibited extensively across Europe, the United States and Asia.

His solo exhibitions have included presentations at the Palau de Casavells in Girona and YIRI ARTS in Taipei.

Portrait of Xevi Sola - credit-© Enrique Palacio

^{Portrait of Xevi Sola – © Enrique Palacio}

Solà held his first solo exhibition with Opera Gallery in Geneva in 2024 and has been represented internationally by the gallery since 2025.

Opera Gallery Monaco

Founded in Singapore in 1994 by Gilles Dyan, Opera Gallery has developed an international network with locations including Monaco, London, Paris, New York, Geneva, Madrid and Dubai.

Specialising in modern, post-war and contemporary art, the gallery represents established international names alongside a new generation of contemporary artists.

Its Monaco gallery is led by Federica Beretta and Damien Simonelli and forms part of an international programme of exhibitions, collaborations and presentations spanning Opera Gallery’s locations worldwide.