Sacré-Coeur

About Sacré-Coeur

Forgive Us Our Sins, Sacre-Coeur (Sacred-Heart) depicts a high fashion model on the Paris runway. St. Genevieve, patron saint of Paris, is scrawled on the canvas, graffiti style. Created in three vertical panels that reference the classic style of altar pieces, it is elevated by the lower panel. The prettiness of the model is in contrast to the grittiness of spray paint that is superimposed on the work.

This lower panel has been treated with a high gloss resin, in contrast to the matte finish of the rest of the work.

Scrawled in the lower left portion of the painting, the text reads Pardonne nos péchés, or forgive us our sins.

This monumental work is rendered in realism, but ultimately expressed as a defaced modern commodity. The spray painted graffiti is transformed into a series of balloon like images, festive till one realizes they came from a paint gun.


Hoffer studied at the University of Guelph and the Ontario College of Art. He has an MFA from Concordia University in Montreal. He now lives and works in Berlin. His work is regularly exhibited in Canada, Germany, the UK, France and the US.