Pote aux roses

This collage is part of the “Au Pied de la Lettre” (To the letter) series begun by Les Murs ont des Oreilles in the fall of 2020.
The expression “Pote aux roses” is deliberately written with pote instead of pot. It plays on the well-known expression “Pot aux roses,” which means “to uncover a secret” or “to reveal what was hidden.”
By replacing pot (jar) with pote, a colloquial word meaning “friend” (female friend), the artist creates a double meaning.

The collage illustrates this wordplay through the painting Faustine Léo, created in 1842 by the painter Henri Lehmann and exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
For this version, the artist reversed the original painting and added a bouquet of roses in the girl's hands, visually reinforcing the pun.
This collage replaces an earlier work installed in the same location in August 2020, bearing the same title but inspired by another painter. Part of the previous piece remains visible behind the girl.