Unique gift idea

Giving an object portrait: the guide to a truly personalised gift

Looking for a unique gift for someone who matters? Instead of one more object, give them the painting of their objects. This guide explains how an object portrait works, how to choose what it should say, and how to order one in Switzerland.

Nivlak ·

Switzerland — A country. Rivella, edelweiss, a cowbell, cheese and a Swiss knife: Switzerland at its most familiar. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.Encounter — One couple, three cultures. France · Brazil · Spain. A story with several accents, brought together on one table. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.Lunar — A person. Gin · Jewellery · A four-legged friend. The portrait of a person and their dog. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

What is an object portrait?

An object portrait is a still life that represents a person without showing their face. It gathers what they drink, what they read and what they keep around them. With Nivlak, the composition is always the same: a field of pure colour, a chequered tablecloth, a plant on the left, a drink at the centre, a book in the foreground and a few personal objects.

The objects change from one work to the next. That is why each painting is unique, and why the person recognises themselves in it at once.

Why it makes a unique gift

It can’t be bought in a shop: it exists only once, painted by hand. It speaks about the person receiving it rather than the person giving it. And it lasts: a painting stays on the wall, where flowers fade and gadgets are forgotten.

Choosing the objects: four questions

What do they drink? A regional wine, a ritual aperitif, a childhood soda. It sits at the centre of the painting.

What do they read? The novel they keep rereading, the stained cookbook, the cult comic.

What do they keep close? A watch, a piece of jewellery, a knife, the dog’s harness.

Where are they from? A country, a city, a club, a language. One symbol is enough.

If you hesitate, the artist guides you during the first conversation.

Ideas by personality, from real portraits

  • Paris–Tokyo — One person, two cultures. A Japanese whisky, a blossoming bonsai, a childhood teddy, a Paris–Tokyo ticket, manga and sporting passions: a life between two cities. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

    For someone between two cultures

    A Japanese whisky, a Paris–Tokyo ticket, the childhood teddy and the manga they grew up with.

  • Au Clair Jaune — A personality. A pastis, the score of the Moonlight Sonata, a pomegranate, a bowl of comfort food and a bedside book: one person’s way of life. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

    For a music-loving bon vivant

    Their aperitif, the score they play or listen to, their comfort food and their bedside book.

  • Switzerland — A country. Rivella, edelweiss, a cowbell, cheese and a Swiss knife: Switzerland at its most familiar. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

    For someone in love with Switzerland

    A local soda, edelweiss, a cowbell, cheese and a Swiss knife.

  • Epicurean — A personality. Wine · Cooking · Ritual. A bon vivant, between a natural wine, a seafood cookbook and a record. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

    For the epicurean

    A bottle they love, their cookbook, a record for the evenings.

  • Encounter — One couple, three cultures. France · Brazil · Spain. A story with several accents, brought together on one table. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

    For a multicultural couple

    One object per country: here France, Brazil and Spain on one table.

  • Conviviality — A way of life. Lightness · Trinkets · Rugby. Aperitifs, friends and a taste for simple things. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

    For the friend of aperitifs

    The group’s aperitif, the match-day beer, a cult comic and an everyday watch.

  • Parisian — A culture. A vermouth, a framed drawing, a cigar and a favourite club: Paris seen from the inside. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

    For a Parisian at heart

    A vermouth, a framed drawing, a cigar and the colours of their club.

  • Lunar — A person. Gin · Jewellery · A four-legged friend. The portrait of a person and their dog. Acrylic and Posca on canvas · Unique, signed piece.

    For someone and their dog

    Their gin, their jewellery, an inspiring book and their companion’s harness.

For which occasions?

  • Birthday: Their 30th, 40th or 60th told through what they truly love: their aperitif, their favourite novel, their watch.
  • Wedding and anniversary: Two lives on one table: a bottle from each country, the book from the honeymoon.
  • Retirement: A team’s shared gift: the objects of a career and those of the projects ahead.
  • Christmas: For a parent, a grandparent or a friend who wants “nothing”. They can’t buy it for themselves.
  • New home: A housewarming painting that tells the story of the home, designed for its wall.
  • Farewell or moving abroad: The flavours and symbols of the country you leave or join, to take anywhere.

What if it’s a surprise? Tell me about the person: what they drink, what they read, what they keep close. I’ll help you choose the objects that tell their story. They discover the work on the day.

Budget and timing

A Nivlak object portrait costs from CHF 500. The price depends on the format and the project; the quote is prepared after a first conversation.

Painting usually takes 3 to 5 weeks after approval. For Christmas, a birthday or a wedding, contact the artist as soon as the idea comes to you.

How to order

  1. You tell me about the person. Their tastes, their habits, their story. I can guide you if you hesitate.
  2. We choose the objects. I compose the still life following a precise structure, the signature of my work.
  3. I paint the work. Acrylic and Posca, by hand, on canvas.
  4. You approve, you give. Once you approve it, the work is delivered ready to hang.

Start my enquiry

Frequently asked questions

What is a Nivlak object portrait?

A personalised contemporary still life that represents a person, a couple or a culture through their objects: their favourite drink, their books, their keepsakes. The composition is the artist’s signature; the objects belong to your story.

What unique gift can I give someone who has everything?

A painting that tells their story. They can’t buy it for themselves, it exists only once, and it speaks about them every time they look at it. That is the idea behind Nivlak’s object portraits.

How much does a personalised painting cost?

From CHF 500. The price depends on the format and the project; each quote is prepared individually after a first conversation.

How long does it take?

Each piece is painted by hand. Usually 3 to 5 weeks after the project is approved. For Christmas or a set date, get in touch as early as possible.

How can I give the painting as a surprise?

Describe the person to me and I’ll help you choose the objects that represent them. They don’t need to know anything before they discover the work.

I don’t know which objects to choose.

That’s normal. A first conversation defines the theme, the objects and the intention of the work. Four questions are often enough: what do they drink, what do they read, what do they keep close, where are they from?