Four Clever Artist-on-Artist Portrait Series You Should Know
Olaf Breuning’s “Art Stars” (2011)
For his 2011 series “Art Stars”, Olaf Breuning painted live and (very) nude models in the style of famous artists from throughout history, from Edvard Munch to Cindy Sherman. In this related set of lithographs, Breuning translates his bodypainted compositions into playful, highly collectible editions—that are way more SFW than the originals.
Joe Fig’s “Cinematic Paintings” (2012)
Joe Fig has dedicated his entire career to examining artistic practice, treating the studio as a work of art itself. In this 2012 body of paintings, Fig depicts artists in various stages of their process—preparation, production, critique—dramatized by their narrative titles like Mutual Support: Gauguin Buys a Pissarro/Pissarro Encourages Gauguin.
Francesco Vezzoli’s “Greed” (2009)
In 2009, Francesco Vezzoli staged the launch of Greed, a fictitious perfume, at Gagosian Gallery. The launch included a sumptuous 60-second commercial (starring Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams) and a series of embroidered “endorsements” for the fragrance, starring big-name female artists like Frida Kahlo and Louise Nevelson.
Mike Leavitt’s “Art Army” (2002–)
Although they are not mass-produced or made of plastic, Mike Leavitt’s miniature sculptures-cum-action figures have articulated joints and moving body parts. His works present caricatures of the art world’s best known figures, incorporating their most iconic work—Jeff Koons as a balloon animal, Ed Ruscha with gas station legs.