
Francesco Vezzoli
QUEEN OF SWORDS, From the series "Contemporary Magic: A Tarot Deck Art Project" Limited Edition 5th Anniversary Print Collection, 2015

The Queen of Swords represents dominant female pow- er, merciless in exacting truth and cutting …

In his films, performances, and needlepoint works, Francesco Vezzoli explores the power of contemporary media culture and the ambiguity and instability of what constitutes truth. His work includes satirical trailers for films that will not be produced, such as a remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula (2005), an advertising campaign for a fictitious perfume, and elaborate site-specific performances featuring superstars. In a 2010 series, Vezzoli remade images of 15th- and 16th-century Madonna and Child paintings, subbing in supermodels like Claudia Schiffer and affixing large tears, makeup, and tattoos to their faces using his signature needlepoint technique. Recent solo exhibitions include “Teatro Romano” at MoMA PS1, New York, 2014; “Vezzoli Primavera-Estate” at Museo Bardini, Museo di Casa Martelli and Museo Bellini, Florence, 2014; “The Trinity: Cinema Vezzoli” at MOCA, Los Angeles, 2014.


The Queen of Swords represents dominant female pow- er, merciless in exacting truth and cutting through deception. Drawing on the sadomasochist vocabulary of pop culture and mass media, and its ability to seduce and capture, then withhold and maintain distance, Vezzoli’s celebrated work consists of grand dames and …

In his films, performances, and needlepoint works, Francesco Vezzoli explores the power of contemporary media culture and the ambiguity and instability of what constitutes truth. His work includes satirical trailers for films that will not be produced, such as a remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula (2005), an advertising campaign for a fictitious perfume, and elaborate site-specific performances featuring superstars. In a 2010 series, Vezzoli remade images of 15th- and 16th-century Madonna and Child paintings, subbing in supermodels like Claudia Schiffer and affixing large tears, makeup, and tattoos to their faces using his signature needlepoint technique. Recent solo exhibitions include “Teatro Romano” at MoMA PS1, New York, 2014; “Vezzoli Primavera-Estate” at Museo Bardini, Museo di Casa Martelli and Museo Bellini, Florence, 2014; “The Trinity: Cinema Vezzoli” at MOCA, Los Angeles, 2014.