Gus Van Sant's deconstructed Mona Lisa on display in St. Moritz

by Redazione , published on 13/12/2021
Categories: Exhibitions / Disclaimer
On view at the Vito Schnabel Gallery in St. Moritz is the deconstructed Mona Lisa by American artist and filmmaker Gus Van Sant.

Vito Schnabel Gallery in St. Moritz presents the exhibition of Gus Van Sant (Louisville, 1952), Mona Lisa: an exhibition of new paintings by American artist and filmmaker Gus Van Sant. The exhibition, which can be visited from December 27, 2021 to February 19, 2022, is the first in Switzerland dedicated to the artist.

It will feature Leonardo da Vinci ’s masterpiece reinterpreted: large canvases created in gold leaf, pastels and oil, which take the Mona Lisa as their subject.

The image of the Mona Lisa is deconstructed through formal experimentation. Van Sant uses a technique reminiscent of pointillism to render large expanses of color as a series of precisely constructed small blocks. From a distance, the viewer will see Van Sant’s deconstructed surfaces materialize into a legible figure: a smiling woman. Thus is the artist’s new Mona Lisa.

The works that will be on display in the exhibition are the result of a project spanning many years that harkens back to the artist’s fascination with digital printing as a means of exploring the small elements that make up the colors we see. Inspired by a LEGO advertisement that translated the Mona Lisa and other famous paintings into the famous plastic blocks, Van Sant began isolating and dividing colors. In Van Sant’s Mona Lisa palette, colors range from soft, pale pastels to vibrant techno-colors, while also incorporating reflective and metallic surfaces in gold, silver, and bronze.

Image: Gus Van Sant, Mona Lisa #4 (2021; oil on canvas, 185.4 x 149.9 cm) © Gus Van Sant. Photo by Flying Studio. Courtesy of the artist and Vito Schnabel Gallery.

Gus Van Sant's deconstructed Mona Lisa on display in St. Moritz
Gus Van Sant's deconstructed Mona Lisa on display in St. Moritz


Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.