LOT L6 FRANCESCO VEZZOLI / NEO-ROCOCO PORTRAIT OF NICKI MINAJ AS MADAME BARBE DE RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, 2011 Inkjet print on photo rag ultra smooth paper mounted on Dibond 43-1/8 x 31-1/2 inches (109.5 x 80 cm), framed Ed. Unique Auction estimate: $100,000 © Francesco Vezzoli. Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery Over the last decade, in a series of provocative works that have explored the undisputed power of contemporary media culture, Francesco Vezzoli points to the societal worship of figures from the fashion and celebrity industries. This artwork originates from a special project Vezzoli produced in 2011 for the September issue of W Magazine where he conceived and produced four exclusive photographic portraits of the hip-hop queen and charts sensation Nicki Minaj, in the garb of the four most iconic European courtesans of the 18th and 19th centuries. In this portrait, Nicki Minaj poses as Madame Barbe de Rimsky-Korsakov, also known as "La Venus Tartare", lover of Napoleon III. The frame is an original 18th century Rococo antique. Francesco Vezzoli was born in 1971, in Brescia, Italy. Exhibitions include: The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; Castello di Rivoli Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Turin; Fondazione Prada, Milan; Tate Modern, London; and the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow. Vezzoli's next project is a trilogy of fantastical exhibitions under the umbrella title "The Trinity", beginning at the Maxxi in Rome and traveling to MoMA PS1, and MOCA, Los Angeles. PREV   6 OF 49   NEXT