Jackie's Cabin on the Christina O

In his painting of Jackie Onassis’ infamous Mediterranean yacht retreat, Dexter Dalwood plays on the familiar, the vaguely recognized, and the attributable, yet at the same time he exploits the visual language and function of the imagination. Here, Dalwood has captured the time in a single glance: the over-designed black lacquer tables, the Florida chintz sofa, neo-deco lamps and waterbed, each element painted with an economical sense of 'flat-pack', alluding to theatre props and backdrops. On the wall, Andy Warhol’s diamond dust painting Shoes (Magnin) stamps it all with an exact date: 1980. The painting encompasses all that is perfectly fashionable just like Jackie O herself. It’s only the resounding hollowness of this scene that gives way to thoughts of a tragic heroine: surrounded by all the luxuries money can buy, her only real solace comes from a simple sunset, which she can watch for hours and dream away her grief.