.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Les peintures de Karen Kilimnik, artiste née à Philadelphie en 1955, traitent de romantisme et de romanesque, et explorent la manière dont ces idées, qui infusent l’art classique, se matérialisent à l’époque de la culture pop. Connue notamment par ses portraits de célébrités – têtes couronnées (Lady Diana, le prince William) ou stars faisant les titres de la presse people (Kate Moss, Leonardo di Caprio, Paris Hilton) – l’artiste s’intéresse à la façon dont la gravité de l’histoire se confronte à la frivolité du temps présent. Ses peintures, dans lesquelles flotte souvent un esprit kitsch (accentué par un coup de pinceau épais, faussement maladroit), toujours auréolées d’un léger mystère, questionnent la construction des récits historiques et contemporains, où comment se mettent en scène le pouvoir et la notoriété d’hier comme d’aujourd’hui. C’est le cas avec Villeroy & Boch, 1748, où Karen Kilimnik s’empare d’un objet incarnant un certain statut social (la vaisselle de luxe de cette maison historique fondée au XVIIIe siècle en Allemagne) et, en en faisant une peinture, en interroge le sens et la narration.
The paintings of Karen Kilimnik, a Philadelphia native born in 1955, depict romanticism and fiction and explore how these ideas, which feature heavily in classical art, show up in modern-day pop culture as well. Known especially for her celebrity portraits, including royalty (Lady Diana, Prince William) and tabloid stars (Kate Moss, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Paris Hilton), the artist investigates how the gravity of history interacts with the frivolity of the present day. Her paintings, which are often somewhat kitsch (an impression that is further reinforced through a single, broad, and deliberately clumsy brush stroke) and always shrouded in mystery, challenge the construction of historical and contemporary stories and explore how power and notoriety are framed in the past and today. This is the case with Villeroy & Boch, 1748. Karen Kilimnik takes an object that represents a certain social status (the luxury dishes in this historical home built in 18th century Germany) and questions its meaning and narration by turning it into a painting.
The paintings of Karen Kilimnik, a Philadelphia native born in 1955, depict romanticism and fiction and explore how these ideas, which feature heavily in classical art, show up in modern-day pop culture as well. Known especially for her celebrity portraits, including royalty (Lady Diana, Prince William) and tabloid stars (Kate Moss, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Paris Hilton), the artist investigates how the gravity of history interacts with the frivolity of the present day. Her paintings, which are often somewhat kitsch (an impression that is further reinforced through a single, broad, and deliberately clumsy brush stroke) and always shrouded in mystery, challenge the construction of historical and contemporary stories and explore how power and notoriety are framed in the past and today. This is the case with Villeroy & Boch, 1748. Karen Kilimnik takes an object that represents a certain social status (the luxury dishes in this historical home built in 18th century Germany) and questions its meaning and narration by turning it into a painting.