Vik Muniz, Pictures of Magazine 2 (Installation View), via Galeria Elba Benítez

Currently on view at Galeria Elba Benítez in Madrid, Pictures of Magazine 2 is a solo show for Brazilian artist Vik Muniz.  The works in this exhibition are created using Muniz’s unique collage process, combining magazine images to recreate the works of famous artists, all while incorporating his own artistic bent. He then takes photographs of his finished collages, enlarges them, and prints them to create the finished piece.

Vik Muniz, Pictures of Magazine 2 (Installation View), via Galeria Elba Benítez

Drawing from the broad scope of art history, Muniz’s works reference Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, and Paul Cézanne. This exhibition in particular features works inspired by Andy Warhol, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, Caravaggio, Pierre Bonnard, and Edward Hopper.  Taking inspiration from a variety of artists and periods in art history, Muniz works back to these past masters through a commonplace medium of contemporary culture.  Fittingly enough, four out of the nine works on view reference the flowers of Andy Warhol, whose approach strongly inspired Mr. Muniz.

Vik Muniz, Pictures of Magazine 2 (Installation View), via Galeria Elba Benítez

Reproducing the stylistic characteristics of heritage artists through a disposable cultural medium, Vik Muniz highlights drastic contrasts in the perception of art and culture in contemporary society, all while avoiding simple moralizing or hero worship.

Vik Muniz, Pictures of Magazine 2 (Installation View), via Galeria Elba Benítez

Vik Muniz has been featured in solo exhibitions around the world including MoMA PS1, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego. At the 2001 Venice Biennial, he represented Brazil along with Ernesto Neto. Vik Muniz is based in New York City and this will be his fourth show with Galeria Elba Benítez, a gallery that focuses exclusively on the works of contemporary Latin American artists.

Vik Muniz, Pictures of Magazine 2 (Installation View), via Galeria Elba Benítez

Vik Muniz, Pictures of Magazine 2 (Installation View), via Galeria Elba Benítez

—K. Hill

Suggested Links

Vik Muniz – Artist’s Site
Galeria Elba Benítez

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Art News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.