Support Hyperallergic’s independent arts journalism.
Mr. Brainwash unveils his portrait of the Kardashians (all screenshots by the author via Keeping Up With the Kardashians)
Mr. Brainwash + Renoir + the Kardashians + flowery pastel hats + frilly Victorian dresses = “good art,” declares Corey Gamble, boyfriend of Kris Jenner, in the latest episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
A real Renoir from 1882 depicting “The Daughters of Durand-Ruel” (via arthistorynewsreport)
The couple visited the LA studio of French-born artist Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash, who surprised them with a sloppy painting in the Impressionist style of Pierre-Auguste Renoir of Kris and her five daughters posing in a field.
“That is so amazing! You’re so cute!” Kris squeals when the kitsch masterpiece is unveiled, hugging Mr. Brainwash and knocking his fedora off his head. She ignores him as he scrambles to pick it up.
The timing is perfect for pissing off a recent movement of Renoir haters, who might also find plenty of “treacle” to protest in Mr. Brainwash’s studio. The opportunistic street artist is known for his cartoonish takes on art historical tropes and for his collaborations with corporations and pop stars – he’s designed album covers for the likes of Madonna and Michael Jackson and collaborated with Mercedes Benz — so his work is right up the Kardashians’ alley.
“That is so good. What did you make that for?” Kris says about a massive typographic sculpture of the phrase “Life is Beautiful.”
“It’s just I like big things,” the artist explains.
It’s not the first time the Kardashian Klan and friends have gotten the Mr. Brainwash treatment. The artist also shows off his portrait of Kanye, made of records.
Herewith, see America’s royal reality TV family as you’ve never seen them before.
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian
Kris Jenner
Kylie Jenner
Khloe Kardashian
To accompany art lovers Kris and Corey on their full tour of Mr. Brainwash’s studio (spoiler: it’s full of “big things”), hate-watch the latest episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians here.
The Latest
Kerry James Marshall Will Design New Windows for National Cathedral, Replacing Confederate Motifs
The former panels, removed in 2017, featured images dedicated to Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.
Two Nepalese Antiquities in the Rubin Museum Identified as Looted
One researcher, Jürgen Schick, estimated that over half of the region’s historical artworks have been stolen.
The Morgan Library & Museum Presents Another Tradition: Drawings by Black Artists from the American South
This exhibition celebrates the Morgan’s recent acquisition of drawings by Thornton Dial, Nellie Mae Rowe, Henry Speller, Luster Willis, and Purvis Young.
NYC Gives $26 Million for Major Queens Museum Expansion
The visual arts institution and educational center is located in the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.
Shop Hyperallergic for Art-inspired Gifts and More
From stationery featuring work by the quilters of Gee’s Bend to the perfect gift for fans of art and astrology, check out the latest update from the Hyperallergic Store.
Introducing the World’s First Museum for Artist-built Environments
Part of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the Art Preserve also functions as a curated collection facility and is filled with immersive installations.
Required Reading
This week, LA’s new Academy Museum, the intersections of anti-Blackness and anti-fatness, a largely unknown 19th century Black theater in NYC, sign language interpreters, and more.
Why Hyperallergic, why? You desperate for clickbait?
Sometimes a writer wants to hate write something.
Then more bite in that hate write, please.
Paging Carey!
Hard to get sink teeth into “Keeping up with the Kardashians” when it’s already eating its own tail. I’m always surprised to see stories about it first because it’s still on the air and then because somebody is watching?
I think the crappiness of the painting kind of speaks for itself, no?
WHY?????????
Ah, Mr. Brainwash. The most magpie of magpie artists. Just take on anyone else’s well known style and make meaningless dreck.. and fools will line up to pay top dollar for it.
Its great marketing, but its certainly not art in any way.
So this is what the bottom looks like. The shittiest famous artist paints the shittiest famous family. I’d stab out my eyes in protest if I didn’t need them to pay my exorbitant rent I can’t afford.