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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.blogspot.com)

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.”

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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.

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Herewith, see America’s royal reality TV family as you’ve never seen them before.

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Kim and Kourtney Kardashian

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Kris Jenner

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Kylie Jenner

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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.

Carey Dunne is a Brooklyn-based writer covering arts and culture. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The Baffler, The Village Voice, and elsewhere.

10 replies on “A Match Made in Hell: Mr. Brainwash Paints the Kardashians à la Renoir”

        1. 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?

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

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