I’ve long been a fan of Elizabeth’s witty, world-colliding collages and was delighted when she allowed us to share French Fantasy as part of our Public Art Program in 2020 on the GreyChurch Billboard. There are so very many reclining nude paintings in the history of art of which I am a fan but in remixing Ingres’ La Grande Odalisque and replacing a large portion of the image with an anonymous grey figure, Zvonar creates something entirely contemporary through this subtle act of resistance that denies the traditional gaze. This work also reminds me of the radical potential of lens-based art to challenge established, conventional imagery and create new ways of seeing.
To bid on French Fantasy, please visit www.heffel.com. Bidding is open until September 21, 10am PT/1pm ET, 2022.
Image: Elizabeth Zvonar, French Fantasy, photo rag on Dibond, 2016, Courtesy of the Artist.
