An experience that left quite an impression on me, I had the privilege of spending time in the studio of great American artist Tom Wesselmann. The excitement I felt from seeing his works pulsating with color and almost exploding off the wall was paralleled by the desire to create a portrait series that would convey the constant reinvention and experimentation that was characteristic of the artist himself. In his work Wesselmann sought to make figurative art as thrilling as abstract art. As seen here in his Sunset Nude with Palm Trees, radiating lush exoticism, enveloped in tropical vegetation and lit by a sanguine sunset. In honor of his explorations in elemental beauty and the 20 year anniversary of Nars, a line that captures the same modern classic aesthetic, I created a series of vibrant pairings each with a different shade from the Nars Audacious Lipstick Collection. My own explorations in the relationship between beauty and art begin here, in the studio of Tom Wesselmann, with luscious layers of visual intensity created through the provocative shades of Nars.
Above center: Tom Wesselmann, Seascape #10, 1966 x Nars Audacious Lipstick in Lana, Givenchy dress
Lower right: Tom Wesselmann, Sunset Nude with Palm Trees, 2003 x Nars Audacious Lipstick in Janet, Cushnie et Ochs teal dress
Lower left: Tom Wesselmann, Dinner at the Museum of Modern Art, 2000 x Nars Audacious Lipstick in Liv, Cushnie et Ochs dress
Cincinnati Art Museum, Beyond Pop Art: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective, October 31, 2014 — January 18, 2015
Makeup by Julio Sandino, Photographs by Tylor Hou
All art is © Estate of Tom Wesselmann/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY