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"If a picture isn't troubling, why even think about it?"
— Peter Saul
Over the years of his successful career Peter Saul has created a provocative and playful body of work rendered in grotesque, cartoonish and almost psychedelic manner. One of the leading figures of Pop Art movement and the founder of Bad Painting style, he has exerted a profound influence on an entire generation of contemporary artists.
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"Birth of Pop" serves as a unique tribute from one pop art legend to another. The depiction of a distorted creature bearing the tripled head of Andy Warhol is both kitschy and humorous in equal measure. In this work, Saul skillfully references Warhol's iconic imagery and color palettes, infusing it with his distinctive signature style.
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Venus, a primary artistic figure throughout centuries of art history, is transformed into the canonical representation of the contemporary art world.
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Alexandre Cabanel. The Birth of Venus, 1863 © Musée d'Orsay, Paris
"This picture was inspired by the academic 19th century French artist Cabanel. His 1852 version of 'Birth of Venus' was one of my favorite pictures when I visited Paris. In my version I wanted to modernize the subject, bring it up to date. The intention was to use my imagination, not to insult Cabanel, Warhol or Venus."
– Peter Saul -
Andy Warhol. Self-Portrait, 1966 © 2023 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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Peter Saul © Gary Tatintsian Gallery
"I like to think that I'm giving the viewer a lot to look at. Contemporary art doesn't like to give all that much, you know? But I think I do—I put a lot in for a hand-painted picture. And I try not to make art for the "educated" few. I treat all my viewers the same."
– Peter Saul
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Find out more
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Viewing Rooms
Viewing Room | Peter Saul. Birth Of Pop, 2005
Past viewing_room
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