Making its US debut at New York City’s Fred Torres Collaborations later this month, Earth Laughs In Flowers , a new series of 10 large-scale photographs by David LaChapelle, is shockingly devoid of celebrities. Rather, these painterly images take their inspiration from the floral still life paintings of the 1600s — think Jan Brueghel — and playfully subvert the tradition, modernizing the scene a bit with the inclusion of discarded cigarette butts, cellphones, Starbucks cups, and Barbie dolls. Click through now to preview the colorful, chaotic works which “explore contemporary vanity, vice, the transience of earthly possessions and, ultimately, the fragility of humanity,” and be sure to see them in person beginning on February 23rd.
David La Chapelle, Springtime, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York. [Spotted via designboom]
David La Chapelle, America, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York
David La Chapelle, The Lovers, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York
David La Chapelle, Risk, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York
David La Chapelle, Later Summer, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York
David La Chapelle, Deathless Winter, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York
David La Chapelle, Wilting Gossip, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York
David La Chapelle, Concerning the Soul, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York
David La Chapelle, Flaccid Passion, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York
David La Chapelle, Early Fall, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations, New York