There are many toys and figurines for every type of nerd in existence, but until now there have been very few for modern-art nerds.
This set contains four representations of famous artists, and though they are all less than 3 inches tall, the fine details make them stand out in a very original way. The entire collection is only $15.99, which makes a great gift for the art history majors in your life, as well as for burgeoning young painters.
The first one is Salvador Dali, who was quite the character (as many artists tend to be) and this figurine does not exaggerate the strangeness in any way. His mustache really was just as surreal as his unique painting style and his quirky demeanor – Mario had nothing on him! At one point in his career, Dali consented to take part of a televised interview, during which he did nothing but stare and smile at the camera while the perplexed interviewer tried to fill in the silence by describing Dali’s life and works. He definitely lived the surreal life.
Few people are unaware of the existence of Andy Warhol, the leading figure of the pop art movement – and even if you don’t know him, you surely know the widely used expression he coined, “15 minutes of fame”. He’s famous in his own right for his paintings of iconic American products, like Coca Cola, Campbell’s Soup Cans, and his prints of celebrities. In his figurine, he’s holding a can of Campbell’s Soup.
Vincent van Gogh is often better known for an alleged incident that involved him cutting off a part of his ear, rather than for his fantastic paintings, of which he only sold one while still alive. Quite a tragedy, as his artistry was brilliant and the ear-cutting event was likely grossly exaggerated. Van Gogh’s appearance is well-documented in his numerous impressionistic self-portraits, and this toy captures his likeness very well. Of course, it’s hard to be mistaken for anyone else when you have bright ginger hair and a long bushy beard,
Pablo Picasso was quite the looker in his youth, more so than this figure of him might make him seem. In fact, he looks the least interesting of all the other artists, which begins to make sense when you realize that his simple cubist style was almost subtle compared to the bright palettes or strange imagery favoured by his contemporaries.
If you’re interested in more artistic escapades, check out this series of Lexus advertisements that parody three of the artists mentioned – Dali, Van Gogh, and Warhol or The Simpson’s rendition of a classic Salvador Dali painting.. For a more classical experience, take a look at this replica of the Mona Lisa painted entirely with burger grease.
