The main image in this piece by Alex Guofeng Cao is that of supermodel Carl Bruni, originally photographed by acclaimed fashion photographer Michel Comte in 1993 at they heyday of her modeling career. In the early 2000s, this original image sold at Christie’s for over $90,000, far surpassing its $3-4,000 pre-auction estimate.
The smaller images that compose Bruni are that of the now former President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. After a whirlwind romance, Bruni and Sarkozy were married in 2008.
About the artist:
Originally from China, Alex Guofeng Cao is an established photographer now based in New York. He credits photography greats such as Avedon, Weston, and Mapplethorpe for inciting his passion for photography and artistic experimentation.
His preferred medium is black-and-white, saying that it is only the colors of this spectrum that he needs to create his world. With exhibitions in galleries and museums around the world, Cao’s work has quickly resonated within the collecting world.
By juxtaposing two iconic images, Cao encodes greater meaning into familiar images of pop icons and masterworks. Cao has exhibited at prestigious shows such as Art Basel in both Switzerland and Miami Beach; Scope Basel and Scope Miami, ArtHamptons and more. His work has also been featured in prominent publications such as the LA Times, Haute Living, the Boston Herald, Art in America, The Miami Herald, and more.
