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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Gus Van Sant: Mona Lisa

Dec 27, 2021 – Feb 19, 2022
Via Maistra 37, 7500 St Moritz, Switzerland

Gus Van Sant is perhaps best known as a director—he won the 1998 Oscar for Best Director for his work on Good Will Hunting. But in the 1970s, Van Sant studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, and in recent years he’s been exhibiting his studio art. Van Sant’s first show in Switzerland features several interpretations of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Inspired by LEGO advertisements, Van Sant sees the enigmatic Italian noblewoman through a highly pixelated lens. Rendered in pastel crayon and oil paint, the color schemes range from soft neutrals to metallic silvers and golds. —J.D.

Gus Van Sant, “Mona Lisa #4,” 2021 © Gus Van Sant. Photo: Flying Studio/courtesy the artist and Vito Schnabel Gallery.