Triumph of the Vanities II
Brooklyn Museum photograph
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From its use of color to its scale, Cecily Brown’s Triumph of the Vanities II displays excesses in style and composition. This vibrant scene of semi-visible figures among thick swirls of reds, oranges, and browns leaves the impression of great movement rather than any specific action. Though a viewer may initially read the piece as an abstract painting, it is in fact highly figurative: small vignettes of intertwined figures abound throughout the image, creating a sensuous moment.
Brown was commissioned to make the work, which takes its title from Tom Wolfe’s 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, in response to the famed Marc Chagall murals in the foyer of the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. While Wolfe’s novel describes the downfall of a figure from New York’s financial elite, in Brown’s rendition, the protagonist’s end is perhaps more triumphant than tragic.
Caption
Cecily Brown British, born 1969. Triumph of the Vanities II, 2018. Oil on linen, 109 × 311 in. (276.9 × 789.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of John and Barbara Vogelstein in honor of Anne Pasternak, 2020.9. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2020.9_PS11.jpg)
Tags
Gallery
Collection
Gallery
Collection
Artist
Title
Triumph of the Vanities II
Date
2018
Medium
Oil on linen
Classification
Dimensions
109 × 311 in. (276.9 × 789.9 cm)
Credit Line
Purchase gift of John and Barbara Vogelstein in honor of Anne Pasternak
Accession Number
2020.9
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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