Duggal’s esteemed client, mixed-media artist and photographer Vik Muniz, has been named in artsy.net’s list of the top 14 living artists of 2014. Known for the repurposing of everyday materials for his unique artworks and interpretive, layered recreations of classic artworks, Muniz has used everything from garbage, milk, and chocolate, to sugar, dirt, and peanut butter and jelly, the latter being the medium of choice for his appropriation of Warhol’s Double Mona Lisa, which is an appropriation of DaVinci’s original.

His reinvention of famous artwork is partially inspired by his desire to challenge the viewer’s perception and what one associates with memory. We have certainly seen the Mona Lisa, at least in photos. We have tasted peanut butter and jelly. But by experiencing them together in Muniz’ work, we are encouraged to consider how the artwork challenges our recall, and what we thought we knew about both the subject and the medium.

Muniz’ regeneration of existing artworks is a recurring approach in much of his work. In 2008 he photographed garbage-pickers as individuals from well-known paintings such as Jacques-Louis David’s Death of Marat, then recreated the photos using dust and debris, assembling them into large installations of trash, which were photographed as the final artworks. This particular project was documented in the 2010 film Waste Land to raise awareness of urban poverty. His intricate layering of media pairs beautifully with the layering typical of his creative process. Muniz creates an evolving series of an original work before photographing the last in the series as his final product.

Duggal congratulates Vik Muniz on his inclusion in artsy.net’s impressive list, joining the likes of Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, Banksy, Damien Hirst, and Cindy Sherman, among others.



We are very proud that Mr. Muniz entrusts Duggal Visual Solutions with the printing and mounting of his bold works, including his “New York Postcard” from the “Postcards from Nowhere” series, for display at Art Basel.