Controversial art gets a cartoon makeover

insult to injury exhibition

The series sees each victim's face transformed into a clown or puppy

Classic works of art are not usually something to be tampered with. But New Yorkers Jake and Dinos Chapman (opens in new tab) threw caution to the wind to rework 80 etchings from Francisco de Goya’s 'The Disasters of War' (opens in new tab).

First released to the public in 1863, the original paintings were roundly condemned for being 'unpatriotic'. After obtaining one of the few remaining sets of the Disasters of War prints in 2001, Jake and Dinos Chapman decided to give the etchings a new lease of life as part of a project entitled 'Insult to Injury' that was included in their contribution to the Turner Prize in 2003. Turning each victim's face into a clown or puppy in true Chapman style, Goya's art was given a yet darker twist.

The project recently marked 10 years of controversy in an exhibition at the Yoshii Gallery, New York. Proving classics can be 'remixed', these thought-provoking creations show just how art can be reinvented without losing any of its original impact.

insult to injury

insult to injury

insult to injury

insult to injury

See more work from Jake and Dinos Chapman over on their website (opens in new tab).

[via Art Observed (opens in new tab)]

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