Anna Kournikova: The Courts Free Photograph Rare Edition of 3

Artist: David LaChapelle
Title: Anna Kournikova: The Courts Free
Medium: C-Print Diasec Photograph
Size: 34" x 24 1/2"
Frame: 37" x 27"
Edition: 2/3
Inscription: Gallery label to reverse: David LaChapelle Studio, Inc., New York
Year: 1998
Condition: Excellent condition with no flaws
Documentation: Gallery certificate of authenticity

Contemporary photographer David LaChapelle is renowned for his impact on celebrity photography. His photographs often capture recognizable pop icons in unique compositions and narratives full of color. Through a humorous and often provocative approach, his imagery explores social issues in a subversive way. He embraces vibrant colors and hyper-realistic style with a signature high-gloss finish.

Influenced by Surrealism, his artworks take recognizable imagery and juxtaposes them with dreamlike compositions. His celebrity portraits embrace familiar images set in surreal landscapes. Additionally, he takes art historical references and reinvents them with contemporary figures and settings.

Anna Kournikova: The Courts Free illustrates the famous Russian professional tennis player, model, and television personality Anna Kournikova posing suggestively on a couch. The dominant color red adds to the seductive nature of the composition. LaChapelle creates a sensual celebrity portrait of one of the best-known tennis stars. However, the photograph offers a political commentary hidden within the sex appeal. The color red often alludes to the Russian communist ideology and the red flag of the Soviet Union.

Anna Kournikova: The Courts Free includes a gallery certificate of authenticity. The work includes a gallery label in the reverse reading David LaChapelle Studio, Inc., New York. Furthermore, the artwork is in excellent condition with no flaws.

About David LaChapelle

Photographer and filmmaker David LaChapelle is renowned for his work in fine arts, advertising, and fashion. Inspired by his relationship with fashion, magazines, and contemporary culture icons, his images have impacted celebrity photography. His humorous, provocative, and often sensual imagery often explores social issues.

Influenced by Surrealism, his artworks take recognizable imagery and juxtaposes them with dreamlike details. LaChapelle configures recognizable characters and elements in unusual landscapes, unique compositions, and narratives full of color. He embraces vibrant colors and hyper-realistic style with a signature high-gloss finish.

Born in Connecticut, LaChapelle's interest in photography started at a young age. As a young adult, he decided to pursue a career in photography. At seventeen, his work caught the attention of Andy Warhol, who offered him his first job at Interview Magazine photographing celebrities. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, his photographs exhibited in galleries throughout New York City. Additionally, his well-received celebrity images led him to create some of the most famous advertising campaigns and work with leading publishing houses such as Rolling Stone, Vogue, and Vanity Fair.

After establishing himself as a prominent figure in contemporary photography, LaChapelle expanded his work to include directing commercials, music videos, and theater stage productions. Notably, he worked on Elton Johnâ%80%99s Red Piano live show. In 2004, he created the short documentary Krumped. The following year he developed RIZE, which received critical acclaim after officially opening the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. However, by 2006, he decided to return to fine art and celebrity photography.

Some of the celebrities LaChapelle has worked with include Amanda Lepore, Cameron Diaz, Naomi Campbell, Britney Spears, Eminem, Uma Thurman, David Bowie, Madonna, Elizabeth Taylor, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Hillary Clinton. His photographs have been exhibited worldwide in cultural institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei and Casa dei Tre Oci in Venice. Additionally, his works belong to museum collections such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and The National Portrait Gallery of London. LaChapelle has received various photography awards and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of Arts.

LaChapelle currently works from his New York and Paris studios.