Urs Fischer creates candle sculpture of Leonardo DiCaprio and his parents

Some sculptures are built from stone and are meant to be as permanent as possible. Others are made to be deliberately short-lived, like this monumental art piece by Urs Fisher. His latest wax figure, Leo (George & Irmelin), depicts Leonardo DiCaprio with his parents. Presented at the Gagosian Gallery, Paris, the sculpture is composed of a double portrait of the Hollywood actor. One portrays him talking to his dad, who is standing separately, and the other—which is linked to the first like a conjoined twin—portrays him hugging his mom, both of them smiling.

The Swiss artist began to create candle sculptures in the early 2000s. Last year, he made a
larger-than-life-size wax figure depicting Russian art collector and founder of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, Dasha Zhukova. As with all of Fischer's candle sculptures, Leo (George & Irmelin) will melt slowly over the course of the exhibition, a poetic and visual reminder of the mortality we all must face.

It will be on view until December 20, 2019.

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Stencils and Subtlety

If there were a Michelin star for public murals, Roamcouch would have it. No debate. His art is an elegant contradiction; it stops you in mid-stride and makes you stare. You argue with what you see. He works with scenes from everyday life, nothing fancy, then drops them into backgrounds full of playfulness and surprise. His murals feel like small rebellions, and they insist on being noticed. Here are some of his recent street art works. Roamcouch has a Facebook page and a website where you can find all his work.

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For readers who love Basquiat

It's been thirty-one years since Jean-Michel Basquiat 's tragic death, but his work still remains in our art consciousness. Now, a new book explores the other side of the graffiti artist turned painter. "Basquiat-isms is a collection of essential quotations from this godfather of urban culture. In these brief, compelling, and memorable selections, taken from his interviews as well as his visual and written works, Basquiat writes and speaks about culture, his artistic persona, the art world, artistic influence, race, urban life, and many other subjects. Concise, direct, forceful, poetic, and enigmatic, Basquiat's words, like his art, continue to resonate." Basquiat-isms , edited by Larry Warsh, is out now.

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