Artist reimagines classical paintings to include modern day celebrities

Saturday, April 25, 2015
This story was originally published April 25, 2015.

You might think of Julia Roberts as a pretty woman, but you probably couldn't picture her as the Princess of Wales. One artist saw a resemblance, though.

Benedicte Lacroix has transformed several celebrities and fictional characters by inserting them into famous paintings, and now her work is being shared online.

Emma Watson in ''The White Ribbon'' by Albert Lynchnone
Yoda in ''Admiration'' by William-Adolphe Bouguereaunone
Steve Jobs in ''The Son of Man'' by Rene Magrittenone
Lady Gaga in ''Virginity'' by Guillaume Seignacnone
Roger Federer in ''The Lute Player'' by Frans Halsnone
Gollum from ''Lord of the Rings'' in ''Le Jeune Bacchus malade'' by Le Caravagenone
A makeover of ''Liberty Leading the People'' by Eugene Delacroix following the terror attacks on the French magazine Charlie Hebdonone
Leonardo DiCaprio in ''Autoportrait'' by Vincent Van Goghnone
Michael Jackson in ''Portrait of Pierre-Narcisse Guerin'' by Robert Lefevrenone
Belle from ''Beauty and the Beast'' in ''A Young Girl Reading'' by Jean-Honore Fragonardnone
Ryan Gosling in ''Portrait of Francois-Joseph Ier''none
Neil Patrick Harris in ''Self Portrait'' by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingresnone
Julia Roberts in ''Alexandra, Princess of Wales'' by Xaver Winterhalternone
Rihanna in ''Woman in a red embroidered shawl'' by Albert Lynchnone
Miley Cyrus in ''A Spanish beauty'' by Henri-Guillaume Schlesingernone
Angelina Jolie in ''Laurel Branch'' by William Adolphe Bouguereaunone
Tiana from ''Princess and the Frog'' in ''Portrait of a Black Woman'' by Marie-Guillemine Benoistnone
Johnny Depp in ''Pelt Merchant of Cairo'' Jean-Léon Geromenone
Daft Punk in ''Card Players'' by Paul Cezannenone
: See Leonardo DiCaprio, Yoda reimagined as classic works of art
Benedicte Lacroix has transformed several celebrities and fictional characters by inserting them into famous paintings, and now her work is being shared online.


Lacroix titled her series "Voyages dans le temps" ("Journeys through time"). She has been working on it as a hobby since 2013. It started when she merged her boyfriend's photo with a painting for entertainment after she broke her foot, she explained to ABC. It eventually evolved into a project using images of celebrities and fictional characters.



She decides which celebrities to use based on which are most relevant, she told ABC.

"I often get inspiration from the news or trends, for example, I merged Daft Punk after their Grammy Award," she said.

Sometimes, though, it's the other way around: Lacroix will choose a painting and spend hours looking for a celebrity's head to match it.

The artist said it's hard to pick a favorite, but she really likes Leonardo DiCaprio in Van Gogh's self-portrait.

Leonardo DiCaprio in ''Autoportrait'' by Vincent Van Gogh

Photo/Benedicte Lacroix



"Leonardo Di Caprio mixed in a Van Gogh painting was one of the most difficult technically," she said, "so it has a special place in my heart."
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The project is art for the sake of art, Lacroix explained, though she hopes it will also promote some of the lesser-known classic paintings using the well-known celebrities.



"I do it because it pleases me, with no intention to deliver any kind of message," she said. "But I like to think that people may discover the original paintings through my artwork!"

Images used with permission of Benedicte Lacroix. See more on her Tumblr and Facebook pages.
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