Mixed Media Assemblage | 10 x 14 x 4 inches | Custom Framed
 
Transformations traces how a single icon —The Michelin Man — evolves as culture shifts.
 
On the left, a late-19th-century poster image presents the formidable early Bibendum — the Michelin Man’s original name — raising a goblet of nails and glass to prove the puncture resistance of the company’s bicycle tires. Anchoring the scene, a miniature red chair, modeled on Eileen Gray’s 1920s Bibendum Chair, named for its stacked tires silhouette.
 
On the right, a friendlier, contemporary Michelin Man appears with a car tire and automotive tools, marking the company’s move from bicycles to automobiles and a softened, more approachable public image — mirroring broader social democratization and the humanizing of corporate mascots.
 
A central shelf bridges the eras. Resting on it, a bottle and vase in a muted palette quietly echo Giorgio Morandi’s still lifes — a period of reflection between two brand personas. Notably, this is the artist’s first assemblage created without a necklace segment, prioritizing sculptural form and graphic dialogue over jewelry-based ornament.
 
In a striking palette of red, black, and yellow, the piece brings together advertising historyand design icons in a contemporary work that considers how brand imagery adapts — and what those shifts reveal about culture.
 
Materials: Dollhouse miniatures, mirrors, acrylic paint, digitally manipulated vintage posters, paper, wood
 
Framing: Custom shadow box with museum glass in a deep black wooden frame, created in collaboration with Chevy Chase Art Gallery, Washington, DC.