Michael Hussar "Still life with a smile" Skull Gallery Print Ad 2005 2000s

Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery lets one unsettling painting do all the persuading in this 2005 announcement for artist Michael Hussar. A skull is cropped in tight, and in place of a nose sits a faceted, heart-shaped gem that seems to bleed into the bone. The pitch courts collectors who love dark, art-historical still life with a wink, the kind of memento mori the 2000s gallery scene was embracing. It reads as moody, glossy and slightly cheeky all at once.

• Detail from the oil on panel work "Still life with a smile," captioned at 15 x 14
• Name set in widely spaced capitals above the image for instant recognition
• Suits fans of skull motifs, gothic romance and contemporary painterly realism
• Measures approximately: 8" x 11"