David LaChapelle

mural-sized digital chromogenic print, flush-mounted to aluminum, framed, a David LaChapelle studio label on the reverse, 2003, no. one in an edition of 5; accompanied by a signed David LaChapelle studio label (2)

Gianni Mercurio and Fred Torres, eds., David LaChapelle al Forte Belvedere (Florence, 2008), pl. 26

LaChapelle: Heaven to Hell (Köln, 2010), pp. 338-9

While this impressive large photograph has not been examined out of its frame, it appears to be in generally excellent condition. The colors are vibrant and saturated, with no apparent fading.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In Jesus is My Homeboy, David LaChapelle offers a contemporary interpretation of gospel parables in a sequence of six images: Sermon; Intervention; Anointing; Loaves and Fishes; Evidence of a Miraculous Event; and Last Supper.  An avid admirer of Michelangelo and Caravaggio, LaChapelle was influenced by the Old Masters when composing his own tableaux, a reimagining of what their paintings might look like in a contemporary setting. 

In Evidence of a Miraculous Event, LaChapelle re-creates Christ’s resurrection: a modern-day Jesus stands in a graffitied room and shows his stigmata to his astonished disciples, the crown of thorns still on his head from his crucifixion.  In Loaves and Fishes (Lot 172), LaChapelle depicts the same modern Jesus offering Wonder Bread and raw fish to his followers, a clear reference to the gospel story of the feeding of the 5,000.  In LaChapelle’s renditions, Jesus’s disciples are cast as multi-ethnic youth of rap and hip-hop culture, carefully clothed by fashion designer Patty Wilson.  Conversely, his Jesus is always dressed in the garments favored by the Old Master painters.

The Jesus is My Homeboy images are representative of the glossy fashion and celebrity photography characteristic of LaChapelle’s best work.  The series was originally published in 2003 in the British magazine i-D and exhibited at Robilant +Voena, London, in 2008.