ed wheeler steps into famous masterpieces for santa classics

ed wheeler steps into famous masterpieces for santa classics
‘the birth of venus’ by sandro botticelli, 1486
all images courtesy of ed wheeler

in this humorous series of self-portraits, american artist ed wheeler, steps into classic masterworks of art dressed as the iconic santa claus. paying homage to the original paintings, ‘santa classics’ offers art lovers a twist and an additional reason to smile during the silly season. after researching the works of the masters, wheeler felt certain compositions beckoned for a ‘santa intervention’. embarking on a multi-step process to fully integrate the jolly red figure into the lighting, brushstrokes and tonal values of the painting, the famous images are reinterpreted. the work will be exhibited at bahdeebahdu in philadelphia from december 6 – 21, 2013. the philadelphia museum of art is the first museum in the world to publish a series of santa classics holiday cards, available in their online store.

‘the supper at emmaus’ by caravaggio, 1601

‘ballet class’ by edgar degas, 1880

‘pygmalion and galatea’ by jean-leon gerome, ca. 1890

‘dance at the moulin rouge’ by henri de toulouse-lautrec, 1890

‘the creation of adam’ by michelangelo, 1511–1512

‘japanese footbridge’ by claude monet, 1899

‘the dream’ by henri rousseau, 1910

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.