UP NEXT:Nicki Minaj Covers W Magazine Art/Fashion Issue

In an interview, Vezzoli — who has previously worked with such celebrities as Courtney Love, Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Eva Mendes and Lady Gaga — discussed his work with Nicki Minaj and why he chose to portray her as a courtesan.

In her performances, Minaj makes very explicit and challenging use of her beauty and her body, so I thought of comparing her to some of the most famous courtesans in history: the Marquise de Montespan, Comtesse du Barry, Madame de Pompadour, and Madame Rimsky- Korsakov. My idea was to reproduce four iconic portraits of some of the most fascinating females of the past in a series starring an American pop-culture role model. We tried to re-create those original portraits using similar furniture, props, and clothing, à la Visconti. Luckily enough, the result came out as surreal as it could be, just as I wished.

Read the full interview, ‘Agents Provocateurs,’ at WMagazine.com For more on the artist, Francesco Vezzoli, biography, previous works and more, see his profile at Gagozian Gallery. I don't want to sound negative since this is for artistic expression, however courtesan is kind of an insult in a way because during that time that's what Creole women were reduced to being after it became heavily frowned upon for French rich suitors to support them and the offspring they had as a result of the relationships they had with them. While the pictures are artistically beautiful I don't like the fact of her being portrayed as a courtesan.

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