David LaChapelle’s Rebirth of Venus (2009) is a photographic work directly inspired by Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. This inkjet print on dibond reinterprets key elements of the Renaissance painting, from Venus’s pose to the presence of Zephyr and the iconic shell, and presents them in a distinctly contemporary, stylised setting. It is a modern homage to Botticelli, translated through LaChapelle’s vibrant and theatrical visual language.

LaChapelle was first struck by Botticelli in the early 2000s during a visit to the National Gallery in London, where he encountered Venus and Mars. In 2009, he created Rebirth of Venus alongside The Rape of Africa, both drawing on Botticelli’s work for inspiration.

David LaChapelle (b. 1963, Fairfield) is one of the most recognised contemporary artists working today. Known for his post-Pop, often surrealist style, his work is included in major public and private collections worldwide. He has exhibited at institutions such as the Musée d’Orsay, LACMA, the National Portrait Gallery in London and Washington DC, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. LaChapelle lives and works between Los Angeles and the Hawaiian island of Maui.