Marilyn (Vanitas) 1977

Audrey Flack made this painting, Marilyn (Vanitas), and it feels like she used every colour in the shop! I think the title makes a lot of sense when you consider the fleeting nature of celebrity. The painting is a riot of textures – the soft rose petals, the glassy grapes, the plush purple fabric. I love the gloopy drip of paint on the paintbrush. It's like the painting is self-aware, reminding us that it’s just a collection of gestures, of marks, like the passing of time. There is so much attention to detail. The painting's central focus on Marilyn invites you to reflect on beauty and mortality. A single red candle burns brightly, and next to it is an old fashioned clock that reads 11:50. A reminder of what is lost over time? I can see references to earlier traditions of Dutch still life painting in the way she carefully arranges the items, yet Flack's pop art sensibility feels fresh and new. The painting is a reminder that art is about embracing ambiguity and opening up a conversation across time.