Salvador Dali Sells KitchenAid Mixer

More than occasionally art history and pop culture collide—savvy advertisers, and art directors will often use iconic artworks to convey a message, or sell a product.

Case and point, my latest finding (which I quite like): The poster for the upcoming season of NBC’s The Office. This poster resembles pointillist Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884. Of course, when the cast of The Office fills the composition, rather than tiny dots used to experiment the effects of the color proximity on the eye, the original point is immediately lost. But, taking a serious artwork such as this, and recreating it for a massive “televiewing” audience has its perks, too—it’s funny.

I’ve seen an array of rip-offs, too, everything from Lichtenstein-esque home décor at Ikea to innumerable posters of famous artworks in Hobby Lobby—from Monet to Klimt. Michelangelo’s David has been appropriated by advertisers on several occasions. But, my favorite might be KitchenAid’s Dali-influenced ad. (See feature image.) This ad seems to imply that time and space will suspend in an altered state, wherein cupcakes magically appear, and its as easy as turning on your KitchenAid mixer. I’m sure many consumers were annoyed when that wasn’t the case.

But, whatever the advertiser is selling: If Warhol used Brillo boxes, then, why not throw a pair of Levi’s on David?

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