Merry "artistic" Xmas!

Good afternoon contemporary art lovers!
I am feeling in a very happy and Christmassy mood today, and I shall take this opportunity to talk about art...well, Christmas art! Christmas trees, Santa, and all of Xmas related symbols are not only for kids, they're for artists too. Let's take a break from the usual Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll/ Society problems related topics and set a more cheerful, timely tone.
Our topic of the day: How has Christmas been influencing artists?

If Warhol painted a rather classic Santa, Paul McCarthy showed us a provocative one! Warhol's Santa, painted in 1981, reminds us memories of a grandfatherly Santa... Old man with white hairs, curly beard and chubby face.

Paul McCarthy is interested in the imitation,the  appropriation, the re-invention and the representation of the reality. He broke the limits of the painting in his earlier works by using human body as a brush and later incorporated bodily fluids or food into his works. He wants to go against the face of social convention and tests the limits of both artist and viewer, critics. Santa Claus with a butt-plug is a huge sculpture made in 2007. There is several versions of this sculpture but this 24 meter high inflatable work is an allegory of Santa and displayed in a public park in Belgium.

For 14 years, the exhibition of Christmas trees designers has been taking place in Paris. More than 40 Christmas trees are presented, all designed by artists, architects, fashion designers... Every works of art is put on sale at an auction and benefits are given to a Charity.

Zaha Hadid is a famous British/Iraqi architect. She created an amazing CHristmas tree which is more of an design piece then your everyday idea of a Xmas tree. That tree has an organic form and an interesting futuristic cylindrical movement and is made of a gigantic compact fluorescent light bulb. Another interesting piece is Valentino's tree: a beautiful spiral made from garlands of electric lights.

As far as John Armleder, swiss artist, is concerned, a single tree wasn't enough for him. He had to have his own whole installation! John Armleder is a painter, sculptor, curator and critic took creative risks. To him exhibition is a medium in its own way. He questioned the notion of the authenticity of art. His installations united found and disparate objects by placing them within an exhibition context. Tate 08 Series represents a riotous and magical world of disorientating beauty and mystery. This installation includes Christmas trees, mirrors, lights, televisions, scaffolding, CD players, pot plants, deer of Santa Claus...

I wish you a wonderful and artistic Christmas. Hope yours is gonna be as good as mine full of champagne and caviar...and art!!