Venus Reimagined

Botticelli's Venus has been endlessly reproduced, becoming perhaps the most recognizable female figure in Western art. Andy Warhol silkscreened her, fashion brands borrowed her pose, and she now turns up on everything from Italian tourism campaigns to shampoo ads.

These borrowings both celebrate and undermine the original. Botticelli's Venus stood for beauty leading the soul toward truth. Her commercial life flips that — beauty deployed to sell products rather than to inspire contemplation.