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This Scottish Artist Gives Famous Paintings A Modern Street Culture Twist (40 Pics)

Ross Muir

If you have ever looked at a museum masterpiece and thought, “This would absolutely go viral if the subject were dressed in more modern attire,” Scottish artist Ross Muir is basically making art for you.

Muir has built a following by remixing instantly recognizable historical imagery and giving it a sharp, modern streetwear twist. A saintly, icon-style portrait becomes “Wee Mary,” complete with a glowing gold halo and a nameplate necklace that feels more like a pop star accessory than a sacred symbol.

More info: Instagram | rossmuirart.com | Facebook

#1 ˝Square Gogh˝

Van Gogh appears in multiple forms as well, including Muir’s viral “Square Gogh” take and versions that swap tortured artist energy for sporty confidence, such as the one rocking a Titleist visor with golf clubs slung over his shoulder.

#2

#3 ˝Cona Lisa˝

Elsewhere, you will spot nods to classic portraiture that suddenly feel like they belong on an album cover, a fashion lookbook, or a Glasgow street corner, with bold Adidas stripes, hoodies, and logo-level styling doing the heavy lifting.

#4 ˝Frida Perry˝

#5

Muir's reimagining of Van Dyke's self portrait.

What makes Muir’s work click is that it is not just a cheap joke over a famous painting. He keeps the pose, the lighting, and the atmosphere that made the original compelling, then drops in contemporary details that change the entire personality.

#6

#7 ˝Completed It, Mate˝

Muir's remake of ˝After the ball˝ from 1899, by Catalan Artist Ramon Casas.

#8 ˝High Winds Blow On High Hills˝

A Frida Kahlo-inspired portrait gets turned into “Frida Perry,” swapping traditional dress for a crisp polo and big hoops, while a refined figure with a halo might show up looking like she is about to walk into a club rather than a cathedral.

#9 ˝Green Lady˝

#10 ˝Frida˝

#11 ˝Green Lady, Red Top˝

Muir’s story is part of the appeal, too. Born in 1981 and based in Scotland, he started painting at 30 with no formal training after receiving a small set of paints as a gift. What began as a hobby and an escape quickly turned into a full-time career.

#12 ˝Bulletproof˝

A reworking of a painting by Raphael of Saint Sebastian.

#13 ˝Apache˝

Muir's reimagining of Ernst Deger's ˝Portrait of a young woman,˝ 1890.

#14

Muir's reimaginin of ˝Pas Mèche˝ (˝Nothing Doing˝) by Jules Bastien-Lepage.

In 2018, “Square Gogh” blew up online, galleries took notice, and his first solo exhibition in Glasgow sold out before the doors even opened. When lockdown hit, he took the joke outside, plastering Glasgow with his “Jist Gogh Hame” posters and catching international attention, including a shoutout from the official Van Gogh Museum on Instagram.

#15 ˝One Man's Pigeon, Is Another Man's Dove.˝

#16 ˝Wee Mary˝

#17 ˝Two Sons˝

Maddox Gallery later brought him on as a represented artist, cementing what social media had already figured out: old art still has plenty of life in it, especially when you dress it like it has places to be.