Art History in Pop Culture – “Glass Onion” Edition

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

You may recall a few weeks ago when I published a post featuring a selection of art historical references that influenced pop culture in 2022. Well, the film “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” debuted on Netflix on December 23rd, 2022 and has so many art historical references it gets its own blog post!

If you haven’t seen this film… what on earth are you waiting for?! It is an exceptional whodunnit with an incredible cast, lots of humor and a TON of famous artwork! In fact, the Mona Lisa (yes, that Mona Lisa!) actually plays an important role in the film.

I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone with a bunch of spoilers and I don’t want to give away any of the twists and turns of this wild ride, so this blog post is going to be a little different. This week I’m sending you on an art historical scavenger hunt! I will provide the art historical “clues” and I’m going to challenge you to find them when you watch the film.

Ready? Here we go!

Look at that stunning Matisse! Here’s a clue… it’s in the bathroom!

What about a Cy Twombly painting? Can you find it?

There’s a David Hockney painting on set, too! Keep an eye out for it!

Even Mondrian and Basquiat get a shout out in the film!
Did you see the Degas? It’s quick – don’t miss it!

Keep your eyes peeled for all the references to the Golden Spiral/Golden Ratio.

Did you see the Rothko painting in the background? Did you know that it was purposely hung upside down?!

Now, this may be a stretch, but it is possible that the filmmakers referenced a famous painting with this shot…

Here’s our hero – Benoit Blanc – in the bathtub.
Here’s another angle from the same scene.

Do the still shots from the film make you think of a famous painting from art history? Some folks suggest that the staging of this scene was inspired by…

“Death of Marat,” Jacques-Louis David, 1793

I hope you had fun with the scavenger hunt! There are even more famous works of art in the film that aren’t mentioned in this post, so keep searching!

To watch a trailer for “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” please visit this link…

To read more about the significance of the artwork used in the film, please check out the following links…

Netflix’s ‘Glass Onion’ Plays Out in the Home of a ‘Clichéd Collector.’ Here’s How Filmmakers Made the Art-Filled Environment Dead-On

https://www.wsj.com/story/glass-onion-inside-the-films-ostentatious-fake-art-collection-69bee3e9

https://movieweb.com/glass-onion-knives-out-miles-bron-art-collection/#matisse-rsquo-s-icarus-plate-viii-1947-mdash-1m

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.