Marilyn Minter, Piquant, 2000. Enamel paint on metal. Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2001.792. © Marilyn Minter

Marilyn Minter’s work shocks the viewer into questioning the ideas of what is attractive versus repellent, utilizing sexualized close-up images of male and female body parts in unusual poses, resulting in abstracted images and meanings. The viewer relates to the image on a human level, reaching a wider audience by highlighting imperfections of the form, while also allowing the exploration of personal views on sexuality. In "Piquant," a male’s armpit is depicted, with the lace of what appears to be a bra covering a portion of his chest. The upward perspective gives the impression that the male’s head is thrown back, just out of focus. Minter painted this image from a photograph she took of Robert Melee, an artist and drag queen. Hinting at the seductive character of the sitter, piquant describes something with a sharp, appetizing taste, appealing in an intriguing way. 

Marilyn Minter was born in 1948 in Shreveport, Louisiana. She received her BFA from the University of Florida and her MFA in Painting from Syracuse University, New York. 

• "Audacious: Contemporary Artists Speak Out"—Denver Art Museum, 2/21/2017 - 2/20/2018
• “Disruption: Works from the Vicki and Kent Logan Collection” — Denver Art Museum, 1/13/2022