Benjamin Franklin: The Best Dead White Guy | 36 x 36in
From the "Nashville" collection, Benjamin Franklin: The Best Dead White Guy is a vivid, irreverent portrait of American ambition, desire, and contradiction. A turquoise journal dominates the composition, surrounded by a hundred-dollar bill, a red fountain pen, a heart-shaped lock, dangling keys, and playful drawings. Bold zebra stripes and saturated colors give the work the energy of pop art, while its handwritten details evoke the intimacy of personal thoughts and private stories.
With humor and sharp social commentary, the painting recasts Benjamin Franklin as both a national icon and a symbol of the values attached to his image: ingenuity, wealth, romance, and self-invention. References to “makin’ love and makin’ money” connect Franklin’s legacy to the mythology of Nashville, where storytelling, celebrity, aspiration, and commerce often meet. Playful, provocative, and unapologetically contemporary, the work questions whom America celebrates—and why.
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Dimensions: 36 x 36in | 91.44 x 91.44cm
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Medium: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas, Heavy Resin
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Painted in 2025
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Estimate: $8,500 - $10,500
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This piece can be picked up at the NYC studio or shipping can be arranged for a fee
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Auction sales are FINAL SALE and AS IS
