
WTP Vanitas
2026
WTP Vanitas presents a masterwork of illusionistic painting that challenges the viewer's perception of surface and substance. A translucent blue skull form dominates the composition, its eye sockets and grinning teeth rendered in deep purples and blacks, while a band of tan wrapping paper appears to cross its cranium like a blindfold or binding. Below, dripping forms in ochre and brown suggest melting or decay, anchoring the memento mori theme in material vulnerability. Working in oil and acrylic, Mühlenbrink constructs a layered visual paradox where packaging materials and transparent surfaces become vehicles for exploring mortality, concealment, and the slippery nature of vision itself. The work exemplifies the artist's sustained investigation of trompe l'oeil as a philosophical tool, positioning humble, disposable materials as subjects worthy of contemplative intensity.
- Medium
- Oil and acrylic on canvas
- Overall
- Spotted At
- Gallery · Cuturi Gallery
Notes
Cuturi Gallery, Singapore. Works are located in Singapore; price exclusive of taxes. Inventory ref: INV-0324. Made 2025 to 2026.
For Sale — €6000
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Artists in conversation
Tjalf Sparnaay
Dutch · b. 1954
Sparnaay is a leading hyperrealist painter whose meticulous depictions of mundane everyday objects share Mühlenbrink's obsession with surface texture and the philosophical tension between painted illusion and physical reality.
Graham Durward
Scottish · b. 1963
Durward creates trompe l'oeil paintings of tape, torn paper and adhesive residues on canvas, directly paralleling Mühlenbrink's fascination with ephemeral studio materials rendered in hyperrealistic paint.
Audrey Flack
American · b. 1931
As a photorealist pioneer Flack explored reflective surfaces and the perceptual ambiguity between image and object, aligning closely with Mühlenbrink's conceptual interrogation of how painting deceives the eye.

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