The Kaplan Twins

The work of an era encapsulates and reverberates the mood of that moment through both its intended message and what it fails to say.

- Marlee Sherwin

From Renaissance and neoclassicism to modern and today’s contemporary, art is the study of politics and social progression. It is history written in real time, or as Andy Warhol described it, “Art is what you can get away with.”

Today’s artists can get away with just about anything. This digitized reality has empowered their craft, providing new forms of mixed media plus connective, collaborative social platforms. Technology has initiated an unmistakably unique evolution of contemporary art. The power is in the persona, as the Internet offers an everyday solo exhibition to gain interest and exposure.

Que the Kaplan Twins, a delightfully raunchy duo making a name for themselves as both painters and New Age entertainers. The twins, also (but not frequently) known as Allie and Lexi, are stingingly sweet, insanely petite and impossibly identical. This synchronicity carries over into their affinity for salacious subject matter. Smut is their signature.

The Kaplan Twins provocatively explore sexuality, celebrity, self-assurance and feminism, juxtaposing sensitive imagery with traditional styles of art. Both girls have degrees in studio art from NYU and, between the two of them, have a resume that includes the Paul Kasmin Gallery, Christie’s and The New Museum. They understand the fine art industry and its institutions, but they’re ’90s babies with a shameless appreciation of pop culture. This duality allows their work to resonate with a new set of art buyers.

Allie and Lexi’s pornographically inclined aesthetic all started with oil-style paintings of Kim Kardashian West. The sisters used stills from a certain compromising video— the one that “made her a superstar all from a home movie.” This series work quickly gained Internet attention and grew to include paintings of other celebrity leaks.