Vessels of the Avant Garde

“Melanie Stimmell Van Latum’s portraits pop with a hardboiled baroque, neo-noir coterie of haunting, flamboyant heroines. Handsome, sinister, and supremely confident women stare from the canvas with an imperiously mysterious gaze, clearly indicating that no cloister, boudoir, suburb or nursery could ever contain the canny power of their bodies and minds.

Van Latum’s cleverly balanced compositions and high-tension-line lighting conjure a triumphant, intelligent feminine charisma – a mise-en-scene flushed with dizzyingly endless décolletage and the intricate obsessions of coiffure. In playfully provoking erotic traditions, these post-traditionalist paintings resuscitate the vapid, gaping pin-up model to her proper stance as empress, saint, and icon.” – Quintan Ana Wikswo

A painting of a young woman with elaborately braided blonde hair, dressed in a rustic off-shoulder blouse, against a vibrant red background. Her expression is pensive and she gazes toward

Armageddon Aphrodite – Private Collection

A painting of a woman with pink hair under a large stylish hat, gazing directly at the viewer. She's seated in a whimsical pose, with a snail resting on her shoulder, set

Circa 1700 – Private Collection

A painting of a woman with an elaborate hairdo resembling a blooming flower, adorned with a metallic headpiece and butterflies, against a dark background. She wears a vintage brown dress and poppy flowers

Cloistered Coiff – SOLD

Countess Ova Rose – SOLD

A whimsical portrait of a woman with elaborate white hair styled in ornate, smoke-like curls, piercing gaze, and wearing a striped garment. An intricate egg-shaped pendant hangs beside her.

The Dust Seeker – SOLD

A whimsical portrait of a woman with an exaggerated, tall hairstyle and an ethereal glow. Her gaze is thoughtful, and her hair features unique looped details. The backdrop is a gradient from dark

Madame Cesarean – SOLD

Illustration of a stylish woman with gray hair, wearing a surrealism-inspired white and gold outfit, holding a spear and a broom, standing beside a pink flamingo on a checkered floor.

Queen of Hearts – SOLD

A whimsical painting of a woman with stylized hair seated on a lavish couch with a pig resting beside her, set against a deep red background. She wears a blue and white dress, exuding

Satin Slumber – SOLD

A surreal painting from Park West features a woman with a headpiece pulling back the top of her head, revealing a dark void. She holds a piglet and is surrounded by floating scissors and ribbon.

The Cut – Private Collection

A whimsical painting of a woman with flowing, elongated hair in shades of brown, lifting upwards and entwining with a delicate butterfly. Her profile suggests a serene expression, set against a deep

The Messenger – SOLD

Two whimsical women standing in a boat on a crimson sea under a moonlit sky, wearing elegant gowns and unusual headdresses featuring miniature orbs and structures.

The Widow & The Bride – SOLD

A mystical figure with long hair holding two candles, draped in a whimsical red cloak, with a snake entwined around one arm, standing between a hyena and a boar.

The Midwife

Radiance – SOLD