The Fruit Basket with Luc Tuymans and Helen Molesworth

Why It Matters

By exposing the uneasy undercurrents of American nostalgia, the work challenges entrenched cultural myths, prompting reassessment of how collective memory influences contemporary identity and discourse.

Key Takeaways

• Artists use gray gesso to deaden figurine realism.
• Figurines reference iconic American sports figures and nostalgic family ideals.
• The work critiques fading perception of U.S. cultural identity.
• Nostalgia is portrayed as both comforting and unsettling.
• The piece blurs line between celebration and mourning of past.

Summary

The video features a conversation between artist Luc Tuymans and curator Helen Molesworth about their project "The Fruit Basket," which employs three‑dimensional figurines rendered in a muted gray gesso. By deliberately dulling the surface, the creators strip the objects of lifelike sheen, signaling a deliberate interference with light and perception.

Key insights include the selection of iconic American symbols—such as a 1950s Detroit Lions quarterback turned coach—and the evocation of the classic white, heterosexual nuclear family. The artists argue that these images represent a “protected imagery” of how the United States once saw itself, now lost in a “fog of reality.” The work is framed not as satire but as a mournful acknowledgment of cultural amnesia.

Molesworth remarks, “It’s a celebration of something that is long gone,” while Tuymans adds, “Maybe I find nostalgia sinister.” The dialogue oscillates between humor and melancholy, underscoring the paradox that nostalgia can be both comforting and deeply unsettling.

The piece forces viewers to confront the constructed nature of collective memory, suggesting that reverence for past icons may mask underlying loss. For audiences, it signals a broader conversation about how art can interrogate national myths and reshape the narrative around identity and history.

Original Description

Walking through Luc Tuymans: The Fruit Basket, currently on view at #DavidZwirnerLosAngeles, with the artist and Helen Molesworth.

Bookending the exhibition is a group of four canvases, each of which are based on 3D-printed figurines of actual people. The artist’s rendering of each image causes a sense of uneasiness in the viewer, reflecting more broadly on how the United States is perceived, and how it perceives itself. As Tuymans shared, ”It’s about a real sadness.”

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Artworks featured in the video: Luc Tuymans, Hall of Fame, 2025; Daddy-O, 2025; The Family, 2025