When Chicago artist Francine Turk’s eye-catching nude drawings were featured in the 2006 Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Aniston movie, The Break-Up, the world sat up and took notice. But while reveling in professional success, her health suffered a devastating blow when she was diagnosed with lupus.
Now, following a nearly two-year hiatus, Turk is in better spirits, better health and ready to light up the big screen again. The people behind Vaughn’s new movie, The Dilemma, set to hit theaters in early 2011, tapped Turk to create more on-set stunners. While her signature nudes are still a big focal point, Turk is concentrating on a new series of grave rubbings, called Impression of Père Lachaise—a more modern, edgy turn from her focus on the human form.
“I was inspired by a recent visit to Paris in the spring,” she says. “The trip felt like a whole healing for me. I stopped at the famous Père Lachaise cemetery and noticed how beautiful and peaceful the place was. I really felt that the cemetery was a place not of death, but one that celebrated life. It was then I trusted that everything would be okay.” Francine Turk Gallery, 18 E. Cullerton, 312-674-1818
