Taking Liberties with Art

American artist Dorothy Iannone puts her own unique stamp in Dior Lady Art's seventh edition

Spearheaded by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri since 2016, each annual edition of Dior Lady Art has conceived many unusual and arresting iterations of Dior’s emblematic bag made famous by Princess Diana. Now in its seventh year, Dior gave 11 artists from around the world carte blanche to transform the bag in their own unique design interpretation.

Among them is American artist Dorothy Iannone, who offers her own personal vision of the iconic Statue of Liberty, conveyed through a trio of little Ms Liberties that evoke the diversity of American identities. Her trademark psychedelic style is boldly expressed on a mini patent black embellished with sequins, beads and embroidery, and a medium-sized version with a patchwork of stars and stripes— emblematic signatures of Dior itself. Here she gives us a glimpse of her brilliant, creative mind, and why she chose this particular design for her Lady Dior.

Can you describe your artistic universe in a few words?

My artistic universe consists of a body of work that spans more than six decades and includes paintings and text, books, sculptures, videos and music. I hope that through answering your other questions, the answer to this one will reveal itself.

When and how did you decide to become an artist?