Van Gogh appears in multiple forms as well, including Muir’s viral “Square Gogh” take and versions that swap tortured artist energy for sporty confidence, such as the one rocking a Titleist visor with golf clubs slung over his shoulder.
Elsewhere, you will spot nods to classic portraiture that suddenly feel like they belong on an album cover, a fashion lookbook, or a Glasgow street corner, with bold Adidas stripes, hoodies, and logo-level styling doing the heavy lifting.
What makes Muir’s work click is that it is not just a cheap joke over a famous painting. He keeps the pose, the lighting, and the atmosphere that made the original compelling, then drops in contemporary details that change the entire personality.
A Frida Kahlo-inspired portrait gets turned into “Frida Perry,” swapping traditional dress for a crisp polo and big hoops, while a refined figure with a halo might show up looking like she is about to walk into a club rather than a cathedral.
#9 ˝Apache˝
#11
Muir’s story is part of the appeal, too. Born in 1981 and based in Scotland, he started painting at 30 with no formal training after receiving a small set of paints as a gift. What began as a hobby and an escape quickly turned into a full-time career.
#12 ˝Completed It, Mate˝
In 2018, “Square Gogh” blew up online, galleries took notice, and his first solo exhibition in Glasgow sold out before the doors even opened. When lockdown hit, he took the joke outside, plastering Glasgow with his “Jist Gogh Hame” posters and catching international attention, including a shoutout from the official Van Gogh Museum on Instagram.
Maddox Gallery later brought him on as a represented artist, cementing what social media had already figured out: old art still has plenty of life in it, especially when you dress it like it has places to be.
