
When the curator at the Johann-Friedrich-Danneil-Museum in Salzwedel, Saxony-Anhalt showed the pair its card catalogue of unrecovered stolen art, Chadwick & Spector set out to recreate some of those missing pieces on the canvas most familiar to them — the naked human form.

The resulting photographs and three-dimensional sculptures are intricate, highly detailed portraits of the upper echelons of European society, made even more surreal as the trompe l'oeilism is done on a wide cross section of contemporary society: white and African American, obese and slender, male and female, gay and straight.
It's a fascinating exhibit and viewers might find they prefer one medium over another. The photographs are sheer perfection, with the positioning of painted body parts arranged just so before the final C-print is rendered. Notice how just a few changes can completely change the focus in both iterations of Portrait Margareta von der Schulenburg Postumus Widow, after Unknown (Peeking Eye). Or how the body has become so transformed by the meticulous painting that it's unclear if we're looking at an arm or a leg in Venus Complains To Cupid, after Lucas Cranach. Stare long enough and a male model's left eye becomes a woman's right eye in Dorothea Sophie, after House of Glücksburg.

These recreations of lost art have been patiently awaiting their day in the sun. Originally scheduled to open at City Hall, the show was sidetracked by Hurricane Harvey and only narrowly missed becoming lost again when the venue's exhibition space suffered extensive damage.
Spector will be in the gallery to discuss the pair's work and their process from 3 to 5 p.m. June 9 and June 16.
"Museum Anatomy - The German Works" runs through June 24 at Gspot Contemporary Art Space, open Fridays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m., 310 East 9th, 713-869-4770, gspotgallery.com.
For more information about Chadwick & Spector, visit ChadwickAndSpector.com, paintnaked.org and YouTube.com/Paintnaked.