Cleopatra, Juliet, and Tito invite you to dinner, 2025

I like to play the game of “imaginary dinner party with anyone, dead or alive” with people whose lives are a lot different than mine. One of those people is my mother in law, who grew up in Yugoslavia and fled during the Bosnian genocide with my husband as a young boy. We were talking about the complexities of Josip Broz Tito, who brought Yugoslavia together under communism and reaped an abundance of benefit along the way. Bosnians say “jebote Tito” fairly off-handedly (don’t repeat this to your elder unless you want to get slapped) with a gallows humor that marks the culture in all its recent losses and triumphs.

We were also talking about women in film, and considering the successes and captivities of both Elizabeth Taylor, depicted here as Cleopatra in 1963, and Olivia Hussey as Juliet in 1968. And about the influencers of today who are reaching out and participating in cinema via TikTok, sometimes while wearing hijab.

So here’s my dinner party, and you’re the honored guest.

Oil on canvas

30” x 40” (h x w)

All paintings can be shipped

See below for a visual of different sizes paintings above a sofa.