In 2007 I painted Ladies on the Strawberries after being invited to participate in a prestigious group exhibition at the Francis Naumann Gallery in New York, "The demoiselles revisited". The show celebrated the centennial of Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso. Among the exhibiting artists were my friend and colleague Carlo Maria Mariani and Jeff Koons, alongside other notable names.

I approached my tribute to Picasso in a playful and ironic way, while maintaining a deeply structured layer of meaning. I painted the canvas in Rome with joy — and with a certain trepidation. I was genuinely excited, and a little nervous, to be exhibiting alongside such figures.

The photograph with the models — who kindly offered to participate — was taken in Zurich. In the painting, five prostitutes sit atop giant strawberries. The eldest holds a skull with casual confidence. A very small matador, visibly aroused, offers flowers to the women, unaware of the bull’s shadow projecting ominously onto the strawberry behind him.

Among the many works exhibited, ArtNews selected mine as the image accompanying their review — a moment of real professional satisfaction for me.