For the art world, the celebrated glamour photographer David LaChapelle (b. 1969) is a guilty pleasure. His sex-soaked color photos of celebrities and fashion models are just too high-key. Nothing is held back. The lily is not only gilded, but drenched in rhinestones, draped in haute couture and surrounded by the most exotic props imaginable. It's about time. Minimalism is, like, so 40 years ago.

WHAT DOES A FASHION photographer do next after reaching the pinnacle of superstardom, having published numerous celebrity spreads in Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone, and directed music videos for the likes of Elton John, Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani? In the case of gay photographer David LaChapelle, the answer is to begin to produce more "serious" art.

Courtney Love as the Virgin Mary? Not so surprising when David LaChapelle is involved. The kaleidoscopic lensman's beatific vision of Love graces the cover of Heaven to Hell, a risqué compilation of his recent fashion photography. (The book also sees Britney Spears as a jailbait hot-dog vendor, Amanda Lepore portraying Liz Taylor and Kanye West doing his best Muhammad Ali.)