From the iconic satire of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s to the quasi-pornographic aim of The Black Crowes’ Amorica, album covers have always depicted a plethora of art-savvy concepts. In the case of Santigold’s cover for her eagerly-anticipated sophomore record Master of My Make Believe, the intended message  is quite clear: she’s spent way too much time in museums.

A recreation of an 18th-century piece by British artist Joshua Reynolds, entitled “Portrait of an Officer”, the cover depicts Santigold in several contrasting roles (via T Magazine):

1) “as attendants wearing custom ‘Bond-girl gold’ bodysuits designed by Alexander Wang”.
2) “as a distinguished army officer in a painting by the artist Kehinde Wiley”.
3) “as a dominating mafia Don in the center” — “Some sort of ruler in my own reality,” as the singer herself put it.

While we’re still a few credits shy of our master’s in Comparative Cultural Studies, it looks pretty and makes us think stuff. To watch a making-of clip for the grand work of art, click here.

Master of My Make Believe hits stores May 1st via Downtown/Atlantic Records. In case you missed it, take a listen to the album’s lead single, “Disparate Youth”, below.