Espoo, Finland Espoo Museum of Modern Art, 08/01/19–12/01/19
"In this post-post-racial, post-Obama era of resurgent populism and Balkanized identity politics, it really does feel as though it matters — and matters more than anything else — whether you’re black or white. It does make for a particularly fascinating moment to re-evaluate Jackson’s image as a fundamentally “black” but simultaneously racially transcendent figure, or a monstrous desecration, depending on your perspective. Indeed, there is a push and pull between these running through the exhibition and the catalog that accompanies it." —Thomas Chatterton Williams, The New York Times
Edited with text by Nicholas Cullinan. Text by Margo Jefferson, Zadie Smith.
Icon as muse: Michael Jackson in art, from Warhol to KAWS
Since Andy Warhol first used his image in 1982, Michael Jackson has become the most depicted cultural figure in contemporary art. But while his impact on music, music video, dance, choreography and fashion is widely acknowledged, Jackson's considerable influence on contemporary art has remained an untold story. For the first time, Michael Jackson: On the Wall brings together the works of more than 40 artists who have been drawn to Jackson as a subject.
The book is published to accompany a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, and explores new avenues for thinking about art and identity, encourages new dialogues between artists and invites audiences interested in popular culture and music to engage with contemporary art. Selected from both public and private collections and including pieces specially commissioned for the exhibition, the works range from painting to sculpture and from photography to installation.
The international selection of artists spans several generations and includes Rita Ackerman, Dara Birnbaum, Mark Flood, Isa Genzken, Maggi Hambling, Gary Hume, David LaChapelle, Glenn Ligon, Dawn Mellor, Catherine Opie, Grayson Perry, Donald Urquhart, Kehinde Wiley and Andy Warhol, among many others. With essays by Nicholas Cullinan, Margo Jefferson and Zadie Smith, the catalog not only asks why so many contemporary artists have been drawn to Jackson as a subject, but also why he continues to loom so large in our collective cultural imagination. Michael Jackson: On the Wall is produced with the cooperation of the Michael Jackson Estate.
This exhibition at teh National Portrait Gallery...explores Jackson's artistic impact and shine a light on those influenced by the singer-- who is, according to the institution, "the most depicted cultural figure in visual art."
Artnet
Henri Neuendorf
[Michael Jackson] was an inspiration, a model, a tragedy. I have never thought about him so much as in the last 24 hours, and shall never think of him again as I did before. That is a measure of this exhibition.
AnOther Man
Ted Stansfield
Brings together work from a huge variety of artists, who have all interpreted the musician’s legend and legacy in their own unique way.
CNN
Steve Dool
Works that offer diverse, complex and often personal interpretations of the entertainer.
New York Times
Thomas Chatterton Williams
Ambitious and thought-provoking…. As On the Wall makes clear, Jackson’s own face — through a combination of fame and relentless surgery — became a mask, reflecting our own biases and ideals while concealing a deeper truth. His art and lasting appeal, on the other hand, function as a reminder to consider our own disguises, and what we might gain by letting them go.
Gayletter
Michael Morris
Despite the controversies that followed Jackson through his late years, his lasting impact on our global culture is undeniable.
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"Interview magazine, September 2009," by KAWS, is reproduced from Michael Jackson: On the Wall, published to accompany the blockbuster exhibition currently on view at the Grand Palais in Paris—the first exhibition to examine Jackson's previously undocumented impact on contemporary art, beginning with Andy Warhol (who was the first artist to depict Jackson, in the early 1980s). When Jackson died in 2009, KAWS was commissioned to make a cover that would pay tribute. "One of the strongest images that I associate him with is the glove," KAWS is quoted. "I always loved how he could take normal articles of clothing such as a white glove, red leather jacket, shoes and claim them as elements of his identity so wherever you see them in the world they bring your thoughts back to Michael." continue to blog
In Michael Jackson: On the Wall, the catalogue to the National Portrait Gallery's international blockbuster, Jackson is quoted, speaking of Michelangelo: "I always think that he was the most phenomenal artist and I love art. I think that if I could have met someone from the past it would be him. I think I understand what he was trying to say and do, even though he got criticized. He was a true artist. I would have loved to have a chat with him." Featured here is David LaChapelle's "American Jesus: Hold me, carry me boldly" (2009), one panel in a triptych of large-scale photographs using religious iconography to depict Jackson as a modern-day martyr, produced in response to the artist's death that year. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 10.75 x 11 in. / 252 pgs / 120 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $49.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $67.5 ISBN: 9781855147119 PUBLISHER: National Portrait Gallery AVAILABLE: 8/28/2018 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Published by National Portrait Gallery. Edited with text by Nicholas Cullinan. Text by Margo Jefferson, Zadie Smith.
Icon as muse: Michael Jackson in art, from Warhol to KAWS
Since Andy Warhol first used his image in 1982, Michael Jackson has become the most depicted cultural figure in contemporary art. But while his impact on music, music video, dance, choreography and fashion is widely acknowledged, Jackson's considerable influence on contemporary art has remained an untold story. For the first time, Michael Jackson: On the Wall brings together the works of more than 40 artists who have been drawn to Jackson as a subject.
The book is published to accompany a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, and explores new avenues for thinking about art and identity, encourages new dialogues between artists and invites audiences interested in popular culture and music to engage with contemporary art. Selected from both public and private collections and including pieces specially commissioned for the exhibition, the works range from painting to sculpture and from photography to installation.
The international selection of artists spans several generations and includes Rita Ackerman, Dara Birnbaum, Mark Flood, Isa Genzken, Maggi Hambling, Gary Hume, David LaChapelle, Glenn Ligon, Dawn Mellor, Catherine Opie, Grayson Perry, Donald Urquhart, Kehinde Wiley and Andy Warhol, among many others. With essays by Nicholas Cullinan, Margo Jefferson and Zadie Smith, the catalog not only asks why so many contemporary artists have been drawn to Jackson as a subject, but also why he continues to loom so large in our collective cultural imagination. Michael Jackson: On the Wall is produced with the cooperation of the Michael Jackson Estate.
