Graham Dolphin’s Thriller (Black and White) combines line writing and painting to recreate the image of Michael Jackson taken from the cover of  Thriller, the sixth studio album that sold millions of copies. Image:  National Portrait Gallery.

ART REVIEW

The influence of Michael Jackson on some of the leading names in contemporary art revealed in Michael Jackson: On the Wall, a new show at the National Portrait Gallery London.

BY KAZAD

LONDON-When Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, there was mourning across the globe. Many people were shocked by the sudden death of the celebrated pop star, who was the most influential cultural figures to come out of the 20th century. Since his death more than 9 years ago, Michael Jackson legacy continues to live on into the 21st century.  Although Michael Jackson was widely acknowledged in the area of music, music videos, dance, choreography, and fashion, very little is known of his influence on contemporary art. That is a story that is just been told.

In celebration of Michael Jackson’s contribution to contemporary art, an exhibition has opened at the National Portrait Gallery, London. Titled Michael Jackson: On the Wall, the show examines how Michael Jackson has inspired some of the leading names in contemporary art, spanning several generations of artists across all media.

Curated by Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Michael Jackson: On the Wall explores the influence of Michael Jackson on some of the leading names in contemporary art. The show features 48 artists and 11 new works made specifically for the exhibition by contemporary artists including Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Dara Birnbaum, Michael Craig-Martin, Graham Dolphin, Yan Pei Ming, and Donald Urquhart.

Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II (Michael Jackson) by Kehinde Wiley 2010. Olbricht Collection, Berlin. Photo: by Jeurg Iseler. Courtesy of Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York © Kehinde Wiley

A commissioned portrait of Michael Jackson by the Kehinde Wiley is one of the centerpieces in Michael Jackson: On the Wall. Titled Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II (Michael Jackson), 2010, the painting is on public display for the first time in the UK. The painting was the final commissioned portrait of Jackson. It began months before Jackson died and was finished posthumously. Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II (Michael Jackson) is a portrait of Michael Jackson sitting on a horse. Like many of his other portraits, Wiley appropriates visual vocabulary of European art history to create a painting that forcefully inserts Michael Jackson into the general discourses of stereotypes, identity, and representation.

Wiley was inspired by Peter Paul Rubens’ Philip II on Horseback in his creation of this painting. Painted around 1630, the Rubens portrait has Philip II sitting on a horse in his full military armor. On his head is a hat with a feather tucked in on one side. Just behind him is an angel holding a wreath over Philip II’s head.

There are several similarities between Rubens and Wiley’s paintings. There is the horse and a beautiful landscape. However, while there are some similarities, major differences abound. One of the major differences is the angel.  In his portrait of Michael Jackson, Wiley replaces the angel with two cherubims-ones with dark skin and the other white. In the hand of the white cherubim is a wreath placed above Michael Jackson’s head.  Additionitonally, Wiley places a rose bush close to the raised leg of the horse. There is grandeur and opulence in Wiley’s version that privileges the superstar over Philip II.  Even the horse is given so much presence that the whole composition exudes power and fame.

In creating this portrait, Wiley has some important conversations with Michael, who the artist said: ‘His knowledge of art and art history was much more in-depth than I had imagined. He was talking about the difference between early and late Rubens’ brushwork.’ However, perhaps the most important aspect of their conversations was the relationship between clothing and armor.  ‘One of the things we talked about was how clothing functions as armor. And if you look at the painting, he’s on horseback in full body armor,’ Wiley said.

Wiley’s portrait of Michael Jackson reveals how artists have been influencing each other for generations. Just as Wiley was influenced by Peter Paul Rubens, so also was Rubens influenced by artists before him. Art historians have adequately documented Rubens source of inspiration:

The image of Philip II on Horseback is inspired by the 16th-century concept of chivalry, transmitted via Flemish and Italian engravings of Roman emperors, and in particular by the equestrian portrait of Philip’s father, Charles V to be seen in the tapestry of The Capture of Tunis designed by Jan Cornelisz. Vermeyen between 1546 and 1554 (fig. 1). The face and torso in the portrait are copied from the portrait of Philip II in Armour painted by Titian in 1551.

Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of Michael Jackson is not the only work making a first appearance in the United Kingdom (UK). Also on display is Who’s Bad?, a story quilt by American artist and activist Faith Ringgold, a series of collages by Isaac Julien made in 1984 and Jackson’s ‘dinner jacket’ covered with forks, spoons, and knives made by costume designer Michael Lee Bush. Keith Haring’s pop-graffiti style portrait of Michael Jackson being exhibited for the first time in thirty years.    

Several new works were specifically created for this show. One of them is a line drawing by artist Michael Craig-Martin. Craig-Martin’s portrait of Michael was inspired by the image used for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in April 1971. At just 11 years old, Jackson was the youngest person to ever be featured on the magazine cover. Craig-Martin’s line drawing captures Michael’s innocence, as he was thrust into the limelight at such a young age. The lines are intricately detailed, delicate and sensitive. The portrait was completed in June 2018, just two weeks before the opening of the exhibition. In  describing the work Michael Craig-Martin said: ‘This is an image of Michael Jackson as a child, already famous as a brilliant singer and performer, a beautiful little boy, unambiguously black, a child star, but a child whose subsequent life would become a sad and hopeless search for the childhood he never experienced.’

Njideka Akunyili Crosby: As We See You: Dreams of Jand reflects the impact of Michael Jackson on young Nigerians.

Njideka Akunyili Crosby, As We See You: Dreams of Jand. Courtesy of the artist and Victoria Miro Gallery, London / Venice © Njideka Akunyili Crosby

Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s As We See You: Dreams of Jand, 2017 is another of the new works on display.  The work fuses collage, photo transfers, drawing, and painting to depict an imaginary interior of a Nigerian home. The work examines the impact of Michael Jackson as a source of aspiration for Nigerians who saw themselves in him. Crosby’s work is a shrine to a god. A section of the work includes signed album covers, toys and other iconic objects related to Michael Jackson. Akunyili Crosby is very succinct in explaining the idea behind her work:

The piece is a snapshot of how we saw, consumed and revered images of things from Western culture – we aspired to be Michael Jackson. And that aspiration seemed, for the first time, to be within the realm of possibility: previously, all the international icons we’d known were white British or American stars. Therefore, MJ was particularly special because he was as cool—if not cooler—than the others and he was black!

For Michael Jackson: On the Wall, Graham Dolphin created two new works, Thriller x 20 and Off the Wall x 25. The new works are part of an ongoing series of works by Dolphin.  Based on Michael Jackson album covers, which explore issues of fandom and idolatry. Using multiple copies of Thriller and Off the Wall as his canvas, the artist works directly onto their surfaces. Each cover is drawn over in small, handwritten text containing the complete lyrics of Jackson’s songbook.

Other new works created for the exhibition include A Michael Jackson Alphabet by British artist, Donald Urquhart charting some of the key moments in Jackson’s life and career;, and Dara Birnbaum’s The Way You Make Me Feel comprised of stills taken from Michael Jackson’s short film for his song of the same name.  Yan Pei Ming’s large-scale painting In Memory of Michel Jackson based on a photograph from the early 1980s is one of the works created for the exhibition.

Since the show opened, it has been attracting art loves and many fans of the artists to the museum. In addition to the special place Michel Jackson holds in the history of music, the artists and new works on display are a major point of attraction. For the first time, the show brings together the works of almost 50 artists drawn from public and private collections around the world that are focused on the celebrated musician. Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, Director, National Portrait Gallery, London said:

I am thrilled that we have been able to bring together so many new and previously unseen works in Michael Jackson: On the Wall. All of the artists included in the exhibition – despite coming from different generations, perspectives, and parts of the world, and employing a range of media – are fascinated by what Jackson represented and what he invented. It has been a great pleasure to work with so many leading artists and I extraordinarily grateful to them for their commitment to the exhibition.

Michael Jackson: On the Wall brings into context the influence of Michael not just in the area of music but also contemporary art. Since Andy Warhol first used his image in 1982, Michael has continued to be a major source of inspiration for different generations of visual artists. In addition to breaking records for the most albums sold, awards won, philanthropic achievements and cultural barriers overturned, Michael Jackson is the most depicted cultural figure in visual art by an extraordinary array of leading contemporary artists. This exhibition is proof of Michael Jackson’s influences not just in the music world but also on contemporary art and artists.

Michael Lee Bush, Michael Jackson’s ‘dinner jacket’. Courtesy of John Branca. Image © Julien’s Auctions / Summer Evans

What are your favorite Michael Jackson tracks, albums, and style? Share your thoughts and comments.