Can't Afford a Michael Jackson Painting? Buy His Opus

Just when Michael Jackson mania seemed to quiet down a bit, the King of Pop is back in the news this week; the sale of his portrait at Art Basel Miami Beach and the release of the ginormous Official Michael Jackson Opus are making headlines.

Over the weekend, artist Kehinde Wiley's 11.5 foot by 10.1 foot portrait of Michael Jackson, entitled Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II, sold to a German collector at ABMB for an impressive $175,000. Although Jackson never saw the final painting, depicting him on horseback, dressed in regal garb and attended by two cherubs, Wiley, who initially thought voicemails from the late pop star were a prank, said she felt a responsibility to complete the piece commissioned by Jackson in 2008.

If you're not willing to fork over the really big bucks, $249 will buy you a copy of the monumental 404-page The Official Michael Jackson Opus: The Ultimate Celebration of an Icon, featuring hundreds of rare, previously unpublished photos and images of exclusive drawings and paintings depicting the pop star. The Opus also includes personal essays by celebrities like Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Paula Abdul, Sugar Ray Leonard, Spike Lee, Jane Fonda and many others. Released this week, the mammoth tome weighs a whopping 26.5 pounds.

One of the book's images getting a lot of attention is artist David Nordahl's painting, simply entitled Michael. The painting shows a scantily-clad Jackson surrounded by a group of nude cherubs. Nordahl painted hundreds of works for Jackson, who spent millions building up his private art collection.

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[Images: Top - Kehinde Wiley, "Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II." | Bottom - David Nordahl, "Michael."]

Can't Afford a Michael Jackson Painting? Buy His Opus

Top ART News: Week In Review | Nov. 15 - Nov. 22

■ A-List Goes GaGa Over 30 Years of MOCA | LOS ANGELES (11/15/09) — A-Listers from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, to Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, to Christina Ricci, Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale, James Franco and Pierce Brosnan, were among the 1,000 guests at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles on Saturday night. The MOCA threw a huge gala in celebration of its thirtieth anniversary and the grand opening of its new fine art exhibition MOCA's First Thirty Years. A performance starring Lady Gaga and the Bolshoi Ballet were highlights of the evening... More >

 

■ Artist's Michael Jackson Mosaic Wins World Record | TIRANA, ALBANIA (11/16/09) — He's already done it three times before, using 500,000 nails, 1 million toothpicks and 300,000 corks, respectively, but this time around record-breaking artist Saimir Strati has created the world's largest mosaic using paintbrushes. Strati, an Albanian artist, used 230,000 black and brown paintbrushes to create a gigantic portrait of the late pop icon Michael Jackson... More >

 

■ Tim Burton's Surreal Debut at the MoMA | NEW YORK, NY (11/18/09) — Beetlejuice... Beetlejuice... Beetlejuice! A major retrospective opening to the public on Sunday will give fans of blockbuster movies like Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas a unique opportunity to step into the surreal world of Tim Burton. The Museum of Modern Art has compiled over 700 examples of sketchbooks, concept art, drawings, paintings, photographs, and a selection of amateur films for a new exhibit simply entitled, Tim Burton... More >

 

■ Size DOES Matter: Shaq Scores a Job as an Art Curator | NEW YORK, NY (11/18/09) — Sometimes bigger IS better, at least according to basketball legend and current Cleveland Cavalier Shaquille O'Neal. The 320-pound, 7'1" NBA athlete is taking off his size-22 gym shoes and stepping into the world of fine art. Shaq has scored himself a new job as curator of the Size DOES Matter exhibit opening at the FLAG Art Foundation in February... More >

 

■ Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009), Artist and Wife of Christo | NEW YORK (11/19/09) — The orange-headed artist known simply as Jeanne-Claude died from complications of a brain aneurysm on Wednesday night; she was 74. As the wife and muse of well-known artist, Christo, the pair traveled the world creating large scale "wrapped" installations, the most famous of which was The Gates of Central Park (2005)... More >

■ PINTA Latin American Contemporary Art Fair Sails Into NYC | CHELSEA, NY (11/20/09) — A unique celebration of modern and contemporary art movements - abstract, concrete, neo-concrete, kinetic and conceptual art - had its official opening reception on Thursday evening. Artists, collectors and museum representatives from around the world have arrived in New York for the third annual PINTA; the only contemporary art fair in the United States featuring works exclusively by Latin American artists... More >

 

■ The Pope Receives a Creative Audience at the Sistine Chapel | VATICAN CITY (11/21/09) — The magnificent Renaissance frescoes of the great Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Botticelli provided the backdrop for a pontifical address to art world heavyweights on Saturday. Pope Benedict received roughly 250 creatives, including painters, sculptors, architects, musicians, poets and film directors, at the Sistine Chapel (not your typical conference room/banquet hall), where he spoke to the crowd about bridging the gap between the art world and religion... More >

Top ART News: Week In Review | Nov. 15 - Nov. 22

Artist's Michael Jackson Mosaic Wins World Record

TIRANA, ALBANIA — He's already done it three times before, using 500,000 nails, 1 million toothpicks and 300,000 corks, respectively, but this time around record-breaking artist Saimir Strati has created the world's largest mosaic using paintbrushes. Strati, an Albanian artist, used 230,000 black and brown paintbrushes to create a gigantic portrait of the late pop icon Michael Jackson.

The dedicated Strati labored for sixteen hours a day, all while listening to the sounds of his inspiration and muse - Michael Jackson. "All the time I was being guided by his music and made a silent deal with him to help me find the secrets of his great singing," Strati said in an interview.

Crowds cheered Friday as Strati presented his artwork to Guinness World Record judges in Tirana's main Skanderbeg square. "I have measured the mosaic and this is a new Guinness World Record," Guinness adjudicator Andrea Banfi announced to the crowd. The paintbrush mosaic measures approximately 33 x 8.5 feet and was placed on the side of a truck so it could be shared with townspeople throughout Albania.

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Read More - Albanian Makes Record Michael Jackson Mosaic | Reuters
[Photo: Saimir Strati poses with his mosaic of Michael Jackson, courtesy Reuters]

Artist's Michael Jackson Mosaic Wins World Record

Bidding War Over '200 One Dollar Bills' Ends at $43.76 Million

NEW YORK, NY — The art market may still be suffering, but a successful contemporary art auction on Wednesday night indicates a rebound is  on the horizon. A surprise bidding war between five potential buyers broke out when Sotheby's brought Andy Warhol's 200 One Dollar Bills (1962) up to the auction block.

The 7 1/2-foot wide silkscreen painting of 200 life-size dollar bills in black, white and gray tones, sold for $43.76 million - more than three times its $12 million estimate. The painting sold to an undisclosed phone bidder, who paid the second-highest price at auction for a work by the Pop artist.

"Bidding was very deep tonight," said Tobias Meyer, Sotheby's contemporary art director. "The desire to have great things will make [collectors] step up and pay more than $40 million."

The late Warhol's artwork is certainly enjoying 15 minutes of fame this week. On Tuesday evening, another Warhol silkscreen, a portrait of Michael Jackson, also beat estimates; it sold for $812,500 at a Christie's auction.

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Read More - Warhol Fetches $43.7 Million at Auction | New York Times
[Photo: Andy Warhol. Two Hundred One Dollar Bills, 1962.]

Bidding War Over '200 One Dollar Bills' Ends at $43.76 Million

Top ART News: Week In Review | Oct. 25 - Nov. 1

■ Garage Sale Picasso: Is a Two Dollar Purchase Worth 2 Million? | More >

■ Andy Warhol's King of Pop Portrait Enjoys Its "15 Minutes" | More >

■ Artists Hope Ice House Makes a Chilling Statement in Detroit | More >

■ The 82-Story MoMA Monster Is Coming to New York City | More >

■ The Guggenheim Museum Celebrates 50 Years | More >

■ Met Museum Repatriates the Naos Egyptian Artifact | More > 

■ Attention Mall Shoppers: World's Largest Mona Lisa On View | More >

■ A Night at the Museum: Guggenheim's First Annual Art Awards Ceremony | More >

Top ART News: Week In Review | Oct. 25 - Nov. 1

Andy Warhol's King of Pop Portrait Enjoys Its "15 Minutes"

NEW YORK -- It was Andy Warhol who coined the phrase, "In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." In the case of Michael Jackson, however, we have yet to stop talking about him, his music, his eccentric lifestyle, since his untimely death on June 25.

Understandably, Jackson memorabilia is more popular than ever, including fine art pieces depicting "The King of Pop" and others created in tribute. Those in the market for such works will soon be in luck; a 30x26" silk-screen portrait of the singer in his Thriller-era red jacket will soon be up for bid. The 1984 work was done by Andy Warhol in his Pop Art style, with bright colors and squiggly lines. Christie's will auction the work on November 10; it is one of three similar lots expected to fetch an estimated $500,000-$700,000.

The widely publicized Michael Jackson documentary, This Is It, will make its worldwide premier in movie theaters on Wednesday. But as far as the King of Pop's growing popularity, his legacy as a musical genius and the constant media attention  -  this is definitely not it.

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Read More - Warhol Portrait of Michael Jackson Up for Auction | AP

[Photo: Andy Warhol. Michael Jackson portrait, 1984.]

* * * * * UPDATE * * * * *

Nov. 11, 2009 — The Andy Warhol silk-screened portrait of Michael Jackson sold for $812,500 on Tuesday evening. The work was sold by Christie's to an anonymous collector in New York.

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Read More - Warhol's Michael Jackson Portrait Sells for $812K | AP

Andy Warhol's King of Pop Portrait Enjoys Its "15 Minutes"