Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Art The Hottest Sale at Last Week's Art Basel Miami Beach Fair: Michael Jackson
Posted by Benjamin Sutton on Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 2:21 PM
The painting, obviously, depicts Michael Jackson as a Renaissance king on a horse, and was commissioned by the pop star last year, but was finished after his death in June. Jackson reportedly liked Wiley's baroque, hyper-realist paintings of young black men against bright, lush backdrops, and approached him for a portrait with a very strict set of requests—presumably something along the lines of: "Don't make me look like a freak, make me look awesome in the least tacky way possible." The sale's not terribly surprising in light of the popularity of Michael Jackson art. On the other hand, two Wiley paintings of Michelle and Barack Obama didn't find buyers in Miami.
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