Skip to main content
  • International Sites
    • International
    • Australia
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • China
    • CHINA (ENGLISH)
    • France
    • Germany
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • JAPAN (ENGLISH)
    • Korea
    • Korea (ENGLISH)
    • Mexico
    • Russia
    • Southeast Asia
    • United Kingdom
  • Magazines
    • Art+Auction

      Modern Painters

  • Blogs
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Art Prices
  • Gallery Guide
  • Art Sites
  • Boutique
  • Blouin News
  • Log in

    Log in

    |Forgot your password?
    OR
    Sign up

    Not a member?

    Create an Account
Home
  • Visual Arts
    • Visual Arts Home
    • Contemporary Art
    • Old Masters/Renaissance
    • Impressionism & Modern Art
    • Ancient Arts & Antiques
    • Traditional Arts
    • Museums
    • Reviews
    • Columnists
    • Fairs
    • Features
  • Performing Arts
    • Performing Arts Home
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater & Dance
    • Television
    • Events
    • Blogs
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Architecture & Design
    • Architecture & Design Home
    • Design
    • Architecture
  • Artists
  • Art Prices
  • Market News
    • Market News Home
    • Fairs
    • Auctions
    • Collecting
    • Galleries
    • Art & Crime
    • ART PRICES
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle Home
    • ART Parties/Scene
    • Fashion
    • Food & Wine
    • Jewelry & Watches
    • Autos & Boats
  • Fashion
  • Events
  • Travel
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Homepage RSS
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • foursquare
  • tumblr
 
International Edition
May 21, 2013 Last Updated: 6:58:PM EDT

Kehinde Wiley's Michael Jackson Commission Sells at Art Basel

Undefined

Kehinde Wiley's Michael Jackson Commission Sells at Art Basel

  • Email
  • Print
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
Enlarge This Image
Published: December 8, 2009
Go to top ↑

Late pop icon Michael Jackson appeared in a lot of artworks over the course of his lifetime, from a blue-chip Warhol to countless amateur homages, but one that he'd actually commissioned himself he never got to see in final form.

In 2008 the singer, who died on June 25, 2009, commissioned from rising artist Kehinde Wiley, who is known for his flashy portraits of African-American men and women, a portrait of himself. The work, titled Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II, was included in New York gallery Deitch Projects' booth at Art Basel Miami Beach last week, where it sold to an unnamed collector for $175,000, according to Agence France-Presse.

 

"I was receiving messages saying Michael Jackson wants to reach you," said Wiley of being commissioned for the work. "I ignored them because quite honestly I thought it was a prank."

Wiley suggests that Jackson was rather specific in his instructions, saying, "Unfortunately, I didn't have as much input as I would have hoped for, but I think it's something he would have been proud of." Jackson never saw the finished work, which measures more than 11 by 10 feet and depicts the singer looking knightly and heroic on a horse, with a romantic background complete with cherubs.

He added, "I felt a responsibility to him to get it done [after he died]."

Two additional Wiley paintings, both of President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, did not sell at Basel.

Features, Contemporary Arts, People, Postwar & Contemporary Art
Share:
  • Tweet
  • Email to a Friend

Comments

0 Comments
+ Add Yours
Log in or register to post comments
Oldest first Newest first

Most Popular

  • This Month
  • This Year
  • Why "Rediscovered Artists" Are the Art Market's New Darlings
  • Christie's Rakes In a Half-Billion Dollars, Setting a Record
  • Barbara Kruger Responds to Supreme Bitchiness
  • How Many Artists Have Traded Work With "Anthony"?
  • Donald Judd's Children Prepare His Art-Filled Studio
  • Sotheby's $230-Million Imp-Mod Sale [VIDEO]
  • Tracey Emin on Her New Show and Transcending Her YBA Days
  • What to Look Forward to at Frieze New York 2013
  • The 100 Most Iconic Artworks of the Last 5 Years
  • The 50 Most Exciting Art Collectors Under 50 (Part 1)
  • Back to School Guide: The 10 MFA Programs That Give You the Most Bang For Your Buck
  • Basquiat's Ex-Girlfriend Reveals Major Trove of Unseen Works
  • Facebook Censors Pompidou's Gerhard Richter Nude, Fueling Fight Over "Institutional Puritanism"

Popular on Facebook

Editorial

  • Visual Arts
  • Performing Arts
  • Architecture & Design
  • Artists
  • Art Prices
  • Market News
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion
  • Events
  • Travel

Products

  • Magazines
  • Gallery Guide
  • Blouin Art Sales Index
  • Somogy
  • Art Sites
  • Art Jobs

Louise Blouin Media

  • About Us
  • Subscriptions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Louise Blouin Foundation
  • RSS
Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved. Use of the site constitutes agreement with our Privacy Policy and User Agreement.