THE BIRTHDAY KING – MICHAEL JACKSON
Updated: Feb 18
Happy Birthday, Mr. Jackson! Let's reminisce...
I just thought I could share a few moments from the exhibition "Michael Jackson: On the Wall" which is currently open at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
My feet kept moving to the beat while "Thriller" was being played within the walls of the gallery.
Appau Junior Boakye-Yiadom has made reference to Michael Jackson's famous dance move, the "freeze".
Who doesn't know these Warhol's portraits?! The whole room is dedicated to the relationship between Jackson and Warhol. Also, one can even see the King's white glove in close proximity!
The above portrait is so neat and accurate that Gary Hume, the artist, felt the need to explain himself: "I tried to be as sympathetic as I could... I wasn't in any sense trying to ridicule him. I feel for him... The picture chose me."
Has anyone recently thought of the desires of the King of Pop?
Todd Gray recalls: "While at Disneyland he (Michael), expressed desire to be as famous and loved as Mickey Mouse... He studied Disney and Mickey"
We all know Michael Jackson's life wasn't only filled with fame and dancing shoes. Maggi Hambling, touched by the story about child abuse, reveals his lonely side. She says: "The papers were full of photographs of Michael Jackson's arrest. I found one particular image profoundly moving... He stood utterly alone and vulnerable, amongst the feeding frenzy of the media already pronouncing him guilty, months before his trial..."
Today, on 29 August, the King of Pop would have been celebrating his 60th birthday.
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"Michael Jackson: On the Wall"
Open Jun 28 – Oct 21 2018
National Portrait Gallery
St. Martin's Pl, London WC2H 0HE, UK