Object Details
- Exhibition Label
- Born Gary, Indiana
- In 1984, when Time magazine commissioned Andy Warhol to transform Michael Jackson into a pop celebrity icon for its cover portrait, the twenty-six-year-old entertainer had already reached an extraordinary level of fame. Jackson had rocketed to success, first with his brothers—the Jackson 5, whose first four singles topped the charts in 1970—and then through solo albums. His 1982 album Thriller won an unprecedented eight Grammy Awards; subsequent hits were commercial and critical successes throughout the world. As a singer, songwriter, dancer, and dynamic performer, he was unparalleled. "Michael Jackson’s songs, steps, and sexy aura," Time claimed, "set a flashy beat for the decade." Although Jackson’s personal life and changing physical appearance over the years created controversy, his influence on performance and vocal styles as well as music videos, dance, and fashion endured until the singer’s 2009 death at the age of fifty.
- Collection Description
- In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
- En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Artist
- Andy Warhol, 6 Aug 1928 - 22 Feb 1987
- Sitter
- Michael Joseph Jackson, 29 Aug 1958 - 25 Jun 2009
- Date
- 1984
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine
- Medium
- Synthetic polymer and screenprint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Sight: 75.6 x 65.4cm (29 3/4 x 25 3/4")
- Frame: 80 x 69.9 x 7cm (31 1/2 x 27 1/2 x 2 3/4")
- Type
- Painting
