Art and celebrity book summary (2010)
-
Vladimir Dubosarsky & Alexander Vinogradov (book cover image). En Plein Air, (detail) (1995). Courtesy: Vilma Gold Gallery. Book published by Pluto Press, London in 2003.
Art and celebrity : Introduction
Fine artists are imbricated in celebrity culture, which is now so pervasive, because they contribute images and statues to it and some of them participate in its social rituals and enjoy the status of celebrities. The kind of art the latter produce is often influenced by their desire for fame and fortune and by the art market’s demand for “art stars”. At the same time, some artists seek alternatives to the depiction of establishment figures and celebrities, while others criticise, deconstruct or play with celebrity. In addition, a number of celebrities from the world of entertainment have been influenced by the fine arts and some of them collect art and practice it in their spare time.
In the past, people were famous because of their high social rank and for great deeds and accomplishments, and these continue to exist but today they share the same media space with the stars of entertainment and sport, and with minor celebrities of all kinds. All are grist to the publicity industry and the magnifying / disseminating power of the mass media. All are sustained by the enthusiasm and spending power of audiences and fans.
Art and celebrity : Artists depict celebrities
Throughout the centuries, artists have been commissioned to generate images, sculptures and monuments of powerful rulers, and notable men and women. The waxworks established in the eighteenth century and the national portrait galleries dating from the nineteenth century and present day halls of fame in America cater for the desire of the masses to see what such people looked like.
In recent times, fine artists, cartoonists and photographers have been called upon to flatter or satirise celebrities such as politicians, film, television, pop music, sports stars, members of the British Royal Family, and even notorious criminals such as Myra Hindley. Toulouse-Lautrec was one of the first fine artists to depict the popular entertainers of Paris during the 1890s. Maggi Hambling followed his precedent in the 1980s with her depictions of the British comedian Max Wall. During the 1930s, the American film stars Shirley Temple and Mae West fascinated the surrealist Salvador Dalí. The pop artists of the 1950s and 1960s were particularly attracted to pop and rock music performers and Jeff Koons was later to make a notorious statue of Michael Jackson holding his pet chimp. Movie stars also appealed to the pop artists as Andy Warhol’s paintings of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor testify. Before and after her death, Princess Diana was a subject that many artists tackled including André Durand who depicted her as the Roman goddess Fortuna. Young American artists such as Karen Kilimnik and Elizabeth Peyton resemble fans of celebrities in the way they produce positive images of celebs such as Hugh Grant, Leonardo DiCaprio and Twiggy in a deliberately gauche style.
Art and celebrity summary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
ads by artdesigncafe
Facebook comments
