This 1984 painting of Michael Jackson (1958-2009) by Andy Warhol hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
"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." -- National Portrait Gallery
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