A first look at the works of Michael Jackson the artist / along with images of his paintings

The truth is that every time we imagine we know everything about him—or that we’ve reached the highest level of expectation—he does something new and pushes our expectations even further. For the first time in the mysterious life of Michael Jackson, an exhibition of his paintings and sculptures was opened to a local weekly newspaper, so that images of his unknown art could be presented to the world. Of course, it’s not only art; among these works, traces of some of his personal beliefs can also be found—for example, hope for honesty and prosperity, respect for human rights, and equality between women and men. Since the news spread in the media about the discovery of Michael Jackson’s art treasure—and experts said it was worth more than $900 million—few people have not wondered what these works are like and what will become of them. While no one knows the fate that will be decided for them (and of course we hope they will have a permanent home in a museum), we do know that ownership of them is jointly held by the Michael Jackson Foundation and his friend and painting teacher, Brett-Livingstone Strong. A while back, 12 of these paintings (copied from the original works), along with a framed photo portrait of Michael by his mother and children, were donated to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. These 12 paintings will be installed in specific areas of the hospital. But yesterday, LA Weekly had the chance to visit a very secret airplane hangar at Santa Monica Airport in Los Angeles County, California—where it is now used as a storage space for Michael Jackson’s art works. Strong was there to provide explanations about these works. What you will read next is a report from this visit, and a window into pure art—humanitarianism and Michael Jackson’s ambition, which even seeps into his paintings. Until now, Michael Jackson’s art collection had been shrouded in mystery. People said there had been a dispute over its ownership. Then people said that people like Guy Laliberte, CEO of Cirque du Soleil, were interested in buying it. The value estimated for this collection was an unbelievable figure of around $900 million. One indisputable fact about this collection: Michael Jackson’s art collection is not made up of artworks created by other artists. Rather, it consists of designs and paintings that he himself created. But what are these works like? Yesterday, LA Weekly was the first news outlet (so far) to gain access to a very secret airplane hangar at Santa Monica Airport—where Jackson had used it as a storage space for his works. The collection is currently in the hands of Brett-Livingstone Strong—an Australian artist and Jackson’s long-time teacher—and his foundation. Although a fog of disagreement and arguments over ownership surrounds the collection, Strong says that with whoever needs to be involved—his family, his foundation, and others—he will cooperate to put more items from this art collection on public display. Strong says that he and Jackson formed their collaboration (the Jackson–Strong alliance) in 1989 and became partners in each other’s works by a ratio of half. In 2008, Jackson asked his lawyer to transfer the rights to his artworks to Strong. Strong wants to establish a museum of Michael Jackson’s artworks. Strong guided us through this painting storage. The starting point was a memorial structure of Michael Jackson that he and Strong designed together years ago. A bride and groom stand at the foot of the altar, and Jackson sings for them. It may be extravagant, but it was designed with good intentions and with the tastes of devoted Michael fans in mind. Strong explains: “ He wanted his fans to be able to get married in an altar where his music is played through speakers. It’s an artwork for his fans.” Of course, this plan is still in progress. People who buy one of Jackson’s printed paintings receive a card. They can scan that card at the location of the memorial structure and reserve a slot for the wedding ceremony. Jackson initially thought the idea would be suitable for implementation in Las Vegas. But Strong says maybe Los Angeles will have the honor of hosting it. Apparently, the mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has recently visited this hangar and made promises as well. The paintings hung on the walls, and the prints of some of them donated to the children’s hospital, are only a small sample of the whole. Strong says the number of Michael Jackson artworks is between 150 and 160 pieces. In all his works, certain signs can be seen: chairs in an 18th-century style, gates, keys, and the number 7. In the portrait drawn of his chimpanzee Bubbles, he has hidden his face inside the backrest of a luxurious armchair. Strong says: “ He loved chairs. He used to say that chairs are the royal beds for many men, women, and children, because they plan their daily work and decide. He drew inspiration from chairs. Instead of drawing a simple portrait of a monkey, he would embed it inside a chair. As you can see, the number 7 also appears in the paintings. That’s because he was the seventh child in the family.” A self-taught genius, Jackson focused on these symbols and created thought-provoking meanings from everyday objects. Strong adds that Michael Jackson’s workbooks and design books are full of his studies on the topics he loved, along with the variations and modifications he made. A small portrait of Paul McCartney, a member of the Beatles, and a large portrait of George Washington. The latter was created in 1987, when Strong was working with the White House to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution’s approval. Michael also painted portraits of himself. A page with four separate drawings tells a humorous story about his own voice regarding the process of his growth and evolution over the years. And there is also a black image of childhood (holding a microphone) tucked into the corner of a room, with sentences written around it—showing his fragility. As an artist, Jackson preferred to work with wax crayons. Of course, Strong adds: “ He also drew many paintings with watercolor, but he didn’t have an eye for it. He was a bit afraid of the colors mixing together.” Strong walks toward a shelf and pulls out from it a blue wax crayon, a white king, and a white glove that Jackson used while painting. When things got difficult for him, he took refuge in art. Strong continues: “ His interest in art and painting was only another part of the talent and creativity that had lasted for a long time.” “ He kept it hidden. I think when those accusations were brought against him, he turned toward art. His designs and paintings clearly shout that their creator was a sensitive and emotional person, though they also contain a sense of humor.” For years, Jackson’s works stayed in a back room. Because at the same time he decided to reveal them, accusations against him came up. Many of these works were supposed to be displayed 18 years earlier. Strong points to one of the booklets from the Dangerous Tour in 1992, saying that Michael wrote about displaying his works in it. “ He didn’t want this secret to remain a secret.” But the friendship between Jackson and Strong had formed before the accusations. Strong encouraged Jackson to create bigger paintings and display them. Their relationship was shaped by the idea that Strong would help Michael along this path. This collaboration led to the creation of the only portrait of Jackson that we know was placed in front of a painter so that Strong could draw his image—The two-million-dollar book portrait. In 1993, everything fell apart. At that time, both Jackson and Strong were on the board of the charity home “Big Brothers of Los Angeles,” which is now known as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Great Los Angeles. The charity’s work is to support young people and provide them with education, founded in Los Angeles by Walt Disney and Meredith Willson. The charity was preparing to hold a charity exhibition of Jackson’s works. Strong explains: “ The plan was to sell prints of the paintings to fans and donate the proceeds to charity. Everyone thought he was very rich, but he spent his money serving those in need.” When the accusations came up, Disney stopped the plan and the paintings were hidden away from public view in a storage room.” Valuation expert Eric Finzi from Belgo Fine Art put forward the figure of $900 million. Strong says: “ The reason this number was announced is that Michael wanted to make 777 prints from each of his artworks and sell them to his fans. What would the sales revenue be? That memorial structure we saw above would be built, it would help needy children, and it would carry out the other charitable actions he had in mind. Multiply 777 by the 150 paintings that remain from him. If each of them were sold for a few thousand dollars, we’d reach a value of about $900 million.” Strong says he has recently visited an appraiser in Chicago and that person even announced a higher figure for the collection. Although hot rumors are circulating, in the end Strong and the Jackson Foundation will likely reach an agreement about displaying more of these works, and a probable exhibition will be held at the Los Angeles City Hall mansion. Discussions about establishing a museum for these works are still ongoing, but Strong has a lot of hope. He is seeking to build a museum where original versions of all Michael Jackson’s works can be housed. In the painting above, Michael added a prayer-like quote from John Adams, the second President of the United States (he was the first president to take office inside the White House in Washington, D.C.) above the doors: “May God grant this house and its inhabitants the highest of His blessings. Let no one but men (here Michael modifies Adams’s quote and adds: women) or righteous and wise women be in charge here.” At the end, we leave you with a description of Jackson’s art by Strong, and a memory of him working with Michael in a workshop in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. “Most of the time he was happy and full of energy. He played old songs and sometimes listened to his songs with the Jackson Five. But most of the time he listened to a variety of music. He loved classical music. He loved life, and he wanted to express that love through his works—and that was his source of inspiration for creating music and art. One day I came to the workshop. We had a Northern sled dog. I walked in and heard him barking, and I thought, ‘What’s going on?’ I went into the kitchen and couldn’t stop myself from laughing when I saw how Michael was sitting on the table in the middle of the kitchen, among the pots and pans. He had a sheet of paper and a pencil in his hand, and the dog was barking and circling the table. Michael turned to me and said, ‘Nothing! He wants to play, he wants to play.’ He was laughing and I was laughing too, thinking: ‘How long has he been sitting up there like that?’ He was so devoted to art that even while sitting on the kitchen table, he was drawing.” Source: eMJey.com / laweekly.com