What do you think?
Rate this book
Michael Jackson: On The Wall
Nicholas Cullinan With essays by Margo Jefferson and Zadie Smith
Michael Jackson, one of the most successful recording artists of all time, also has the distinction of being the most depicted cultural figure; an inspiration for an extraordinary array of leading artists – from Andy Warhol and Isa Genzken to David Hammons and Glenn Ligon – working in a variety of styles and media. This book, which accompanies a major exhibition, examines their artistic responses to an enduring international icon.
Michael Jackson, one of the most successful recording artists of all time, also has the distinction of being the most depicted cultural figure; an inspiration for an extraordinary array of leading artists – from Andy Warhol and Isa Genzken to David Hammons and Glenn Ligon – working in a variety of styles and media. This book, which accompanies a major exhibition, examines their artistic responses to an enduring international icon.
252 pages, Hardcover
Published August 28, 2018
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Read
September 11, 2019Can’t review this, but I enjoyed it because it was my daily dose of Michael Jackson 😌
August 22, 2018
“Nothing was cooler or more exciting than Michael Jackson” - Michael Robinson p39
My thoughts exactly! This book and the exhibition it’s a catalogue for reminds us all of the creative genius that was Michael Jackson. He’s still a very relevant artist and inspiration today. I couldn’t make much sense of a lot of the exhibit which I saw before reading this book. Now I would love to go back and experience it all over again. You could easily spend the whole day there. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s really brought it back to me what a loss him dying so young was.
My thoughts exactly! This book and the exhibition it’s a catalogue for reminds us all of the creative genius that was Michael Jackson. He’s still a very relevant artist and inspiration today. I couldn’t make much sense of a lot of the exhibit which I saw before reading this book. Now I would love to go back and experience it all over again. You could easily spend the whole day there. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s really brought it back to me what a loss him dying so young was.
August 9, 2026
This is a gorgeous art book. It is an accompaniment to a major exhibition, at the National portrait gallery, in London. The book is definitely worth taking a look at, if you like Michael and enjoy artist interpretations of him. I will say that I found myself slightly uncomfortable in at least two parts of this book, however, what is art, if not a vehicle to stir up all emotions, and feelings- even those that cause you discomfort? That is the sign of real art. So in that sense, I respect it.
I think that the description of this book, found within itself, will explain the contents better than I could:
“This catalogue, and the exhibition it accompanies, are deliberately inclusive in scope, bringing together for the first time the works of over forty international artists, spanning several generations, and drawn from public and private collections around the world, including new works made especially for this project. We hope it will open up new avenues for thinking about art and identity, encourage new dialogues between artists, and invite audiences interested in popular culture and music to engage with contemporary art. Like its subject, we want this exhibition to be inclusive in appeal, uncompromising in artistic integrity and break down barriers.”
And a couple of quotes I enjoyed within the book:
“We persecuted him. Every person who ever bought a tabloid or watched the news, we all contributed to his death by taking in that form of gossip. Michael Jackson was destroyed. Like no other person in our times. You have to remember that Michael Jackson was innocent. He was proved innocent in our courts. If you read the transcripts of the trial it is insanity, it should never have gone to court. We spent tens of millions of dollars to prosecute him when we don't have money for schools in California. Not because he was a celebrity but because he looked different. He was obsessive about privacy and it made him 'other’, it made him different, and he went from being the most famous, most beloved singer to the most reviled, joked about.. he couldn't open a newspaper without reading horror stories about himself.” - David LaChapelle, artist
"I always thought of Michael Jackson as our society's Frankenstein. He was a fantastic creature fabricated and refined to perfection and brought into life through the electricity of popular culture and media images. Soon after reaching maturity, he turned into a monster of all of our perversions projected on to him. I love him. I cry for him. I thank him.” - Hank Willis Thomas, artist
“I always want to do music that inspires or influences another generation. You want what you create to live, be it sculpture or painting or music. Like Michelangelo, he said, "I know the creator will go, but his work survives.”That is why to escape death, I attempt to bind my soul to my work. And that's how I feel. I give my all to my work. I want it to just live.” - Michael Jackson
I think that the description of this book, found within itself, will explain the contents better than I could:
“This catalogue, and the exhibition it accompanies, are deliberately inclusive in scope, bringing together for the first time the works of over forty international artists, spanning several generations, and drawn from public and private collections around the world, including new works made especially for this project. We hope it will open up new avenues for thinking about art and identity, encourage new dialogues between artists, and invite audiences interested in popular culture and music to engage with contemporary art. Like its subject, we want this exhibition to be inclusive in appeal, uncompromising in artistic integrity and break down barriers.”
And a couple of quotes I enjoyed within the book:
“We persecuted him. Every person who ever bought a tabloid or watched the news, we all contributed to his death by taking in that form of gossip. Michael Jackson was destroyed. Like no other person in our times. You have to remember that Michael Jackson was innocent. He was proved innocent in our courts. If you read the transcripts of the trial it is insanity, it should never have gone to court. We spent tens of millions of dollars to prosecute him when we don't have money for schools in California. Not because he was a celebrity but because he looked different. He was obsessive about privacy and it made him 'other’, it made him different, and he went from being the most famous, most beloved singer to the most reviled, joked about.. he couldn't open a newspaper without reading horror stories about himself.” - David LaChapelle, artist
"I always thought of Michael Jackson as our society's Frankenstein. He was a fantastic creature fabricated and refined to perfection and brought into life through the electricity of popular culture and media images. Soon after reaching maturity, he turned into a monster of all of our perversions projected on to him. I love him. I cry for him. I thank him.” - Hank Willis Thomas, artist
“I always want to do music that inspires or influences another generation. You want what you create to live, be it sculpture or painting or music. Like Michelangelo, he said, "I know the creator will go, but his work survives.”That is why to escape death, I attempt to bind my soul to my work. And that's how I feel. I give my all to my work. I want it to just live.” - Michael Jackson
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews