return MICHAEL JACKSON (born 1958) by Andy Warhol (1928-1987) Michael Jackson's career as a recording star began at the age of eleven, with the popularity of the first single released by the Jackson 5, a rhythm-and-blues act composed of him and four of his brothers. In 1979 Jackson released his first solo album, and by 1984 he was being touted as the biggest star since the Beatles or Elvis Presley and as "the most popular black singer ever." In that year, he won an unprecedented eight Grammy Awards for his internationally acclaimed album Thriller. Andy Warhol's name is synonymous with the Pop Art movement in America. Like other Pop artists, he often chose to use objects appropriated from popular culture as imagery for fine art. These were often photographs, which were then reproduced onto a canvas through a silkscreen process by assistants. Warhol then retouched them. As he put it, "I sort of half paint them just to give it a style." The choice of Warhol as Jackson's portraitist for the cover of Time was appropriate, given the artist's fascination with heroes of popular culture. Oil on silkscreen on canvas, 1984 Time cover, March 19, 1984 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Gift of Time magazine NPG.86.TC14 © Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / ARS, New York return