The late pop superstar is the most depicted cultural figure in contemporary art, the National Portrait Gallery in London says. The museum's new show, On the Wall, opens a day after his father, Joe Jackson, died.
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Revisiting Michael Jackson's legacy
He left his glove print on an entire generation. As a troubling documentary on Jackson's alleged sex abuse of children revives the debate on the "King of Pop," who died in 2009, we take a look at his legacy.
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Tremors around the world
On June 25, 2009, news broke that Michael Jackson — the "King of Pop" — was dead. He had just announced his global farewell tour, "This Is It." Jackson was one of the most successful entertainers of all time. Nearly every album he released set some sort of record, and he received 13 Grammy Awards, the music industry's highest honor.
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Not a happy childhood
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in a ghetto in Gary, Indiana. At first, he grew up with his five brothers and three sisters in poverty. Later, he would bitterly complain that his childhood was sacrificed to show business. His manager and father, Joe Jackson, who died on June 28, was particularly hard on his children.
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The Jackson Five
Joe Jackson didn't waste any time training his children for stardom. At age five, Michael took the stage for the first time with his brothers Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Randy. The boy group won one talent show after the other, thanks in no small part to Michael's performances. In 1969, the group got a record contract with the legendary soul label Motown. Michael turned 11 that year.
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Breakthrough
In 1982, Michael Jackson released the solo album that would take his stardom to practically unknown heights. "Thriller" became one of the biggest hits in music history, selling more than 108 million copies and solidifying the 24-year-old's reputation as the "King of Pop." Follow-up releases "Bad" and "Dangerous" sold 30 million and 15 million copies, respectively.
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The 'new' Michael
Meanwhile, the "King of Pop" was visibly changing. He had his first cosmetic surgery in 1979 after breaking his nose in an accident. His skin tone grew lighter and lighter. He insisted he was proud to be black and suffered from a pigment disorder. The singer also appeared in public more and more frequently with a surgery mask on, claiming he was afraid of infectious diseases.
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Refuge at Neverland
In 1988, Jackson bought a ranch in California, naming it after the home of Peter Pan where children never grew up. He had an amusement park, a zoo and a movie theater built on the site. It offered a place for children suffering from illness or social problems to come stay and play. His beloved chimpanzee Bubbles was always in attendance.
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True love or just an act?
In 1994, the "King of Pop" married the daughter of the "King of Rock": Lisa Marie Presley. Their marriage lasted just 20 months, and speculation mounted that it was just a show for the media. Presley later said she was completely in love with him but didn't want to be part of his "PR machine." Their first public kiss, she said, was arranged by Jackson's manager.
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Finally a father
After his divorce to Presley, Michael Jackson married Debbie Rowe, a nurse. Their nuptials were reportedly arranged based on the singer's wish for children. Rowe gave birth to Prince Michael I and Paris. Jackson said a third child, Prince Michael II, was born to a surrogate mother. He had sole custody of all three children.
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Success on tour
In 1996-97, Michael Jackson went on his final world tour as a solo artist. With "HIStory," he performed 82 concerts in 58 cities for more than 4.5 million fans. It took him back to his big successes from the 1980s, and his legendary moonwalk remained in top form.
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Serious accusations
Allegations of child abuse against the superstar began as early as 1994. One case didn't go to trial following a multi-million settlement with a family. In 2003, new allegations emerged. Although Jackson was acquitted in 2005, his reputation was ruined. When he left the courthouse with his mother, Katherine, onlookers saw a physically and psychologically broken man.
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Planned comeback
In March 2009, Michael Jackson made the surprise announcements of his comeback. Pre-sales for the tour "This Is It" exceeded all expectations, but there were major doubts that Jackson was physically capable of going through with the 40 planned concerts. On June 25, 2009, 18 days before the first show in Los Angeles, the world learned he had died.
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In the hot seat
Forensic doctors determined that the "King of Pop" had died of an overdose of the narcotic Propofol that his personal physician, Conrad Murray, had prescribed due to Jackson's serious sleep problems. Murray was charged in 2010 with negligent homicide. In November 2011, he was sentenced to four years in prison without parole but was released in 2013 for good behavior.
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Media spectacle
On July 7, 2009, Michael Jackson's funeral was held in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Alongside countless famous friends, around 18,000 fans and 2,000 reporters were on hand. Nearly 1 billion people watched the service live at home. The "King of Pop" was buried in a golden coffin.
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The heirs
His children, Prince Michael I (l), Paris (r) and Prince Michael II (not pictured), inherited a fortune running into the billions. Twenty percent of his estate was willed to go to charity. Jackson donated over $300 million during his lifetime and established his own foundation called "Heal the World." His activism even earned him two Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
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Posthumous career
Two more albums by Jackson came out after his death. According to the US magazine Forbes, Michael Jackson's estate is said to have grown to about a billion dollars. But following the release of a bombshell documentary, "Leaving Neverland," in which two men allege the King of Pop sexually abused them, will fans still continue to make pilgrimages to his grave?
For over five decades, the musician, dancer and showman had revolutionized the world of pop music with his signature fashion, his innovative music videos and his dancing prowess.
But Michael Jackson also revolutionized the world of contemporary art — an "untold story" that London's National Portrait Gallery is bringing to the world in its exhibition On the Wall.
The show opens June 28, in time for what would have been Michael Jackson's 60th birthday on August 29th and, coincidentally, one day after the death of the star's 89-year-old father, Joe Jackson, who managed Michael and his brothers' childhood launch to fame as the band The Jackson 5 — and who was later accused of traumatizing his children with his cruel and abusive behavior.
Michael Jackson with his father, Joe Jackson, in 2004Image: picture-alliance/dpa/abaca
Michael Jackson: 'a social phenomenon'
The gallery's more than 40 works, which either feature the "King of Pop" or were made in response to him, were created by such artistic luminaries such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and David Hammons.
They range from photographic tributes to Michael Jackson's signature dance moves to meditations on his friendships.
There's even an equestrian portrait by Kehinde Wiley (Barack Obama's official portrait painter) that uses the stylistic grandeur of the 17th-century master Peter Paul Rubens to invoke Michael Jackson's global glam and open questions on race and status.
'Equestrian Portrait of Phillip II' by Kehinde Wiley was commissioned by Jackson before his deathImage: picture-alliance/Photoshot
The show is the first to be curated by the National Portrait Gallery's new director, Nicholas Cullinan, since he took up the position in 2015. It doesn't dwell on the controversies that surrounded Jackson during his life, such as his evolving appearance, marriages rumored to be media-stunts and accusations of child sexual abuse that ended in court.
But it does take the museum in a markedly new direction in addition to showing just how great a mark Michael Jackson left on the visual arts.
"Almost a decade after his death, Jackson’s legacy is as strong as ever," Cullinan said in a press statement. "His impact and fame show no signs of diminishing and the questions raised by him as a social phenomenon are still relevant."
Michael Jackson: On the Wall opens at the National Portrait Gallery in London on June 28 and runs through October 21st. The exhibition will subsequently travel to Paris, France; Bonn, Germany; and Espoo, Finland.
