In classical art history, celebrities, often consisting of royalty, emperors or major battle figures in the army, would be the centrepiece of many grand paintings. In modern art history, though, celebrities became especially popular centrepieces during the Pop Art movement of the 1950s-60s. Pop Art was driven by elements of mass culture and phenomena and focused on themes of celeb-culture and global consumerism. The movement challenged traditional expectations of artwork which before eluded popular culture in favour of the more elitist, moral or classical subject matter.

Artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Peter Blake are among a few major Pop Artists who redefined the representative power of art during the Pop Art era. Warhol in particular used celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy and Elvis Presley in his signature, colourful diptych print portraits. World-famous sculptors such as Marc Quinn also used iconic, celebrity figures as subjects. Marc Quinn created an abstract, life-size bronze cast sculpture of supermodel Kate Moss in 2006.

Whether you’re looking to spruce up your living space with a colourful, celebrity painting or looking to buy a celebrity print to add a modern, minimal touch to your collection, the team at Rise Art would be delighted to help you with your purchase. We have a range of celebrity-themed artwork, from realist celebrity paintings to celebrity mugshot artwork. Whatever you’re budget, Rise Art will have the celebrity art piece for you.

One artist who uses celebrities as subjects is Peter Horvath who uses mixed media collages to explore the stories and identities of Hollywood icons, such as in Bowie. The palimpsest nature of his overlayed materials and his emphasis on both the deconstruction and reconstruction of subject matter are equally visually stimulating and conceptually intriguing. Peter explores two very opposing sides of Celebdom, the total exposure and vulnerability of being displayed in the media, and yet the unavoidable mystery and enigmatic quality of the stars.

There is also Vladim Kovalev who captures famous celebrity artists from all backgrounds. ,,AMY WINEHOUSE,, is one example of many of Vladim’s celebrity portrait paintings for sale. This large, realist celebrity portrait expertly captures Amy Winehouse’s famed attitude and eccentric persona with the subject’s subtle but unavoidable smirk. The bold, block colours and the watery brushstrokes of Amy’s hair add an almost hypnotic, surrealist depth to the painting which pins viewers to the spot.

If you have a photography collection, you may be interested in I’m Worth A Million Prizes by Dangerous Minds Artists. The Dangerous Minds Artists community use cryptic typography and curious symbols in all their work, placing duality at the core of many of their pieces. I’m Worth A Milion Prizes uses their signature juxtaposition of colour, style and subject with grungy rocker Iggy Pop in sepia, the blood-red slashes at the centre of the shot, and finally the decorative majestic, golden frame to finish.