12 - MICHAEL JACKSON

MICHAEL JACKSON BRETT-LIVINGSTONE STRONG (1953) The Book, December 1989 A portrait of the imagination. An original portrait reputed to be the only painting for which Michael Jackson personally posed, unveiled in his presence at the Beverly Hilton in January 1990. Oil on canvas and acrylic on Masonite panel, in an ornate frame. Dimensions as stated in the contractual documents: canvas, 30 × 40 inches (76.2 × 101.6 cm); panel, 40 × 50 inches (101.6 × 127 cm). A curtain rises in Paris, as well as on Michael Jackson: Seated in a three-quarter profile, dressed in red, the singer looks at the viewer, his hands resting on a closed book. Around him unfold columns, draperies, and perspectives, opening onto a twilight landscape. The solemnity of a formal portrait meets the magic of Neverland. At the center of this scene, the book remains closed. Completed in December 1989 by Brett-Livingstone Strong, *The Book* is said to be the only painted portrait for which Michael Jackson personally posed. It emerged from a friendship and artistic collaboration, and was later unveiled to the public in the singer’s presence. The work thus belongs as much to Jackson’s personal history as to the history of his public image. The painting was created at the end of the decade that propelled Michael Jackson to global fame. After *Off the Wall*, *Thriller*, and *Bad*, his silhouette, gestures, and costumes had come to form a language recognized far beyond the realm of music. Strong chose to freeze this movement in time. His face is attentive, his pose restrained; the spectacle unfolds around the subject. The Renaissance-inspired attire, the fabrics, and the checkered floor give the composition its theatrical depth. The presence of Tinker Bell evokes Peter Pan and the world from which Neverland takes its name. These references bring together, within the space of a single painting, the sense of wonder, the magnificence, and the attachment to childhood that permeate Jackson’s world. The title “The Book,” however, draws the eye to a discreet object. At the 1990 unveiling, Strong spoke of the book’s importance to Jackson, while noting that Jackson wished to keep its title a secret. The account later published by the Jackson-Strong Alliance identifies it as a notebook in which the singer jotted down ideas, drawings, and song lyrics—a notebook the two men called “The Book.” This interpretation lends the portrait a special dimension: Jackson holds the vessel of his creations on his lap. The closed book leaves the viewer free to imagine the pages, sketches, and projects it contains. An Australian painter and sculptor, Strong began collaborating with Jackson in the 1980s. In 1984, he notably created bronze reliefs for the burn center supported by the singer, according to the history published by the Jackson-Strong Alliance. Their relationship evolved into an artistic partnership formalized in 1989. Strong recalls an artist who loved to draw while listening to music and found relaxation in this practice. According to his account, Jackson also participated in the creation of the portrait, though the exact nature of his involvement is not specified. *The Book* is Strong’s work, inspired by this close relationship with his subject. On January 26, 1990, Michael Jackson attended the unveiling of the painting at the Beverly Hilton, alongside Strong and Hiromichi Saeki, president of PAX Corporation. Photographs of the event bring together the singer, the painter, the buyer, and the artwork: they physically anchor the portrait in a moment of Jackson’s public life. The acquisition, announced at $2.1 million, received international coverage. This amount, combined with a deal that included the painting and licensing rights, left a lasting mark on its history. The terms of this agreement were later amended. Limited editions signed by Jackson and Strong made the work available to collectors. This work is the original painting from which those editions were derived. Long held in a private collection, it was exhibited again in Harlem in July 2009, a few days after the singer’s death. In January 1990, Michael Jackson stood in front of *The Book* to unveil it to the public. More than three decades later, it is this very same painting that catches the eye: the red velvet, the magic of Neverland, the book closed over his creations. The signed editions have spread its image far and wide, but only one collector will ever own the original. Provenance: January 7, 1990, Jackson–Strong Alliance, California. Owner and designated seller as per the contract. January 26, 1990, PAX Corporation Co., Ltd., Japan, represented by its pr