smoothcriminal12 said:

What do they mean "Prince, really?" Prince is a freaking genius. And I prefer Radio Disney kids listening to Prince rather than Chris Brown.

I was wondering that too. I dont know if they were intentionally dogging Prince or if what they meant was that Justin is too squeaky-clean/goody-goody to do raunchy material like Prince used too

NaughtyKitty said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

What do they mean "Prince, really?" Prince is a freaking genius. And I prefer Radio Disney kids listening to Prince rather than Chris Brown.

I was wondering that too. I dont know if they were intentionally dogging Prince or if what they meant was that Justin is too squeaky-clean/goody-goody to do raunchy material like Prince used too

I'm hoping that it was the latter.

Revealed for the First Time

By Sophie Duvernoy Wed., Aug. 17 2011 at 11:00 AM

The interior of Michael Jackson's art studio, which he shared with friend and artist Brett-Livingstone Strong

​
See more photos in "Michael Jackson Art: An ...aintings."

Until now, Michael Jackson's art collection was shrouded in mystery. It was said to be stuck in a legal dispute over possession. Then, people speculated that buyers such as Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberté were interested. It's been valued at the staggering (and slightly unbelievable) sum of $900 million.

One crucial fact: Jackson's art collection isn't art by other people -- it's mainly drawings and paintings that he created himself. So what does that art look like?

Yesterday, LA Weekly was the first to visit the (until now) top-secret Santa Monica Airport hangar that Jackson used as his studio and art storehouse. The collection is currently owned by Brett-Livingstone Strong, the Australian monument builder and Jackson's art mentor through the years, in conjunction with the Jackson estate.

Though the entire art collection has been mired in dispute...for rights, Strong claims that he is working with everybody -- the family, the estate, as well as others -- to exhibit and publish as much of Jackson's work as possible.

According to Strong, he and Jackson formed an incorporated business partnership in 1989, known as the Jackson-Strong alliance. This gave each partner a fifty-percent stake in the other's art. In 2008, Strong says, Jackson requested that his attorney sign the rights to Jackson's portion of the art over to Strong. Now, Strong is beginning to reveal more and more of the art as he goes ahead with Jackson's dream of organizing a museum exhibit.

Shannon Cottrell

Some of Jackson's original drawings hanging on the wall. Prints of these were donated to the L.A. Children's Hospital.

​

Strong gave us a tour of the hangar, beginning with the Michael Jackson monument that Strong and Jackson co-designed several years ago. It's perhaps bombastic, but designed with good intentions and the rabid Jackson fan in mind. Strong explains, "He wanted his fans to be able to get married at a monument that would have all of his music [in an archive, and playing on speakers], to inspire some of his fans."

The current design is still in the works, but it's conceived as an interactive monument -- fans who buy a print by Jackson will receive a card in the mail. They can scan this card at the monument, and then have a computer organize a personal greeting for them, or allow them to book it for weddings. Jackson initially thought it would be perfect for Las Vegas, but Strong says that Los Angeles might have the honor of hosting it -- apparently, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently paid a visit and made a few oblique promises.

Shannon Cottrell

The Michael Jackson monument mock-up, featuring miniature pilgrims and a bridal couple

​

As for Jackson's art, the contents of the hangar barely scratched the surface of the collection, as Strong estimates Jackson's total output at 150 to 160 pieces. A few large pieces hanging on the walls had been donated as reproductions to the L.A. Children's Hospital last Monday, along with other sketches and poems.

Shannon Cottrell

Portrait of Bubbles, Jackson's beloved pet chimpanzee

​

In all of his art, certain motifs kept cropping up: chairs (usually quite baroque), gates, keys and the number 7. His portrait of Bubbles, his pet chimpanzee, shows a monkey-like face vanishing into a cushy, ornate lounge chair. "He loved chairs," says Strong. "He thought chairs were the thrones of most men, women and children, where they made their decisions for their daily activity. He was inspired by chairs. Rather than just do a portrait of the monkey, he put it in the chair. And you see, there are a few sevens -- because he's the seventh child."

Jackson, who was a technically talented artist -- and completely self-taught -- fixated on these motifs, elevating everyday objects into cult symbols. Strong added that Jackson's sketchbooks are completely filled with studies of his favorite objects, in endless permutations.

Shannon Cottrell

MJ's portrait of George Washington -- he initially planned to do a series of all of the presidents, but never continued it.

​

But Jackson also created portraits: a small sketch of Paul McCartney, and a large drawing of George Washington, created as Strong was working with the White House to commemorate the bicentennial of the Constitution back in 1987. He also sketched self-portraits -- one as a humorous four-panel drawing charting his growing-up process, and a darker one that depicts him as a child cowering in a corner, inscribed with a sentence reflecting on his fragility.

Shannon Cottrell

Strong, holding up a four-panel sketch that Jackson drew of himself.

As an artist, Jackson preferred using wax pencils, though Strong adds, "He did do a lot of watercolors but he gave them away. He was a little intimidated by mixing colors." Some surviving pencils are archived in the hangar; Strong moves over to a cabinet on the far wall of the hangar and pulls out a ziploc bag containing a blue wax pencil, a white feathered quill and a white glove that Jackson used for drawing.

Jackson turned to art as times got hard for him. "His interest in art, in drawing it, was just another level of his creativity that went on over a long period of time," Strong says. "It was quite private to him. I think he retreated into it when he was being attacked by those accusations against him." The sketches and drawings certainly reveal an extremely sensitive creator, though it's clear that Jackson also had a sense of humor.

Jackson's art was kept under wraps for such a long time simply because of the pedophilia scandal, which erupted right around the time that he was looking for a way to publicize the works. "A lot of his art was going to be exhibited 18 years ago. Here's one of his tour books, where he talks about exhibiting art. He didn't want it to be a secret," Strong says, pointing at a leaflet from the 1992 Dangerous World Tour.

Shannon Cottrell

Strong and Jackson wearing matching leather and velvet jackets, celebrating their artistic alliance.

​

Prior to that period, Jackson and Strong had met and become fast friends. This marked the beginning of Strong's mentorship, in which he encouraged Jackson to create bigger paintings and drawings, and exhibit his work. The idea behind their Jackson-Strong Alliance was that Strong would help Jackson manage and exhibit his art. Notably, the alliance birthed Strong's infamous $2 mill...el Jackson entitled The Book, the only known portrait Jackson ever sat for.

In 1993, everything blew up. At the time, Jackson and Strong were both on the board of Big Brothers of Los Angeles (now known as Big Brothers Big Sisters), a chapter of the national youth mentoring organization established in L.A. by Walt Disney and Meredith Willson. They had planned out a fundraising campaign involving Jackson's art. Strong explains, "We thought that if we would market [his art] in limited edition prints to his fans, he could support the charities that he wanted to, rather than have everybody think that he was so wealthy he could afford to finance everybody." When the pedophilia scandal erupted, Disney put a freeze on the project. The artwork stayed put, packed away from public eyes in storage crates.

Shannon Cottrell

Jackson's sketch of the Wright Brothers' first flight, which he hoped to donate to the Santa Monica airport.

​

As for the spectacular appraisal of $900 million for Jackson's art collection, Strong says that it derives from the idea of reproducing prints as well. The figure was originally quoted by Eric Finzi, of Belgo Fine Art Appraisers. "The reason somebody came out with that was because there was an appraisal on if all of his originals were reproduced -- he wanted to do limited editions of 777 -- and he would sell them to his fan base in order to build his monument, support kids and do other things. You multiply that by 150 originals, and if they sold for a few thousand dollars each, then you would end up with 900 million dollars." Fair enough, though now Strong says he has gone to an appraiser in Chicago to get that value double-checked, and they arrived at an even higher estimate.

The story of Jackson's art ends up being quite a simple one, though confused by so much hearsay and rumor. Strong and the Jackson estate will slowly reveal more works as time passes, and an exhibit is tentatively planned for L.A.'s City Hall. Negotiations with museums for a posthumous Jackson retrospective are still underway, but Strong has high hopes. He's even talking of building a Michael Jackson museum that would house all of Jackson's artwork.

Shannon Cottrell

Jackson's sketch of the White House doors, to which he added the following quote from John Adams: "I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men [MJ's addition:] or women rule under this roof."

​

We'll leave you with Strong's own description of Jackson at work, during the time where they shared a studio in a house in Pacific Palisades:

He was in a very light and happy mood most of the time. He would have the oldies on, and sometimes he'd hear some of his Jackson Five songs. He'd kind of move along to that, but most of the time he would change it and listen to a variety of songs. He liked classical music. His inspiration to create was that he loved life, and wanted to express his love of life in some of these simple compositions.

I came to the studio one day, and we had a Malamute. I came into the house, and I heard this dog barking and thought, Wow, I wonder what that is. I go into the kitchen, and I couldn't help but laugh when I see Michael up in the pots and pans in the middle of the center island. He's holding a pen and paper and the dog is running around the island and barking at him, and he says, "He wants to play! He wants to play!" He's laughing, and I'm laughing about it as I'm thinking to myself, "I'm wondering how long he's been up there."

Michael Jackson's dedication to art: so strong that he'll end up perched on a kitchen island.

[Edited 8/18/11 10:56am]

Thanks for posting, Kitty. I love articles like that.

Seeing Mike and that dog in the kitchen must have been something.

Great post.

I think Michael was a gifted illustrator, but I would hardly call him a great artist. I think the $900m estimate is pretty wishful thinking.

I was hoping to see a little more of the work beyond what we knew Michael could do - great sketches. I guess I was hoping for something a little more inspired or surreal.

Beuatiful to see the work though none the less.

Swa said:

Great post.

I think Michael was a gifted illustrator, but I would hardly call him a great artist. I think the $900m estimate is pretty wishful thinking.

I was hoping to see a little more of the work beyond what we knew Michael could do - great sketches. I guess I was hoping for something a little more inspired or surreal.

Beuatiful to see the work though none the less.

Yeah, it's certainly better than I could do. I don't have that kinda patience.

ThruTheEyesOfWonder said:

NaughtyKitty said:

Will.I.Am Says Justin Bieber Can Be Like Michael Jackson…or Prince

Love him or hate him, 17-year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber is taking over the world, one 12-year-old at a time. For some time, many have compared the young star’s success to that of international icon Michael Jackson, and Black Eyed Peasfrontman Will.I.Am is making sure that he is added to that list, telling Radio Disney that he doesn’t see why this kid isn’t the next MJ…or Prince. Seriously.

First of all, no Radio Disney kids should be listening to Prince, and secondly, PRINCE!? Really?!

http://icydk.com/2011/08/...or-prince/

And what does MJ have to say?

Too many people kissing that boy's ass, I swear.

i just watched the interview where will i am said this.. and then i scrolled down to see the comments...what do they say you ask? "justin is already better than prince" "justin= KING OF POP" ect.... ect....ect..... and im about to BLOW the F*CK up...

Swa said:

I think Michael was a gifted illustrator, but I would hardly call him a great artist.

Illustrators are artists.

Unholyalliance said:

Swa said:

I think Michael was a gifted illustrator, but I would hardly call him a great artist.

Illustrators are artists.

Yes I know that - My point was I wouldn't call him a "great artist" the way I would Picasso, Van Gogh, Rothko, or Warhol GREAT artists.

I wasn't disputing illustrators being artists.

I'd like to see a Michael Jackson museum. I know Michael was working on a Jackson Family museum several years ago but for some reason, it never happened

anyway, I've been buying the Michael Jackson trading cards by Panini and I have 35 and I already a couple of duplicates. For those buying them also, how many do you have so far?

bboy87 said:

I'd like to see a Michael Jackson museum. I know Michael was working on a Jackson Family museum several years ago but for some reason, it never happened

anyway, I've been buying the Michael Jackson trading cards by Panini and I have 35 and I already a couple of duplicates. For those buying them also, how many do you have so far?

I bought 2 hobby boxes so I almost have the complete set.

I have a lot of duplicates and some I still need.

Org me and we can see if we have any the other needs.

As a fan I am up for Michael's records being equalled or broken.

I am up for artists pushing themselves to be bigger and better.

Some of his records will be matched, some will be broken, some will never be touched.

It doesn't change the fact that he reached them, more often than not first.

I'm happy to award a new artist King or Queen of pop when, for starters:

Their first 4 single releases are all consecutive number 1s.

They score 8 or more Grammies in a single night.

When the release the biggest selling album of all time.

When they achieve number 1 albums in 3 different decades.

When they achieve 13 or more number 1 singles

When they achieve 7 singles in the top 10 from one album.

When they achieve 5 number 1 singles from one album.

When they have the biggest selling album of all time

and when at the time of thier death they have 7 of the 10 ten albums.

When they do all this throughout a 40 year career, then I'll be happy to give them the title.

I wonder when and why Mike became afraid of dogs.

[img:$uid]http://img88.im.../img:$uid]

Swa said:

As a fan I am up for Michael's records being equalled or broken.

I am up for artists pushing themselves to be bigger and better.

Some of his records will be matched, some will be broken, some will never be touched.

It doesn't change the fact that he reached them, more often than not first.

I'm happy to award a new artist King or Queen of pop when, for starters:

Their first 4 single releases are all consecutive number 1s.

They score 8 or more Grammies in a single night.

When the release the biggest selling album of all time.

When they achieve number 1 albums in 3 different decades.

When they achieve 13 or more number 1 singles

When they achieve 7 singles in the top 10 from one album.

When they achieve 5 number 1 singles from one album.

When they have the biggest selling album of all time

and when at the time of thier death they have 7 of the 10 ten albums.

When they do all this throughout a 40 year career, then I'll be happy to give them the title.

I don't think that it should be solely based on awards and records. Music and impact needs to be taken into consideration.

smoothcriminal12 said:

Swa said:

As a fan I am up for Michael's records being equalled or broken.

I am up for artists pushing themselves to be bigger and better.

Some of his records will be matched, some will be broken, some will never be touched.

It doesn't change the fact that he reached them, more often than not first.

I'm happy to award a new artist King or Queen of pop when, for starters:

Their first 4 single releases are all consecutive number 1s.

They score 8 or more Grammies in a single night.

When the release the biggest selling album of all time.

When they achieve number 1 albums in 3 different decades.

When they achieve 13 or more number 1 singles

When they achieve 7 singles in the top 10 from one album.

When they achieve 5 number 1 singles from one album.

When they have the biggest selling album of all time

and when at the time of thier death they have 7 of the 10 ten albums.

When they do all this throughout a 40 year career, then I'll be happy to give them the title.

I don't think that it should be solely based on awards and records. Music and impact needs to be taken into consideration.

Agreed - and I did say for starters.

My point being is that people think if and artist equal's one of MJ's achievements, then they are the *new* king or queen. My point is MJ wasn't just one achievement, he was a career filled with them. A career of influence, breaking new ground, and inspiration.

As they say often imitated never duplicated.

Question about MJJC, I saw this on their youtube blog page:

http://www.youtube.com/so...nity-forum

MJJC won an MTV Award? For what?

NaughtyKitty said:

Question about MJJC, I saw this on their youtube blog page:

http://www.youtube.com/so...nity-forum

Welcome To The Michael Jackson Fan Club MJJCommunity. An MTV Award winning community for the fans of Michael Jackson

See more at www.mjjcommunity.com

MJJC won an MTV Award? For what?

Best fan site I think...

smoothcriminal12 said:

I don't think that it should be solely based on awards and records. Music and impact needs to be taken into consideration.

I think that the point of the post was instead of being crowned 'King of Pop' because of ONE achievement like that, they should be able to accumulate a significant amount of them.

smoothcriminal12 said:

NaughtyKitty said:

Question about MJJC, I saw this on their youtube blog page:

http://www.youtube.com/so...nity-forum

MJJC won an MTV Award? For what?

Best fan site I think...

Lol I didnt know MTV gave out awards for fan sites. Interesting.

NaughtyKitty said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

Best fan site I think...

Lol I didnt know MTV gave out awards for fan sites. Interesting.

Oh yeah, there was that big ass drama, because the Kanye West fanforum members were starting shit and then the dramaqueen admin requested that the forum be taken out of the contest because of all of it. Then they were added back in and won.

Came across this 1995 MTV clip about the introduction of the Internet and MJ happens to be in the first part of it.

NOTE: IGNORE the douche in the beginning that down talks MJ

My amigo Chris Grant dancing to Michael