Boy George explores his evolving relationship with global stardom by painting

Boy George has pushed boundaries of artistic freedom for over 40 years, through music, songwriting, DJing, photography and fashion, yet art has always been at the centre of his creative impulse.

Image courtesy of Castle Fine Art. Photo Credit Dave Parry PA Images

“Art is lyrical, and lyrics are like paintings,” says Boy George, who is debuting his electrifying collection with Castle Fine Art today.

A contemporary maximalist, Boy George portrays figures from both popular culture and alternative subculture in his raw style of new-wave portraiture. Using a host of offbeat materials, colours and shapes, his art is quintessentially him: loud, vivid, punk, and iconic.

In the new limited-edition collection, Fame, Boy George explores his evolving relationship with global stardom. Showcased in four mixed-media silkscreen portraits, we see a supergroup of innovators, some of the most influential creatives of our time, who each held their own perception of fame. Music icons Prince, Madonna and his creative hero, David Bowie, who influenced him to begin his artistic journey from a young age, are portrayed alongside his own self-portrait from his Culture Club era. Unlike the limited editions, his collection of original works often features unknown trailblazers from the 1980s club scene and the underground fashion industry.

We’re seeing Boy George’s vision of these icons from the distinct eras that speak to him. For the artist, it’s a form of self-reflection, predominantly of his formative years, helping us understand him at individual points in time.

Image courtesy of Castle Fine Art. Photo Credit Dave Parry PA Images

Boy George believes nothing is original, apart from your perspective. The power of perspective is a fascination shared by the subjects in this collection, who continually transformed their pop identities, borrowing symbols from the cultural archives and creating their own visual history. They each dared to be ridiculed, becoming braver every time.

“Bowie fame, Madonna fame, Prince fame, my fame – they’re each unique”, says Boy George. “We all managed it completely differently because there is no ‘right way’ to do it.”

As a self-declared portrait artist, people have always influenced Boy George – famous or not. The thing all of his subjects have in common is the mark they have left on him, even if he didn’t know it at the time.

“Obviously I’ve got heroes and they’re not all famous. They just have to be someone that I was inspired by or liked. In hindsight, I have a lot more respect for many of the people I met over the years. I probably didn’t see the value in the moment, or didn’t like them! But people are iconic.”

Beyond the person we see on paper is a deeper story, an intimate insight into Boy George’s relationship and personal memories with these figures. He is re-telling stories from his past in the only way he can, from his perspective. He’s immortalising these legends through his guise, ‘putting love’ into each piece with his unmistakable signature.

Boy George’s stylistic approach is largely guided by instinct. The fearless black markings he once drew on himself with a kohl eye pencil are now a signature characteristic of his art. The sharp linear outlines seen in Fame are distinctly Boy George, softened by delicate mixed media including metal leaves, diamond dust and glitter gloss. Whilst The Originals Collection is brought to life using zippers, beads, studs, safety pins, fabrics, and a lot of sequins!

His irregular methods are what make his art unlike anything else. He describes his techniques as almost ‘disrespectful’ to the traditional methods of painting and drawing, challenging the conventional view of beauty through distorted shapes and dramatic disorder.

“I approach my art in quite a chaotic way, and then interesting things come out of that chaos.”

https://www.castlefineart.com/uk/artists/boy-george/boy-george-fame-collection

Overview of the collections: 

Fame – The limited-edition collection.

‘Yamamoto’ – a hypnotic portrait of the undisputed master of reinvention, David Bowie.

Boy George’s Bowie ‘obsession’ began as a child when he would repeatedly sketch him in art class at school. This fixation was cemented when, age 11, he saw Bowie perform on the Ziggy Stardust tour wearing his famed ‘Tokyo Pop’ bodysuit. Captivated by this vision of his idol, Boy George went on to create ‘Yamamoto’, his definitive portrait of David Bowie. Describing the image as ‘Tintin meets Ziggy Stardust’, Boy George named the artwork after the designer of the iconic bodysuit, Kansai Yamamoto.

‘Madame X’ – an alluring portrait of the long-regarded ‘queen of pop’, Madonna.

Inspired by her 2019 studio album of the same title, ‘Madame X’ is an alter ego, a figure born out of Madonna’s many artistic inspirations, manifest as a secret agent who travels the world, changes identities, and fights for freedom. An enigmatic figure, this particular persona in Madonna’s repertoire of reinventions fascinates Boy George.

Although the two of them have had a rocky relationship since the 1980s, Boy George admires what Madonna represents; artistic brilliance and empowerment. He sees her as an enduring phenomenon and hasn’t let any bad blood between them taint his captivating view of her in his art. As Boy George himself says, “You don’t have to like someone to paint them”.

‘Purple Reign’ – a vividly sharp portrait of musical revolutionary, Prince.

The title refers to his sixth studio album, Purple Rain, which is considered a groundbreaking masterpiece, merging pop, rock and funk like no album before. It saw Prince further challenge and stretch the boundaries of sexuality and masculinity through his image.

Featuring his now iconic high collar, purple trench coat with studded shoulder panel, in this portrait we see Boy George’s almost punk vision of Prince with sweeping, dyed hair and barbed edges. He recalls a time early in his career when he met a curiously silent Prince over dinner, where Boy George promptly left. “I’m always amazed when I meet Geminis that are nothing like me”, he says.

‘Colour by Numbers’ – an intriguing self-portrait of creative visionary, Boy George.

Inspired by Culture Club’s 1983 studio album of the same name, ‘Colour by Numbers’ is based on a familiar image of Boy George from that era. On seeing a picture of himself, Boy George recalled regularly feeling ‘grumpy’ around that time, as he was still navigating the early years of fame.

In the self-portrait, he has given the image a more playful perspective, reclaiming this persona as a cartoon. It sees him reflect on who he was then, who he is now and the version of himself that the public know. “I was an invention, so it’s easy to draw that person because it’s so set in stone”, he says.

The Originals Collection – Hero works

Basquiat 03

A unique portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Basquiat and Boy George both rose to fame in the 1980s, crossing paths on New York’s club scene. Basquiat, then relatively unknown, often borrowed $300 from Boy George but tragically passed away in 1988 before repaying him. This collection, inspired by Basquiat, explores identity, reinvention, and judgement, with Boy George’s maximalist style using a variety of materials to create vibrant, boundary-pushing works.

Acrylic on canvas with mixed media, hand-signed by Boy George.

Give Drag a Chance

The piece humorously reflects the global rise of drag over the past decade, drawing parallels between Boy George’s ‘punk DIY’ art style and the elaborate costumes of drag artists. Adorned with various materials, the artwork explores themes of appearance, assumption, and judgement. Boy George’s collection, known for its maximalist style, portrays iconic figures while delving into identity, reinvention, and self-expression.

Acrylic on canvas with beads and sequins, hand-signed by Boy George.

The Space Matador

Inspired by his clubbing days, it recalls the striking door attendants who controlled entry, exuding a sense of power, which Boy George admired. To stand out and gain entry, he would create equally bold looks. This piece, like others in his collection, explores identity, reinvention, and judgement, using a maximalist style with diverse materials that create visually captivating works.

Acrylic on canvas with beads and sequins.

Boy George artist biography

Boy George is a pure creative. For him, art is everything.

Influenced by people from his past and present, and visions in nature and architecture, his art is quintessentially Boy George – loud, vivid, punk, iconic. Sometimes representing a specific person, sometimes representing us all, each piece tells a story. A story that we must discover for ourselves.

An international superstar at 22, Boy George was an influential figure in the cultural melting pot of artists on the New York and London club scenes throughout the 1980s, a cohort that included Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Tracy Emin and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

But his daring artistic expression developed long before this. Expelled for wearing flamboyant clothing and make-up, his school years shaped many of his future creative endeavours – particularly his art.

“Being a kid with a personality in a classroom of 30 children, you stand out. For me, art was really the only place where I was able to be self-indulgent and free”, he says.

Inspired by his art teacher, he would spend hours drawing pictures of his musical idols, with one figure dominating the pages of his sketchbook more than anyone else… David Bowie.

Inspired by Bowie’s androgynous aesthetic, Boy George began to experiment with textiles and make-up, discovering the infinite magic of a kohl eyeliner pencil. This prompted his lifelong desire to create visual illusions, using his own body as a canvas, which led him to become one of the most unique and recognisable figures in popular culture.

His image has been captured countless times over four decades, by the likes of Annie Leibovitz, Terry O’Neill and Rankin. But, in his art, we see Boy George shift the spotlight on to his own subjects, allowing us to see them through his eyes with his signature style, wit and rebellion.

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