| |||||||
 | Brett works with an Acetylene Torch on the 20 ton Presidency Monument. |  | Exhibit Space in the Sun City Museum of Fine Art in Arizona. |  | Brett works in his home painting studio. | ||
 | Young Brett in his Queensland studio with his master painting 'Creation of Man'. |  | Brett with his three bronze tributes to John Lennon. The statue was placed in the foyer of the Music Academy building while the two busts are kept in Rock'n'Roll museums. |  | Wild Life Foundation Auction. LA Mayor Riordan congradulates Brett on his $250,000 sale. | ||
 | Unveiling of"The Book" with partner Michael Jackson of the Jackson-Strong Alliance. |  | Michael, Brett, and Hiromichi Saeki; purchaser of Brett's record breaking $2.1 million painting titled 'The Book' in early 1990. |  | Brett and Apollo XII Commander Pete Conrad. | ||
 | Brett explains his visions of the Independance Hall Monument to President Ronald Reagan. |  | President Reagan and Brett at the unveiling of the Bicentennial Monument. |  | The Artist is congratulated by first lady Barbara Bush. | ||
 | 'Formation of Life' copper sculpture. |  | News interview in front of John Wayne sculpture. |  | Contemplating his next cut in the John Wayne boulder. | ||
 | Carving the John Wayne stone sculpture in Century City, 1978. |  | Brett inspects part of the famous Malibu Rock in 1978. |  | Brett and formula one race car driver Jackie Stewart with Brett's Indy 500 car. | ||
 | The Jackson Strong Alliance |  | Agajanian Strong Indy500 Racing Team |  | Dr. Armand Hammer congradulates Brett at the official museum unveiling of his portrait. | ||
 | LA Mayor Brandley and Brett unveil the Eagle Monument in Japan. |  | Paul Newman and Brett race on a slick track at Paul's 60th Birthday party. |  | Pricilla Presley and Brett in front of Rodin's Bronze sculpture, 'Gates of Hell' at the Dallas Museum of Modern Art. | ||
 | Jackson-Strong Alliance page in the Dangerous Tour Book. |  | Brett, Bono of U2, and his wife discuss future projects. |  | Brett finds inspiration at the site of the Stonehenge ancient rock formation. | ||
 | Brett, with his son Stason, introduces Michael and Lisa-Marie Presley in his Los Angeles home in 1992. |  | Brett and Andy Warhol discuss Brett's World Peace Monument honoring John Lennon in New York City in 1981. |  | Brett often worked with popular bands to design stages and album covers. Shown here are Brian Wilson and Mike Love of the Beach Boys. | ||
 | Bob Hope congratulates Brett at his unveiling ceremony of the 'We the People' project. |  | Brett's promotional cover from 1987. |  | Welding together the John Lennon bronze. | ||
 | Young Brett in Australia with his Koala named 'Bluey'. |  | Michael congratulates Brett for his Jackson Burn Center bronze relief and wrote "Brett, you're the modern day Michelangelo". |  | Brett poses for theLA Times in front of his City of Angels project. | ||
 | Apollo XI astronaut Buzz Aldren congratulates Brett, with his son Stason, at the National Space Exploration Monument unveiling. |  | Brett, with Margot and son Stason, talks with President Reagan during the Bicentennial Monument unveiling ceremony at Independance Hall on September 17, 1987. |  | Brett's first one-man gallery exhibit in Los Angeles in 1977 after leaving Australia. | ||
 | LA Mayor Richard Riordan, Steven Soboroff, President of the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners and Senior Advisor to the Mayor, discuss future projects with Brett. |  | Brett works on his massive project consisting of sculpture and painting called 'Visions'. |  | Brett meets with internationally renowned ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev and Cynthia Lennon in front of the John Lennon statue. | ||
 | Jackie Chan discussing his interest in Brett's architecture for China. | ||||||
August 28, 2009
Brett-Livingstone Strong, Strong Monuments - Notable Letters and Press about the Artist (AND THE BEST BLOGGER EVER AWARD GOES TO ME AGAIN...AGAIN, YOU'RE WELCOME)
Michael Jackson Painting, He Wore Red Velvet
HW UPDATE: The owners of a long-hidden painting of Michael Jackson, reputed to be the only portrait he ever posed for, say they are trying to sell it amid the renewed interest after his death. The painting, last sold in 1990 for $2.1 million, was brought out of storage at New Jersey warehouse recently and put on display in a Harlem car showroom.
The 50-by-40-inch painting, called “The Book,” was done in 1990 by an Australian artist, Brett-Livingstone Strong, who was a close friend of Mr. Jackson and shared his taste for slightly fantastical style of life and dress.
The portrait depicts Mr. Jackson dressed in red velvet holding a journal of thoughts and sketches. “We called it, ‘The Book,’” Mr. Strong said. ‘What are you going to put in ‘The Book’ today, Michael?’” The backdrop is Neverland, with an image of Tinkerbell. The painting has touches of Vermeer, as that was one of Mr. Jackson’s favorite painters, Mr. Strong said.
The painting is owned by two toy inventors, Marty Abrams and John Gentilly, who received the painting in 1992 from a Japanese businessman who had bought it to make good on a debt he owed the inventors.
“If someone came with a legitimate offer, I’d probably sell it,” said Mr. Abrams, who lives in Great Neck. He tried selling it when he first took possession of it in 1992, but couldn’t find any good offers.
“I couldn’t get anyone at that time interested in the painting,” said Mr. Abrams. “I put it in storage for 17 years, and it has been there for 17 years.”
They never displayed it in their own homes. “It’s so expensive that the insurance was too expensive,” Mr. Abrams said. “I have prints for $600. I might have a sketch for $1,000. But to put a $2 million painting in the middle of all that would be a little bit overwhelming.”
They were inspired to bring the painting out of storage after Mr. Jackson’s death in June, in part because Mr. Abrams saw a news story about a sketch portrait of Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol that was being put up for auction.
Mr. Strong and Mr. Jackson formed an art business partnership, the Jackson-Strong Alliance, around 1989 and 1990 to display their art work, which included this portrait. The two were brainstorming how to raise money for charity when Mr. Strong mentioned that a Japanese businessman, Hiromichi Saeki, had offered millions of dollars for a portrait of Mr. Jackson.
Mr. Jackson said he would sit for it if the buyer agreed to pay a world record — ultimately $2.1 million, then reported as the highest amount ever paid for a living person. “Sometime later he told me he would have made $5 million for it,” Mr. Strong said. The businessman later went bankrupt and gave the painting to Mr. Abrams.
Mr. Strong still has a number of drawings done by Mr. Jackson as part of the partnership. “These drawings are really interesting. Some of the are really fantastic. They have been in a drawer for 17 years.” He is hoping to hold an exhibit of the art.
A limited, autographed set of lithographs was created based on “The Book.” Around 375 of them were numbered and some have made their way onto eBay and Craigslist.
The owners have received calls from as far away as Dubai after Mr. Jackson’s death from people who knew they owned the painting. “Up to this point we’ve been very skittish,” Mr. Abrams said. They have reached out to Phillips De Pury auction house to get an assessment. “I am not an art expert. I don’t understand the art market,” he said. “We have no idea what it’s worth. Is it worth $1 million? Is it worth $10 million?”
Currently, the painting is being displayed at the Dancy-Power Automotive at Lenox Avenue and West 129th in Harlem, chosen in part because it is owned by a friend of Mr. Abrams and also because it is near the Apollo Theater, where the Jackson 5 won an amateur night competition in 1967.
It hasn’t drawn huge crowds, Mr. Abrams said, in part because “we don’t put a big sign in the window, ‘Michael Jackson Painting Here.’”
The Hiromichi Saeki Corp. paid $ 2.1 million to artist Brett-Livingstone for a portrait of Michael Jackson
1990
- Cuadro -de un artista vivo- más valorado de la historia (The Hiromichi Saeki Corp. pagó 2.1 millones de dólares al artista Brett-Livingstone por un retrato de Michael Jackson)
The Hiromichi Saeki Corp. paid $ 2.1 million to artist Brett-Livingstone for a portrait of Michael Jackson)
'THE BOOK' STORY: Brett-Livingstone Strong - Michael Jackson - Portrait Missing in Auction - Now Up For Auction
Brett-Livingstone Strong's Michael Jackson Portrait
Missing in Auction
"What are you going to put in The Book today, Michael?"--B.S.
RT @mrjyn -http://bit.ly/hbeyq - "Brett-Livingstone Strong's #Michaeljackson Portrait Missing in #Auction " AND - http://bit.ly/rZwU3
Brett-Livingstone Strong Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
'THE BOOK' STORY:
The owners of a long-hidden painting of Michael Jackson, reputed to be the only portrait he ever posed for, say they are trying to sell it amid the renewed interest after his death. The painting, last sold in 1990 for $2.1 million, was brought out of storage at New Jersey warehouse recently and put on display in a Harlem car showroom. The 50-by-40-inch painting, called The Book, was done in 1990 by Australian artist, Brett-Livingstone Strong, who was a close friend of Mr Jackson and shared his taste for slightly fantastical style of life and dress. The portrait depicts Mr Jackson dressed in red velvet holding a journal of thoughts and sketches. The backdrop is Neverland, with an image of Tinkerbell.
BIO:
Brett-Livingstone Strong is an Australian born artist (1954) best known for his philanthropic eccentric nature. He is an architect, sculptor and painter and modern day Michelangelo. Like in olden days, Brett-Livingstone Strong was Michael Jackson's personal portrait artist. In 1990 "The Book" sold for 2.1 Million Dollars. This world-renowned artist has been commissioned by Queen, President, Prince, and Dame (Elizabeth II, Reagan, Charles, and Taylor). This piece was the only portrait which, that, whom, Michael Jackson sat still (although looking at it--you wonder). Recently "The Book" made its first appearance in an Automotive Dealership near Harlem's Apollo Theatre, where she still hangs today, awaiting her turn with the auction house expectantly, following Andy Warhol's "Michael Jackson" sale. The portrait of Jackson is reminiscent of fifteenth-century portraiture, like Michelangelo. (I have trouble even copying and pasting that sentence.) A "tribute to creative genius and Jacksonian ideals (made that one up), the portrait is a combination of symbolism, technique, and made-to-order bumper stickers (or maybe that Escher Book you had in High School--also me). It is to art, what the Mona Lisa is to the Automotive Industry (coincidentally); both powerful, yet sensitive; both smiling, yet not; both luxury vehicle, yet Hybrid (mine again).
"In this work, a veil has been lifted to reveal Jackson (unfortunately the veil-allusion only works well with Michael's test-tubers) Wearing a smile reminiscent of Mona, a contemporary Renaissance man, Jackson is finally, eternally at peace with himself...a respite from the the sweet meat of innocence, in retrospect (the line between official bio and me now begins to get blurry)."
Michael Jackson referred to Brett-Livingstone as 'a postmodern evangelist, and the Rhett Butler of Vincent Van Goggles,' saying 'He really just don't give a damn.'
SUMP:
Again, strong, original painting. The Book sold for $2.1. Japanese businessman bought it. Overpaid in an Occidental fit of impulsion soon to be regretted. (You can't make this stuff up. I mean, unless you're BS.)
The Artist ABOUT:"Your timing could not be better...Brett is close to making a major announcement that could skyrocket the value of his art collection to even higher levels (than his current eBay auctions and Harlem Car Dealership prescence --ed).
WARNING! DO NOT READ BELOW IF YOU ARE A STARVING ARTIST CONSIDERING SUICIDE:
In 1977, he carved John Wayne's face in a 116-ton rock that fell onto Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. It sold in 1979 for $1.1 million to an Arizona company, and currently resides at the Lubbock Christian University (once again, I'm going to assume you know that that's in TX).
Strong created a life size bronze statue of John Lennon, imaginatively entitled, "Imagine" (Imagine that). He began work on the sculpture as a tribute to (guess?) six months before (yep, he was a musician) his untimely death (everyone he renders dies prematurely or falls on to the Pacific Coast Highway, increasing their value). Originally unveiled in New York City by Andy Warhol, it is currently in the possession of a private collector. (When you see some of the rest of his work, you'll understand, "what's with all the privacy?" Again, another reason he's like Michelangelo, which is one of the few things which rhymes with Tangelo [my favorite word].)
The painting touches Vermeer and fatwas--three of Mr Jackson's favorites.Provenance of "The Book" OR What Do the Yakuza, Inventors, and Car Dealers Have in Common?
The painting is owned by two toy inventors (wonder if they were gay), received from a Japanese businessman, who had bought it to make good on a debt ...
READ MORE AT MY BLOG:http://www.visualguidanceltd.blogspot.com
"The Book" Bullets:
The backdrop is Neverland, with an image of Tinkerbell.
The painting touches Vermeer and fatwas--three of Mr Jackson's favorites.
Provenance of "The Book" OR What Do the Yakuza, Toy Inventors, and Car Dealerships Have in Common?
The painting is owned by two toy inventors, received from a Japanese businessman, who had bought it to make good on a debt he owed inventors.
Mr Abrams tried selling it when he first took possession, but couldn't find an offer.
Mr Abrams put it in storage for 17 years.
Mr Abrams felt irreverent displaying it in his homes.
Mr Abrams' insurance is too expensive.
Mr Abrams was inspired to bring the painting out of storage.
Mr Jackson's death, a suitcase, and the story of Michael Jackson and Andy Warhol is another good story. Mr Abrams has received calls from far away, from people saying that they owned the painting.
Mr Abrams has been very skittish.Mr Abrams outreached to an auction house.
Mr Abrams doesn't understand the art market. Mr Abrams doesn't understand what it's worth.
Mr Abrams doesn't understand if it is worth $1 million. Mr Abrams doesn't understand if it might be worth $10 million. Mr Abrams' painting is displayed at the Dancy-Power Automotive on Lenox Avenue in Harlem. Mr Abrams doesn't understand that it is near the Apollo Theater.
Mr Abrams doesn't understand why it hasn't drawn huge crowds. Mr Abrams doesn't understand, in part because, Mr Abrams doesn't put a big sign in the window. Mr Abrams doesn't understand big signs. Mr Abrams' big sign might read: Michael Jackson Painting Here.
Mr Abrams doesn't understand Michael Jackson.
August 27, 2009
© 2009 Fine Art Investments - Brett Livingstone Strong Biography
About the Artist
Brett-Livingstone Strong Biography
Artist Brett-Livingstone Strong was born in Australia in 1953. Brett Livingstone’s parents were both artists, and the young Strong showed early signs of becoming a serious artist. His first painting exhibition took place at the age of four, and by sixteen he had his first one-man-show, at the Sebert Gallery in Sydney, Australia. The show was a great success, and every piece of art exhibited was sold. Strong initially came to the United States at the age of 23, on a six week scholarship to develop his artistic talents. He settled in Los Angeles, California, where his artistic career brought him tremendous notoriety and success. Brett-Livingstone continues to live an artistic life, in the city of Los Angeles, California.
Brett-Livingstone Strong’s accomplishments are extensive, including major commissions for; The United States Government, The country of Japan, The International Olympics, as well as designs created for many of the icons of pop and contemporary American culture. Strong’s artistic life has involved him in the worlds of recognized public and entertainment figures such as; President Bush, President Reagan, Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, Lawrence Welk, Rupert Murdoch and Armand Hammer, just to name a few.
Strong received international recognition for his commemorative monuments including; The Bicentennial Constitution Monument; The Nagoya Sister City Goodwill Monument in Japan; The Austrian Bicentennial Monument; and The United States Presidency Monument.
Brett-Livingstone Strong was selected as an ‘Official Artist’, and commissioned to create four official posters for the 1984 Olympic Games, held in Los Angeles, California.
Strong received huge media attention when he purchased the famous 116-ton ‘Malibu Rock’ for one hundred dollars and carved a sculpted image of the head of John Wayne into the rock. Strong created the sculpture in public view, over a period of 70 days, and finally sold the finished work reportedly for over one million dollars.
A Grammy award winning album cover was created by Strong, for the rock and roll album ‘Tango in the Night’ of the famous band ‘Fleetwood Mac’. The design received the Grammy Award, Best Album Cover of the Year, 1987.
The original painting titled ‘The Book’, depicting a portrait of Michael Jackson, sold for a reported record breaking 2.1 million dollars, the most ever paid for a portrait created by a living artist, of a subject still living. This original painting became the Master Work for Strong’s series of lithographs of the same title.
Brett-Livingstone Strong’s creativity as a painter is combined with artistic, talent and technical expertise as a craftsman. He is one of an exceptional group of artists having the ability to excel both as a painter and a sculptor. Strong’s unique artistic style has been greatly impacted by his ideals and philosophy of life. He is an avid proponent of world peace, the protection of the environment, and the celebration of the wonders of nature. These influences can be seen in the vast majority of his works. Many of Strong’s vivid paintings seem to transcend realism, combining brilliant color, photo realistic imagery and fantasy. Strong’s original paintings and sculptures have generated high figures for a contemporary artist, and his lithographs have been very popular, selling to thousands of collectors.
Another Michael Jackson painting for auction // Current
Another Michael Jackson painting for auction // CurrentAnother Michael Jackson painting for auction
This week, the gavel has fallen and the auction is over. Andy Warhol's portrait of Michael Jackson sold Tuesday at the Vered Gallery in New York's East Hampton for more than $1 million to an undisclosed buyer.
A luxury car dealership may not be the first place one would expect to find an original Michael Jackson portrait these days, but that is, in fact, where one resides. The artwork, titled The Book and painted in 1990 by Australian artist Brett-Livingstone Strong, is on view at Dancy-Power Automotive Group in Harlem, which announced yesterday that the painting is going up for sale.
Sea of Shoes - Shoe Should I Love? Shoe is Mr. Right
RT @sea_of_shoes - http://bit.ly/BDc5T - Sea of Shoes - Shoe Should I Love? Shoe is Mr. Right #youtube #video
Phone calls. oh, fuck, it's another fucking phone call. who is it Now? Kanye, Ronnie, George? Whose the one that i call large, if it's Maury, I'll go to sleep and he'll keep, and if it's kanye i'll kick rap some dope sleazy, yo, if it's Ronnie i'll get my gun suicide sure sounds like fun, it won't be George, love of my life, he ignores me like his ex wife. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, Hello? It's goddamn motherfucking pain in my ass, Marathon MO. god, Help me, Ronnie, help me get off the phone. LAMF. Vega Boy. He's smart and fun. Unlike some Tex No Mex Cold Wavers, i know. But the radio frequencies...We do it,a fucking parking lot. We do it, inalienably like the fucking constitution. We do it talking to the animals, doctor Doolittle. We do it, lifetime network. and last night, We do do do do do Heartbreaker, Stoned at a club in the Loo Wop Room. We do it rough like pumice We do two firs, Tuesdays, no commercial break. Rock block. Block Block. Is fun, ridiculous. we, if, should, i, could, do. would, Little 'ting'----just three days, seventy two hours, Indian say: "see moon ride wolf three times before make em smokey signals." . that's his fault too. Anne demmeemelmaonster, please send me magic Belgian shoes that make my ears fall off. or render me mute except for hot guys who are not twice plus 12 ears. who i won't love the same, but, oh, mew mew, oh, Ball Maine, Oh Ree D C, help me. Shoe me the way. Shoe me the light. Shoe should i love? Shoe is Mr. Right?
Lindsay Lohan Burglary (Take the K.A.S.H.)
RT @mrjyn - http://bit.ly/e3USi - #Lindsay Lohan #Burglary Take the #Cash #video #youtube via @mrjyn
AND FOLLOW NICHOPOULOUZO CHANNEL http://www.youtube.com/nichopoulouzo @mrjyn http://www.twitter.com/mrjyn OR @NICHOPOULOUZO
#LindsayLohan #lohan #lapd #Burglary Take the #cash @NICHOPOULOUZO "Lindsay Lohan" Burglary "Take the K.A.S.H." "wreckless eric" cash robbery "sex tape" sam lapd lohan lindsay NICHOPOULOUZO @mrjyn twitter.com/mrjyn mrjyn caught surveillance "stiff records" wreckless eric "amy rigby" "take the cash" k.a.s.h. kash #video #youtube youtube.com/nichopoulouzo
Lindsay Lohan Burglary (Take the K.A.S.H.)
@mrjyn http://www.twitter.com/mrjyn http://www.youtube.com/nich...
Category: Entertainment
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Lindsay Lohan Burglary Take the K.A.S.H. wreckless eric cash robbery sex tape sam lapd lohan lindsay @mrjyn twitter.com/mrjyn mrjyn caught surveillance stiff records wreckless eric amy rigby take the cash k.a.s.h. kash
Remembering Otha Turner | Music Features | Memphis Flyer
Remembering Otha Turner | Music Features | Memphis FlyerRemembering Otha Turner
by Michael FlanaganThis Saturday, August 29th, the rolling farmland of north Mississippi will once again be the focus of blues history. At a ceremony in Como, Mississippi, hill-country blues legend Otha Turner will be added to the Mississippi Blues Trail, receiving a permanent roadside placard commemorating his contributions to Mississippi music.
The placard will be placed near the Como Public Library and not far from the Gravel Springs home where Turner spent most of his life. And, importantly, the ceremony will be held in conjunction with this year's annual Fife and Drum Goat Barbecue Picnic, a summer tradition started by Turner and carried on by his family after his passing in 2003.
"I'm excited about the people coming, about meeting new people," said Turner's daughter Betty Turner of her father's recognition. "We're all just real excited."
"We're honored that there are people in this country who think that much of Grandfather," said Bobbie Turner, Otha's granddaughter.
Turner's life and music stand as a testimony to the continuing power of American roots music. Those attending Saturday's ceremony will include family, friends, musicians, and blues enthusiasts who feel that Turner's life went well beyond his music and that his family extended beyond his relatives.
"He was one of the best friends I've had," said Bill Ramsey, who helps the Turner family organize the picnic every August. "He would sit and talk to everyone."
"I'm proud to see it happen," said Sara Brown, who, with her husband Kenny, organizes the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic every summer in Potts Camp. "I think it's a tribute to him and the recognition he deserves."
Turner lived his whole life in a small farm community outside Senatobia. As a teen, he began to craft fifes out of river cane and would eventually come to lead the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band as an adult. His music, while known regionally, went largely unrecognized throughout most of his life.
It wasn't until the 1990s that Turner's music began to receive outside attention, with one song, "Shimmy She Wobble," featured in Martin Scorsese's 2002 film Gangs of New York. Successful musicians, such as the White Stripes, acknowledged Turner as an influence.
But perhaps no legacy of Turner's is quite so powerful as his annual Fife and Drum Goat Barbecue Picnic, held on the grounds of his family farm near the end of every summer.
"It's real," Ramsey said. "There's no better way to describe it."
The picnic is free and features barbecued goat and pork, a true miscellany of visitors from all over the area, and a variety of musicians from around the South performing on a flatbed trailer as a makeshift stage. It stems from a strong tradition that values community over commercialism.
"This [picnic] was his pride and joy," Bobbie Turner said. "This was one of the happiest times of his life every year."
Understanding Turner's personal philosophy helps to explain the ongoing enthusiasm and support for this annual party.
"His main thing was family," said Bobbie. "Grandfather always had this thing about himself: Anybody who wanted to come in and play during his picnic, he would stop and give them the opportunity because he always said that music is within your heart.
"So, as the years have past, we've had more and more musicians come in and say, hey look, do you mind if I play?" Bobbie said. "And I say, okay, we'll get you on."
"For Otha, everybody was laughing, dancing, eating — he wanted to make sure everybody was having a good time — black and white," Ramsey said.
"He was a patriarch, no doubt about it," Ramsey added. "But he was the boss."
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