Last year it was portraits of then President-elect Obama that have been on display everywhere across the show, this year it is the King of Pop: Michael Jackson. Jackson is probably the most portrayed individual of this years art fair in South Beach. Artists from David La Chapelle, Marc Brandenburg, Jonathan Monk and many more have work about Michael Jackson on display, but the most prominent piece can be seen at the booth of Deitch Projects, a New York based gallery.

Kehinde Wiley, 2009 (detail, Deitch Projects, New York USA)

Kehinde Wiley’s monumental commissioned portrait of Michael Jackson was unveiled this week in Miami Beach. The 32-year-old US painter was contacted by Jackson in 2008 after the performer saw the artist’s work at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. “I was receiving messages saying Michael Jackson wants to reach you…and I ignored them because quite honestly I thought it was a prank,” said Wiley in an interview with The Art Newspaper.

Marc Brandenburg (Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin Germany)

Michael Jackson is obviously one of the few personalities that have influenced artists around the world, or is he just a vehicle to generate attention? Is the brand Michael Jackson a way to generate more sales? The jury is still out.

If you have any comments please email Ulrich Proeschel.