Pop icon Boy George has debuted a series of artworks titled “Fame” with Castle Fine Art, featuring portraits of Madonna, Prince, David Bowie, and himself. Prints of the “Fame” works have been released in editions of 195, each priced at £1,950 ($2,530). The collection became available on October 25th through Castle Fine Art’s website and at its galleries across the U.K.
The Culture Club frontman explained that he was inspired by the way that each of his subjects achieved fame “completely differently because there is no ‘right way’ to do it.” Consisting of four mixed-media silkscreen portraits, “Fame” features these pop icons in some of the most memorable outfits during the height of their celebrity.
Among Boy George’s works is Madame X (all works 2024), which depicts Madonna wearing an eye patch—a signature of her Madame X persona. The two artists have feuded since the 1980s; however, Boy George said, “You don’t have to like someone to paint them.” Meanwhile, Yamamoto depicts Bowie dressed in his famed “Tokyo Pop” bodysuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto.
Boy George’s Purple Reign is an homage to Prince’s sixth studio album, Purple Rain, depicting the star with a punk-like look and purple hair swooshed across his face. Lastly, Colour by Numbers is a self-portrait in which Boy George revisits his own image from the cover of the 1983 Culture Club album of the same name.
In addition to the “Fame” works, Boy George debuted a series of acrylic paintings, “The Originals Collection,” inspired by the New York club scene in the 1980s. These include Basquiat 03, a tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat, who Boy George met in the New York club scene of the 1980s; Give Drag a Chance, a celebration of the rise of drag culture adorned with materials like beads and sequins; and The Space Matador, a maximalist homage to the door attendants of nightclubs.
