Faith. His photographs were
well-received and he began
landing work for magazines and record companies.
Young traveled to America and photographed such
celebrities as Bob Dylan,
Bruce Springsteen, Bjork,
Paul Newman, and Diana
Ross. He then transitioned
into television and directed
over 100 music videos during the glory days of MTV.
In 1992, while his career
as a photographer and music
video director was flourishing, Russell moved to Hollywood where he met and
married actress, Finola
Hughes. The couple eventually moved to New York
City where Young began
to concentrate on art and
devote himself to painting.
He rented a studio in Brooklyn and began work on his
Pig Portraits series, which
depicted celebrities through
police mug shots. The series
included screenprints of
Sid Vicious, Jane Fonda,
Martin Luther King, Jr.,
and Steve McQueen. These
pieces were, and continue
to be, recognized as uniquely “Russell Young.” The
works “attacked the nature
of photography, portraiture,
and the prickly nature of
celebrity itself,” said the artist. While the idea to create
“anti-celebrity” portraits was
probably a reaction to his
former career, they turned
FOREVER YOUNG:
A Retrospective
Opposite:
Sid Vicious (Yellow), 2007,
from the series Pig Portraits;
Acrylic paint screenprint
on canvas.
Below (left to right):
Apsaroke Chief, 2010, and
Siksika Chief, 2010;
Acrylic paint, enamel and
diamond dust on linen.
Young’s Pig Portraits “attacked the
nature of photography, portraiture, and the
prickly nature of celebrity itself.”
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