A Summer of Art History & Pop Culture Collaborations

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

There has been a rash of interesting pop culture and art historical collaborations over the past few months and I am curious to hear your thoughts!

Singer-songwriter, Halsey, who has incorporated live painting into her musical performances, kicked off the summer of 2021 by announcing their latest album via a short film set in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A sort of meditation on motherhood, Halsey is seen pondering the myriad depictions of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child before revealing her new album, an enormous painting that would fit in perfectly within the museum’s walls.

The cover art for their new album is directly inspired by depictions of the Virgin enthroned with her breast exposed while holding an infant Christ. These images were not intended to be sexual as they would have been commissioned by The Church or by wealthy patrons devoted to the Virgin. So why would The Church allow such blatant female indiscretion? Depicting the Virgin Mary with her breast uncovered was a way to illustrate her nurturing, maternal qualities and to suggest that she is a mother figure to all who seek her guidance and protection.

By assuming the role of Mary – both Queen of Heaven and Mother of God – Halsey confronts our current 21st century interpretation of who and what a mother is and what role they play in our society.

To see how Halsey incorporates live painting into her musical performances, please check out this video…

For more information on Halsey’s new album cover art and to watch the video mentioned in this post, please visit this link…

https://www.allure.com/story/halsey-breastfeeding-on-album-cover

Other art historical and pop culture mash-ups include Kehinde Wiley’s redesign of an MTV award statuette…

http://www.mtv.com/news/3179581/vma-moonperson-kehinde-wiley/

The Basquiat X DC collection of shoes, hats and t-shirts…

https://www.dcshoes.com/mens-collab-basquiat/#?intcmp=dc_header_desktop_basquiat

And a new camera featuring the Polaroid X Keith Haring partnership…

Polaroid x Keith Haring

How do you feel about these collaborations? Is it just an over-the-top marketing tool to sell stuff or do collaborations like these introduce art history to the wider public?

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.