Object Details
- Artist
- Will Cotton, born 1965
- Sitter
- Katy Perry, born 25 Oct 1984
- Exhibition Label
- Pop star Katy Perry (born Katheryn Hudson, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California) collaborated with painter Will Cotton to design a set inspired by the board game Candy Land. Cotton’s work, which draws on art historical sources to explore consumer culture, caught Perry’s eye. The artist felt an affinity for Perry as well, describing her as just the kind of subject he wanted to paint: “She’s over-the-top, she’s very sugary, saccharine.” Here, Cotton presents her in a dress by designer Cynthia Rowley. Perry’s cheeky pose, wry expression, and flawless appearance playfully hint at the paradoxes she bridges. Crafty and self-aware, she acknowledges that “everything I do is always with a wink.” The provocative teenage icon, chart-topping singer, and savvy businesswoman began her career singing gospel music as the daughter of Pentecostal pastors. With Teenage Dream (2010), she was the first to tie Michael Jackson’s record of producing five number-one hits from a single album.
- La estrella pop Katy Perry (nacida Katheryn Hudson, 1984, en Santa Bárbara, California) colaboró con el pintor Will Cotton en la escenografía de su video “California Gurls”, inspirada en el juego de mesa Candy Land. A Perry le gustó el trabajo de Cotton, quien se inspira en la historia del arte para explorar la cultura del consumo. A su vez, el artista sintió afinidad con Perry, a quien describió como el tipo exacto de persona que desearía pintar: “Es exagerada, azucarada, acaramelada”. Aquí la presenta con un vestido de la diseñadora Cynthia Rowley. La pose jocosa, la expresión burlona y el arreglo impecable apuntan con humor a las paradojas que navega la cantante. Astuta y segura de sí, Perry reconoce que “todo lo hago siempre con un guiño”. La icónica cantante, líder de las listas de éxitos y empresaria sagaz comenzó su carrera en la música religiosa, siendo hija de pastores pentecostales. Con Teenage Dream (2010), fue la primera artista que empató el record de Michael Jackson al lograr cinco éxitos “número uno” con un mismo disco.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the James F. Dicke Family
- 2010
- Object number
- C/NPG.2015.135
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © 2010, Will Cotton
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on linen
- Dimensions
- Frame: 168.3 × 102.6 × 5.7cm (66 1/4 × 40 3/8 × 2 1/4")
- Stretcher: 165.1 × 99.1cm (65 × 39")
- Place
- United States\New York\Kings\New York\Manhattan Island
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Allegorical
- Katy Perry: Female
- Katy Perry: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Singer\Pop singer
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_C_NPG.2015.135
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm40fad2707-9bbf-45be-8d4c-22fdb9b60241
