Pop stars commission fine artists for album covers to gain cultural prestige
Gary Grimes explores the trend of Main Pop Girls commissioning fine artists for album covers. Olivia Rodrigo enlisted Chloe Wise for a limited-edition vinyl of 'you look pretty sad for a girl so in love'. Lily Allen's cover by Nieves González is displayed at the National Portrait Gallery. Lorde worked with Sam McKinniss for 'Melodrama'. Katy Perry posed for Will Cotton for 'Teenage Dream'. Lady Gaga collaborated with Jeff Koons for 'Artpop', which included a sculpture exhibited at artRave. Grimes argues these collaborations lend pop stars credibility in the art world and attract media attention from high-culture circles.
Key facts
- Olivia Rodrigo commissioned Chloe Wise to paint her portrait for a limited-edition picture disk vinyl.
- Lily Allen's album cover by Nieves González is on view at the National Portrait Gallery.
- Lorde collaborated with Sam McKinniss for the artwork of her 2017 album 'Melodrama'.
- Katy Perry posed for Will Cotton for her 'Teenage Dream' album cover in 2010.
- Lady Gaga worked with Jeff Koons for the 'Artpop' album artwork and exhibited a sculpture at artRave.
- Chloe Wise rose to prominence after her bread bag sculptures went viral in 2014.
- Will Cotton was initially conflicted about commercial use of his art but proceeded to give back to pop culture.
- Gary Grimes is a London-based writer and publicist whose work has appeared in British Vogue, Rolling Stone, and The Economist.
Entities
Artists
- Gary Grimes
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Chloe Wise
- Lily Allen
- Nieves González
- Lorde
- Sam McKinniss
- Katy Perry
- Will Cotton
- Lady Gaga
- Jeff Koons
- Marina Abramovic
- Robert Wilson
- Jonathan Jones
- Chad Moore
- Issy Wood
- Charli xcx
- Andy Warhol
- Botticelli
- Bernini
- Fiona Apple
- Courtney Love
- Ashlee Simpson
Institutions
- It's Nice That
- Harper's Bazaar
- KBH.G
- Art Basel
- National Portrait Gallery
- Vogue
- Vanity Fair
- Rolling Stone
- The Guardian
- British Vogue
- The Economist
- TimeOut
- The Fence
- Wallpaper*
- Interview
- Geffen Records
- BMG
- Lava Records
- Capitol Records
- Streamline Records
- Interscope Records
- RCA
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York
- United States
- Brooklyn
- Canada
- Spain
- New Zealand
- Louvre
- Paris
- France