RUSSELL Y.

Artist Russell's artworks adorn the homes of President Obama, Brad Pitt, The Royal family of Qatar, David Bowie ... and his popularity continues to rise among British and American collectors.To create his works, he uses photographs collected from press clippings or donated by the celebrities themselves, or arrest photos collected from police departments (notably for his series entitled "Pig Portraits"). Some of his work allows him to reinvent known images by giving them a new poetry, a more subjective twist. The colors, the grain and the material of what has been seen and seen again, are transformed. Another aspect of his work demystifies stars by projecting them in their extreme simplicity: crooners (Frank Sinatra), rock stars (Jim Morrison, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Sid Vicious), great actors (Steve McQueen)... at the bottom of their glory, in a state of arrest like the common man.

Russell transforms sublimates or destroys in order to give a new relief, marked by a great aesthetic elegance, to these icons of glossy paper. He comes out of anonymity thanks to the famous cover photo of the album "Faith" of George Michael and then becomes one of the most fashionable and sought after people photographers. Artists such as Morisset, Bjork, Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan and REM will pass under his lens.Then he turned to audiovisual production and directed and produced many videos for the MTV music channel.

In parallel to this promising career as a photographer and videographer, he turned to painting. His work remained secret for a long time, however, in 2003, his first exhibition entitled "Pig Portraits" was a huge success and the public, conquered, bought in large numbers. Among his most prized works, a set of unique silkscreens sprinkled with Swarovski crystal dust stands out. The uniqueness of these pieces lies in the different shades of color used and the way the artist applied the crystals to the canvas. The exact process is still kept secret by his studio. Russell is now internationally recognized as a leading Pop artist for his treatment of historical and Pop Culture icons.