Pegasus (artist)

"Pegasus" is the pseudonym and signature of a North London street artist originally from Chicago. His stencilled pieces play with popular culture's most recognizable icons, including Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Amy Winehouse, and Lucille Ball, and sometimes are ironic or controversial.

The artist has stated that his influences include "the genius Andy Warhol. I also admire other artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Keith Haring, Mr. Brainwash, Darren West the Neon Artist, Horace Panter, Eelus and of course Mr. Banksy." [1] As well as designing the front cover of the publication Encyclopedia Madonnica, Pegasus is featured in two books published in 2013. They are titled Happy Graffiti and 'Planet Banksy.[2]

First solo show

Pegasus held his first solo show at Faith Inc Gallery, London on Saturday 6 December 2014. The actor Johnny Depp attended and purchased one of his artworks of the Duchess of Cambridge.[3]

The British royal family

Pegasus made headlines with a stencil showing the Duchess of Cambridge as the Virgin Mary with Prince George of Cambridge as baby Jesus. The image, inspired by the 14th-century painting Madonna And Child by Italian artist Duccio di Buoninsegna, was created in view of the impending birth of a presumptive heir to the British throne.[4] The painting was exhibited at the Hoxton Arches gallery in London's East End in 2013 and is the fifth Royal portrait by Pegasus. Previous work featuring the royal family includes Queen Elizabeth II dressed in her crown and Geri Halliwell's Union Jack swimsuit. The painting is located at the Caledonian Road.

There is also a nude Prince Harry, inspired by the media images of him while he was holidaying in Las Vegas. This work can be found in the bathrooms of the Winchester Bar in Angel as well as at the skate park along the Embankment in London.[5]

An Original depiction of Diana, Princess of Wales, was publicly displayed in July 2016 to an invited audience at the launch exhibition of Gods and Monsters in London. and later in Cheshire.

Amy Winehouse

Pegasus is perhaps best known for Fallen Angel, an image of Amy Winehouse on the side of a Camden information centre (Starbucks) that was whitewashed over before being repainted and 'opened' by Winehouse's mother Janis in December 2013. The artwork was the site of an unofficial shrine for Ms Winehouse in the days after the singer's death in 2011. Pegasus said: "I am so pleased that my Amy Angel work means so much to people. I love Amy and the world is a much poorer place without her. Her legacy will be remembered forever and the work the Amy Winehouse Foundation is doing is testimony to her kindness and love for others."[6] The Camden New Journal printed an image of a fan revealing a tattoo of Pegasus' famous Amy piece, complete with the Pegasus tag of a flying horse.

Atmosphere is the second art piece by Pegasus dedicated to the late Amy Winehouse in the singer's home area of Camden. It can be found on the wall of The Earl of Camden pub. The public graffiti image of the singer coincided with an exhibition on Winehouse at the Jewish Museum, which launched in July 2013.[7] Proud Camden CEO Alex Proud said: "I am honoured and very humbled that Pegasus has chosen Proud Camden as the location for his ode to Amy. It's been amazing how so many people have rallied around the #Amys30 celebrations and are supporting the Amy Winehouse Foundation helping to continue the amazing work they are doing in Amy's memory." [8]

Notable artwork

Alexandra Burke, the chart-topping singer who won X Factor in 2008, was presented personally with a bespoke painting by Pegasus while she celebrated her 25th birthday. The Daily Mail called the canvas a "Banksy-esque piece", which sees Burke in full American Football regalia with the words 'Fresh' on it.[9]

Pegasus depicted Barack Obama ripping open a white shirt, superman-style, to reveal the Human Rights Campaign's famous pink and red square emblem. This work came after President Obama became the first US president to announce support for marriage equality in May 2012. The artwork can be viewed outside Bistro De La Gare, Pentonville Rd, Kings Cross, London.[10]

Pegasus created an image of British Olympic diver Tom Daley on the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London. It is a life-size street-art stencil of Britain's Olympic medalist brandishing a groin-level declaration that 'All We Need Is Love', complete with rainbow-hued love-heart.[11] This piece addressed the debate over LGBT rights at the 2013 Winter Olympics at Sochi, Russia.[12]

In January 2016, Pegasus produced a tribute to David Bowie in London's Turnpike Lane [13] in the wake of his death.

In February 2016, Pegasus created a depiction of US Presidential candidate, Donald Trump in North Street, Bristol.[14] as well as super-sized piece entitled "I got 99 problems but an Oscar ain't one" outside the entrance to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California where the 2016 Academy Awards ceremony was being held [15] [16]

Pegasus' Trump image was described by the Bristol Post as one of the most controversial pieces of Street Art in the city alongside work of John D'Oh and Banksy [17]

In April 2016, Pegasus produced a special piece of street art as a celebration of the life of Prince after the announcement of the musician's death was made[18] which was described by NME magazine[19] as one of the best out there.

In May 2016, Pegasus created images of David and Victoria Beckham on Pricelet Street, London just off Brick Lane, famous as a destination for street art. Victoria Beckham has been quoted as saying she was "flattered" by the depictions.[20]

A 'tongue in cheek' depiction of Prince Harry's girlfriend, the American Actress Meghan Markle was unveiled in London in November 2016 entitled 'Harry's Girl'.

December 2016 saw Pegasus create a unique street art depiction of Charlie Chaplin with the inspiring message "Dream Big" in the Cheshire town of Congleton, which is visible in the town's Swan Bank.

Pegasus created a unique piece on the rear of his own van to celebrate the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle which resulted in him being questioned by the Metropolitan Police[21]

Exclusive editions

As well as producing his unique pieces of street art across the globe, occasionally Pegasus has produced exclusive collections of highly desirable hand sprayed original works, paper editions and short-run screen print editions including depictions of The Queen, Diana Princess of Wales, Amy Winehouse, Madonna, Charlie Chaplin, David Beckham and Debbie Harry amongst many other iconic images.

One of Pegasus' hand sprayed editions of the Queen was displayed in Cheshire's Attitude Gallery in Spring 2016.[22]

A new piece featuring Diana, Princess of Wales entitled 'Act of Kindness' was unveiled by Pegasus in July 2016 during the launch event for his 'Gods and Monsters' exhibition followed up by a second work also featuring Diana entitled 'Life is a Journey' unveiled at Pegasus' October exhibition in Los Angeles.

Pegasus recreated his celebrated Diana theme to mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of Diana, Princess of Wales with a street art creation in London. [23]

Exhibitions

Pegasus announced in early 2016 that he would be planning a global tour exhibiting in a number of key high-profile gallery venues across the world including two locations in the UK (London and Cheshire) and the US (Los Angeles) with plans for South Africa (Cape Town), Western Europe (Berlin) and Asia (Tokyo) in 2018.

The exhibition, entitled 'Gods and Monsters', ran from July 2016 to December 2016 at London's Faith Inc. Gallery, Los Angeles' Artist's Corner and Cheshire's Attitude Gallery.

Celebrity and famous clients

Pegasus has a strong A-List and celebrity following having received commissions from Adele,[24] Lindsay Lohan [25] and England Rugby legend Ben Cohen amongst many others. Pegasus has also produced unique pieces for entertainer, Alan Carr, singer, Alexandra Burke and professional ballroom dancer, Kristina Rihanoff.

It was reported in the British newspaper, the Sunday Mirror on 22 May 2016 that Pegasus and his management were in the process of brokering a deal with the Vatican for Pope Francis to obtain a Pegasus creation of Mother Teresa, an image that is planned to feature in the artist's Gods and Monsters exhibition.

References

  1. ↑ Boy Culture Reporter (Nov 27, 2013). "Art's In Pop Culture In Me: An Interview With Street Artist Pegasus". Boy Culture. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Piotr Balkus (November 28, 2013). "I Only Spray People I Admire". Moon Project. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Pegasus - The new Andy Warhol? - Luxury Columnist". luxurycolumnist.com. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  4. ↑ Mail on Sunday Reporter (10 August 2013). "Duchess and her newborn prince get the biblical look in graffiti art inspired by the Virgin Mary". Mail Online. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "Street artist immortalises Kate Middleton and Prince George in 'Madonna and Child' painting". India Today. August 12, 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  6. ↑ RICHARD OSLEY (10 December 2013). "Amy Winehouse 'fallen angel' artwork returns to Camden Lock". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Contact Music (14 July 2013). "Picture - Atmosphere". Contact Music. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Sarah Shaffi (11 Sep 2013). "Unseen images of Amy Winehouse on show at Proud Camden". London 24. London for Londoners. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  9. ↑ Daily Mail Reporter (30 August 2013). "Sisters doin' it for themselves: Alexandra Burke and look-a-like sibling enjoy never-ending 25th birthday celebrations". Mail Online. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Scott Roberts (22 July 2013). "Street art showing Obama wearing pro-equal marriage T-shirt appears outside London restaurant". Pink News. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Ben Walters (17 Jan 2014). "'What better role model to put out on the streets?' Street artist Pegasus brings Tom Daley to the RVT". Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  12. ↑ Tracy Kawalik (21 Jan 2014). "Street Life. Pop street artist Pegasus discusses his body of London work and his recent piece down south". London Calling. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  13. ↑ "There's a new David Bowie mural in London that you can visit". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  14. ↑ http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Donald-Trump-compared-Hitler-new-street-art/story-28801904-detail/story.html
  15. ↑ https://pressdispensary.co.uk/releases/c994018/Oscars-to-be-overshadowed-by-London-street-artist-Pegasus.html
  16. ↑ "Street art appears of Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle in tiara". Evening Standard. 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  17. ↑ http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Seven-controversial-peices-street-art-appear/story-29314110-detail/story.html
  18. ↑ http://mashable.com/2016/04/23/prince-street-art-tribute-london/#hgtFNu_IU5qb
  19. ↑ "This London Street Artist's Prince Tribute Is The Best Yet". NME. 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  20. ↑ https://www.justcollecting.com/art/street-artist-pegasus-turns-david-and-victoria-beckham-into-classic-art
  21. ↑ https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/street-artist-stopped-by-police-near-buckingham-palace-over-van-decorated-with-naked-prince-harry-a3705586.html
  22. ↑ "Pegasus art at Attitude Gallery, Cheshire". www.attitudegallery.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  23. ↑ "A street art tribute to Princess Diana shows her as Queen of Hearts". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  24. ↑ "Adele has street artist paint her portrait". Dailystar.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  25. ↑ "Lindsay Lohan Commissions Naked Street Art Portrait - artnet News". artnet News. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
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