Artist Damien Hirst’s new painting of late singer George Michael is to be auctioned off for charity on Friday (24Mar17).
The eccentric British artist has created Beautiful Beautiful George Michael Love Painting, an image of George drawn in black and covered in a multitude of colours, using household paints on a canvas.
The painting will be auctioned at charity event MTV RE: DEFINE in Dallas, Texas on Friday, which will also serve as a tribute to the singer, who passed away in December (16), aged 53.
MTV RE: DEFINE is an annual charity art exhibition and auction, which was founded in 2011 by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and the Goss-Michael Foundation, a contemporary British art collection in the United States founded by the former Wham! frontman and his then-partner Kenny Goss in 2007. Proceeds from the event benefit HIV and AIDS prevention and awareness.
“This year’s MTV RE:DEFINE is especially poignant as we celebrate George Michael, a long-term supporter and friend of MTV Staying Alive,” MTV Staying Alive Foundation executive director Georgia Arnold said in a statement. “We have been incredibly honoured by his and Kenny’s unwavering support, and our partnership with the Goss-Michael Foundation that has made MTV RE:DEFINE possible.
“We look forward to continuing to raise awareness and support for our mission, and especially thank all the artists for their involvement and generosity.”
Earlier this month (Mar17) it was revealed George’s death was caused by heart disease, specifically dilated cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, as well as a fatty liver. His family are now able to organise a funeral service, which is thought to take place at London’s Highgate Cemetery, where his mother Lesley was buried following her death in 1997.
His cousin Andros Georgiou has urged George’s fans to respect the family’s wishes for a private service.
“I would like to ask one last thing of you all and that is to let the family lay him to rest in order to avoid the funeral turning into a circus,” he wrote on Facebook.
