Just when you thought poor Michael had fallen into a downward spiral of gaudy, starting with that silver-glitter glove and continuing right on up to Neverland — may I present remarkable evidence of good taste: Jackson commissioned Kehinde Wiley to paint his portrait.

Yes, Wiley’s work is appropriately over-the-top for Jackson, that’s probably why the King of Pop sought him out. Wiley’s a New York artist whose famous for painting ghetto-fabulous young, African-American men in juxtaposed with an old-master-style regal settings or Baroque backgrounds. They’re a beautiful study in contrasts. The modern figures are elevated while the old settings are infused with humor. His work is imaginative and wonderful.
But not the one of Jackson.

