Amy - Blue is a posthumous work, made shortly after the singer Amy Winehouse’s death in July 2011.
Amy - Blue was one of two portraits of Amy Winehouse unveiled as part of an exhibition of Marlene Dumas’s work at the Frith Street Gallery entitled Forsaken, exploring themes of existential despair within both a religious and secular context.
Speaking about how the work came about, Dumas recalls being moved upon hearing of Winehouse’s death, and searching through images of Winehouse on the internet after hearing the news. Dumas has described Winehouse as a great musician, likening the singer’s description of being ‘given’ a voice to the way the artist feels about her own ability to draw. Her painting of Winehouse crops and simplifies the singer’s characteristic features, creating an icon which is at the same time a likeness.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Amy - Blue, 2011
Date supported
2012
Medium and material
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
40 x 30 cm
Grant
20000
Total cost
95000
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