Art Funded by you

Amy - Blue

Marlene Dumas, 2011

© The artist courtesy Frith Street Gallery

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

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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