Robert Pattinson, Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus are three of the celebrities to feature in Richard Phillips' latest exhibition Most Wanted.
The artist chose ten famous faces to feature in the exhibition, which focuses on the celebrities' 'capacity to dominate the celebrity media outlets with the published details of their public and private lives.'
And instead of just painting the stars faces straight onto the canvases, Phillips decided to use the logos of luxury brands behind them to represent the world's obsession with wealth.
The pictures were displayed at a special preview of the exhibition at London's White Cube Gallery last night, attended by guests including Ronnie Wood and Florence Welch.
Talking about the paintings recently, Phillips explained: 'I decided I would begin where Warhol and pop art left off.
'After holding a contest within my studio to find the best red carpet face from the constant river of images, a composite was made from the best of the best of Pattinson’s expressions
'The colorful and detailed Louis Vuitton background was to suggest a fictitious brand endorsement context that was commensurate with his position as the most popular member of the group.
'The large-scale, traditionally-painted portraits of the stars set against fashion logo step-and-repeat backdrops form an uncannily humanised version of this primary economic realism.'
Other celebrities included in the exhibition are Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Leonardo DiCaprio, Taylor Momsen, Kristen Stewart, Chace Crawford and Dakota Fanning.
Asked which of the paintings turned out to be his favourite, Phillips replied: 'When I had first finished the paintings, it was Dakota, as she was the last to be worked on and there was a sense that I had used what I had learned in the experience of painting the others to create the subtlety of expression that defines her public image at this point in her life.
'Having watched the Social Network yesterday, today I am gravitating toward Justin Timberlake, as I like how the uncanny realness of his portrait and in particular his eyes projects the intensity of his talent not only in the great performance in the film but in his music as well.'
Phillips' latest exhibition was inspired when he saw his painting Spectrum featured on hit US TV show Gossip Girl.
He explained: 'There’s this special relationship of endorsement. It’s the abstraction of what the celebrity can do.'
Most Wanted opens today and runs until 5th March at the White Cube Gallery.
via KstewAngel
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