GLIMPSE OF TOMORROW
Preliminary concept for the Victory album by the Jacksons
GLIMPSE OF TOMORROW
Preliminary Concept for VICTORY
Acrylic - 13” x 25 ½”
Not only is this an excellent work of science fiction—the combination of classical architecture and otherworldliness is absolutely sublime—but the attachment to Michael Jackson, the late King of Pop, at the height of his fame makes for a rare treasure indeed.
Originally purchased many years ago in a charity auction, this preliminary comes from a vintage collection of Michael Whelan art. It recently came back to us for special framing and this exclusive offering.
$7,500
Also available…
The cover illustration for The Floating Gods by M. John Harrison is being made available from the same vintage collection of Michael Whelan art, offered now at a truly great price through the owner.
Rarely do we see work of this quality and size. Michael included it in his signature book The Art of Michael Whelan because it represents his finest work.
BUFFO
Cover illustration for The Floating Gods by M. John Harrison
Michael once said that reading a novel by M. John Harrison always left him feeling like he’d experienced some vivid, chaotic dream full of important but indecipherable symbols and images. For The Floating Gods he attempted to take that mood and give it a visual expression.
The assignment came in 1982, still early in Michael’s career but at a point when he was widely recognized as a top illustrator in his field. Yet the cover he produced has always felt like a work mature beyond its years.
The truth is that he cut his teeth on richly symbolic novels like this, bringing to life complex work in full dimension in a way that satisfied the reader and as yet untapped artistic potential. A decade later his facility with symbolism would lead him to break from illustration and explore a lexicon of his own as a fine artist.
BUFFO, titled after the character wearing the mask, feels like a natural stepping stone on that artistic journey.
Long admired your work. This is a great example why.