 One of the HIStory statues, at McDonald's, Best, Netherlands | |
| Artist | Diana Walczak |
|---|---|
| Year | 1994 |
| Type | sculpture |
The Michael Jackson HIStory statue is a 10-foot sculpture of the pop musician Michael Jackson created in 1994 by Diana Walczak. [1] It depicts Jackson in a "warrior-like" pose. [1] The statue appears on the cover of Jackson's 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. [2]
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sculptural processes originally used carving and modelling, in stone, metal, ceramics, wood and other materials but, since Modernism, there has been an almost complete freedom of materials and process. A wide variety of materials may be worked by removal such as carving, assembled by welding or modelling, or molded or cast.
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers of all time. He was also known for his unorthodox lifestyle, residing in a private amusement park he called Neverland Ranch, and often becoming the focus of tabloid scrutiny. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.
Diana Walczak is an American sculptor, computer graphics pioneer and filmmaker. She is most famous for creating the original Michael Jackson's HIStory Statue which she sculpted in 1994. She also created the digital representation of the statue for Michael Jackson's album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.
To promote the HIStory World Tour, Jackson's record company, Epic, placed ten 30-foot tall replicas of the statue in locations around the world. [2] The statues were built over three months by a team of 30, made from steel and fiberglass, and weighed around 20,000 pounds each. [2] Their locations included the River Thames in London, Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and the pedestal of the destroyed Stalin Monument in Prague. [3] Another statue, built from wood and plaster, was placed at the Los Angeles Tower Records store. [4]
The History World Tour was the final worldwide solo concert tour by American artist Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning the globe with stops in 57 cities, 35 countries on 5 continents.
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc., the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical music label in 1953, but later expanded its scope to include a more diverse range of genres, including pop, R&B, rock, and hip hop. Epic Records has released music by artists including Glenn Miller, Tammy Wynette, George Michael, The Yardbirds, Donovan, Shakin Stevens, Europe, Cheap Trick, Meat Loaf, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ted Nugent, Shakira, Sly & the Family Stone, The Hollies, Celine Dion, ABBA, Culture Club, Boston, Dave Clark Five, Gloria Estefan, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, and Michael Jackson. Along with Arista, Columbia and RCA Records, Epic is one of Sony Music Entertainment's four flagship record labels.
The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.
Spin described the statues as "imperious" and "almost dictator-like" and named them one of the 15 boldest publicity stunts. [2] In 2016, the original statue was installed at the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas. [1]
Spin is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. The magazine stopped running in print in 2012 and currently runs as a webzine, owned by the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group division of Valence Media.
A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utilized by advertisers, and by celebrities who notably include athletes and politicians.
Mandalay Bay is a 43-story luxury resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. One of the property's towers operates as the Delano; the Four Seasons Hotel is independently operated within the Mandalay Bay tower, occupying five floors (35–39).
