Despite his recent work playing with themes of beauty and cosmetic surgery as well as his porn-infused collagesJonathan Yeo was first known for his contemporary portraiture. On this front, the British artist will be revealing new works for a major showing in September at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The subjects of these paintings include a diverse group of well-known figures including Michael Parkinson, Grayson Perry, Sienna Miller, Rupert Murdoch, and Kevin Spacey, seen above in the guise of Richard III.

The artist said of the painting: “We decided to put him in character as Shakespeare’s notorious villain, partly as a nod to the tradition of theatrical portraits of the past, and partly as a celebration of what may go down as his most memorable stage role.”

Via The Guardian.
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