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Sam McKinniss — Lil' Kim (Crush on You)
Sam McKinniss

Lil' Kim (Crush on You)

2016

A lush, vividly saturated portrait renders Lil' Kim in the iconic blue fur and matching ensemble from her 1996 "Crush on You" video, her figure glowing against a richly colored background. McKinniss employs his signature blend of oil and acrylic to achieve a surface that feels simultaneously slick and luminous, evoking both the glamour of celebrity portraiture and the flattened aesthetic of a music video still. The work pays homage to a pivotal moment in hip-hop visual culture while elevating its subject with the reverence and grandeur of classical painting.

Medium
oil and acrylic on canvas

🔨 Auction Lot

20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Afternoon Session

May 10, 2018

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About this work

Sam McKinniss, Lil' Kim (Crush on You), 2016

A lush, vividly saturated portrait renders Lil' Kim in the iconic blue fur and matching ensemble from her 1996 "Crush on You" video, her figure glowing against a richly colored background. McKinniss employs his signature blend of oil and acrylic to achieve a surface that feels simultaneously slick and luminous, evoking both the glamour of celebrity portraiture and the flattened aesthetic of a music video still. The work pays homage to a pivotal moment in hip-hop visual culture while elevating its subject with the reverence and grandeur of classical painting.

Medium
oil and acrylic on canvas
Year
2016
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Hip-Hop Culture, Figurative Painting, Contemporary Painter, Bold Colors, Emerging Artist, American Artist, Pop Art, Celebrity Subject, 21st Century, Portrait, Vibrant Colors, Bold Aesthetic, Oil And Acrylic

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