The work Michael Jackson commissioned but never saw

The 32-year-old US painter was contacted by Jackson in 2008 after the performer saw the artist’s work at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. “I was receiving messages saying Michael Jackson wants to reach you…and I ignored them because quite honestly I thought it was a prank,” said Wiley. After a friend verified the request, Wiley set up a conference call with the performer, which he taped and transcribed.

According to the artist: “He was also very curious about my personal story and surprisingly he was really knowledgeable about art and art history. I’ve done very few commissioned works, so we made arrangements to have certain art historical books sent to him, and he would send me back his preferred pieces.” Wiley’s studio was in the process of making arrangements for a formal sitting when they received news that the singer had died on 25 June; Wiley never received Jackson’s selection of imagery.

The portrait is a compilation of six paintings, including works by David and Rubens. When asked why he felt obliged to complete the work, Wiley said: “Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much input as I would have hoped for, but I think it’s something he would have been proud of. Michael was an extraordinarily talented person with a team who could realise his ideas as much as his performances, and I think that his idea of collaborating with me was something that he really wanted to see through…I felt a responsibility to him to get it done.”