Amy - Blue

Amy - Blue was one of two portraits of Amy Winehouse unveiled as part of an exhibition of Marlene Dumas’s work at the Frith Street Gallery entitled Forsaken, exploring themes of existential despair within both a religious and secular context.

Speaking about how the work came about, Dumas recalls being moved upon hearing of Winehouse’s death, and searching through images of Winehouse on the internet after hearing the news. Dumas has described Winehouse as a great musician, likening the singer’s description of being ‘given’ a voice to the way the artist feels about her own ability to draw. Her painting of Winehouse crops and simplifies the singer’s characteristic features, creating an icon which is at the same time a likeness.