Russell Young

  • Works
    • Russell Young, Bardot Thunder (B+w), 2022
      Bardot Thunder (B+w), 2022
    • Russell Young, Bardot Thunder (La Mer), 2023
      Bardot Thunder (La Mer), 2023
    • Russell Young, Bardot Thunder (Space Blue), 2023
      Bardot Thunder (Space Blue), 2023
    • Russell Young, 586, Dyptich, 2023
      586, Dyptich, 2023
    • Russell Young, Be A Rebel, Six Panel, 2023
      Be A Rebel, Six Panel, 2023
    • Russell Young, Doubts Even Here, Diptych, 2023
      Doubts Even Here, Diptych, 2023
    • Russell Young, Dreams Never End, Quad, 2023
      Dreams Never End, Quad, 2023
    • Russell Young, Hypnosis, Diptych, 2023
      Hypnosis, Diptych, 2023
    • Russell Young, Love Vigilantes, 2023
      Love Vigilantes, 2023
    • Russell Young, Flowers X, 2024
      Flowers X, 2024
    • Russell Young, Flowers XII, 2024
      Flowers XII, 2024
    • Russell Young, Flowers XIX, 2024
      Flowers XIX, 2024
    • Russell Young, Flowers XXI, 2024
      Flowers XXI, 2024
    • Russell Young, The Cowboy Large Diamond Dust (Wild Blue), 2024
      The Cowboy Large Diamond Dust (Wild Blue), 2024
    • Russell Young, The Cowboy Large Diamond Dust (Wild West Red)), 2024
      The Cowboy Large Diamond Dust (Wild West Red)), 2024
    • Russell Young, The Cowboy Small Diamond Dust (Moon White), 2024
      The Cowboy Small Diamond Dust (Moon White), 2024
    • Russell Young, The Cowboy Small Diamond Dust (Bronco Blue), 2024
      The Cowboy Small Diamond Dust (Bronco Blue), 2024
    • Russell Young, Ali (Lightning Pink and Black) AI2016, 2016
      Ali (Lightning Pink and Black) AI2016, 2016
    • Russell Young, Ali (Smoketown Blue) D2021, 2021
      Ali (Smoketown Blue) D2021, 2021
    • Russell Young, Ali (Smoketown Thunder White and Black) HI2021, 2021
      Ali (Smoketown Thunder White and Black) HI2021, 2021
    • Russell Young, Audrey Hepburn (crash silver + black), 2019
      Audrey Hepburn (crash silver + black), 2019
    • Russell Young, Bardot (Misty blue), 2022
      Bardot (Misty blue), 2022
    • Russell Young, Bardot (St. Tropez bleu and black) HX2017, 2017
      Bardot (St. Tropez bleu and black) HX2017, 2017
    • Russell Young, Bardot Cowgirl (Wild Blue), 2023
      Bardot Cowgirl (Wild Blue), 2023
    • Russell Young, Bardot Supreme (Riviera White), 2023
      Bardot Supreme (Riviera White), 2023
    • Russell Young, Bardot Thunder (blizzard white), 2019
      Bardot Thunder (blizzard white), 2019
    • Russell Young, Beatlemania (Let It Be Blue), 2023
      Beatlemania (Let It Be Blue), 2023
    • Russell Young, David Bowie (Fame Electric Blue), 2019
      David Bowie (Fame Electric Blue), 2019
    • Russell Young, David Bowie (Fame Ruby Red), 2019
      David Bowie (Fame Ruby Red), 2019
    • Russell Young, Elizabeth Taylor (Atomic Silver + Black) FVII2011, 2011
      Elizabeth Taylor (Atomic Silver + Black) FVII2011, 2011
    • Russell Young, Elizabeth Taylor (Electric Pink and Black) AI2016, 2017
      Elizabeth Taylor (Electric Pink and Black) AI2016, 2017
    • Russell Young, Elvis 1968 Triptych (Graceland Blue), 2023
      Elvis 1968 Triptych (Graceland Blue), 2023
    • Russell Young, Elvis Heartbreak Hotel (rose pink), 2022
      Elvis Heartbreak Hotel (rose pink), 2022
    • Russell Young, Hepburn (Love Blue and Black) CX2019, 2019
      Hepburn (Love Blue and Black) CX2019, 2019
    • Russell Young, Hepburn (Tempest Gold and Black) AX2019, 2019
      Hepburn (Tempest Gold and Black) AX2019, 2019
    • Russell Young, Jackie (Camelot Blue) PEACE, 2017
      Jackie (Camelot Blue) PEACE, 2017
    • Russell Young, Jackie (Strawberry Pink and Black) AVII2017, 2017
      Jackie (Strawberry Pink and Black) AVII2017, 2017
    • Russell Young, Jagger (Black and White) 1-2-2008, 2008
      Jagger (Black and White) 1-2-2008, 2008
    • Russell Young, James Dean (B+W) IX2021, 2021
      James Dean (B+W) IX2021, 2021
    • Russell Young, Kate Moss #1 (Kings Blue) BIII2015, 2015
      Kate Moss #1 (Kings Blue) BIII2015, 2015
    • Russell Young, Kate Moss #1 (PLAYBOY EDITION) B+W, 2012
      Kate Moss #1 (PLAYBOY EDITION) B+W, 2012
    • Russell Young, Kate Moss (Medium) #1 (Rose Pink + Black) DEVIL SKULL, 2015
      Kate Moss (Medium) #1 (Rose Pink + Black) DEVIL SKULL, 2015
    • Russell Young, Kate Moss (Mercury Purple), 2021
      Kate Moss (Mercury Purple), 2021
    • Russell Young, Magnificent Seven (Tempest Silver and Black) AX2019, 2019
      Magnificent Seven (Tempest Silver and Black) AX2019, 2019
    • Russell Young, Man on the Moon. Mott the Hoople and the game of life. Yeah yeah yeah yeah, 2024
      Man on the Moon. Mott the Hoople and the game of life. Yeah yeah yeah yeah, 2024
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Chanel (bruised pink) CIII2023, 2023
      Marilyn Chanel (bruised pink) CIII2023, 2023
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Chanel (California powder blue), 2022
      Marilyn Chanel (California powder blue), 2022
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (berlin blue), 2022
      Marilyn Crying (berlin blue), 2022
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (Las Palmas Blue and Black) IX2013, 2013
      Marilyn Crying (Las Palmas Blue and Black) IX2013, 2013
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (misty pink), 2022
      Marilyn Crying (misty pink), 2022
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (Serrano Pink and Black) FX2013, 2013
      Marilyn Crying (Serrano Pink and Black) FX2013, 2013
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (Siren B + W) FX2019, 2019
      Marilyn Crying (Siren B + W) FX2019, 2019
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (Siren Pink) IX2019, 2019
      Marilyn Crying (Siren Pink) IX2019, 2019
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (Snow White and Black) AI2021, 2021
      Marilyn Crying (Snow White and Black) AI2021, 2021
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying Diptych (Wild Pink and Black) AI2021, 2021
      Marilyn Crying Diptych (Wild Pink and Black) AI2021, 2021
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Portrait (Liquid Gold and Black), 2013
      Marilyn Portrait (Liquid Gold and Black), 2013
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Superstar (Petroleum Pink and Black) AI2017, 2017
      Marilyn Superstar (Petroleum Pink and Black) AI2017, 2017
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Superstar (Platinum and Black) PEACE PEACE, 2015
      Marilyn Superstar (Platinum and Black) PEACE PEACE, 2015
    • Russell Young, Mick Jagger (Hurricane Pink), 2023
      Mick Jagger (Hurricane Pink), 2023
    • Russell Young, Sophia Supreme (Capri Pink), 2023
      Sophia Supreme (Capri Pink), 2023
    • Russell Young, Sophia Supreme (Roma Blue), 2023
      Sophia Supreme (Roma Blue), 2023
    • Russell Young, Steve McQueen (crash silver + black), 2018
      Steve McQueen (crash silver + black), 2018
    • Russell Young, Ali (Smoketown Gold), 2021
      Ali (Smoketown Gold), 2021
    • Russell Young, Bardot (red and black), 2019
      Bardot (red and black), 2019
    • Russell Young, Elvis TCB Pistol, 2017
      Elvis TCB Pistol, 2017
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Chanel (B+W), 2022
      Marilyn Chanel (B+W), 2022
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (Cloud Blue), 2021
      Marilyn Crying (Cloud Blue), 2021
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Hollywood (Pink and Black), 2019
      Marilyn Hollywood (Pink and Black), 2019
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Hollywood (Blue), 2019
      Marilyn Hollywood (Blue), 2019
    • Russell Young, Marilyn Glamour, 2011
      Marilyn Glamour, 2011
  • Overview
    "My work is sort of the soundtrack to my life, loves, experiences and influences. My method of working is to search, destroy and create."

    It was in the 80s that British photographer Russell Young first lent his eye to celebrity culture. The assignment was photographing George Michael for the sleeve of an album called “Faith”. That job launched a career and soon Russell was shooting musicians like Morrissey, Bjork, Springsteen, Dylan, REM, New Order, The Smiths, Diana Ross, Paul Newman and many other celebrities. The next natural step was directing music videos; Russell directed a hundred music videos during the heyday of MTV.

     

    Ten years into his career, Russell started painting, but his work remained private. Until 2003, when Young showed his first series of paintings called Pig Portraits, this first show sold out. Young has risen to be an internationally acclaimed pop artist, creating larger than life silkscreen paintings of images from history and pop culture.

     

    “My work is sort of the soundtrack to my life, loves, experiences and influences. My method of working is to search, destroy and create. The images of this series have been collected from newspaper cuttings, e-bay, long correspondence with police departments throughout the world or even given by celebrities themselves. The idea to create “anti-celebrity” portraits was probably a reaction to my former career. However, they turned out to be even more beautiful and iconic. There is undeniably this attitude that is very real, in your face, a beauty that is hard to ignore. These would be my heroes that are missing from Art History.”

     

    Russell Young has become one of the most collected and sought after artists of our time. Celebrities and the most discriminating collectors like Abby Rosen, the Getty’s, Elizabeth Taylor, David Hockney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, David Bowie and President Barack Obama have added Russell’s works to their collections. His larger than life screenprint images from history and popular culture are compelling, daunting, and undeniable.

     

    Russell lives and works in New York and California.

  • Biography

    Russell Young was born in 1959 in Northern England and adopted at four months old. From a young age, he felt like an outsider, drawn to the warmth and promise of the American dream. Immersed in northern punk culture and soul music, he turned to photography, studying at Chester and then Exeter Art College.

     

    After struggling to find work in London, he began assisting photographer Christos Raftopoulos, who taught him to see light and detail differently. Young soon began shooting live music shows and landed work with major magazines and record labels. In 1986, he photographed George Michael’s Faith album cover, launching a career that included portraits of Dylan, Björk, Morrissey, Diana Ross, and directing over 100 music videos during the MTV era.

     

    In 1992, he moved to Hollywood, married actress Finola Hughes, and started painting seriously. Frustrated with photography’s limits, he traveled to Tuscany in 2000 to reflect. Back in New York, he began experimenting with what he called “Combine Paintings” and launched his Pig Portraits series—raw, powerful reinterpretations of celebrity and identity.

     

    In 2003, he exhibited the Pig Portraits in Los Angeles and fully embraced his identity as a painter. Relocating to the California coast, he built a home studio and focused on process, discipline, and reflection. In 2007, his Fame + Shame series offered a gritty, conflicted view of American pop culture. That same year, Young began using diamond dust in his paintings, layering shimmering surfaces over portraits like Marilyn Crying and Kurt Cobain, playing with perception and celebrity iconography. In 2009, his American Envy series deepened the exploration of fame and cultural collapse, with figures like Elvis, JFK, and Charles Manson as haunting guides.

     

    In 2010, Young nearly died from H1N1. After an eight-day coma and long recovery, he relearned how to walk, breathe, and think. This trauma triggered a dramatic shift in his work. Embracing a more primal, raw method, he produced the Helter Skelter paintings, immersing viewers in visual chaos.

     

    With Only Anarchists Are Pretty, he challenged the viewer further—cutting and assembling dark, hypersexual imagery into densely packed compositions. The works reference both urban decay and childhood trauma, layered with allusions to Joy Division and wartime history.

     

    Young continues to push boundaries, returning to themes of alienation, rebellion, and the outsider’s fight for light and expression. His work has been exhibited in London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Singapore, New York, Detroit, Miami, and Los Angeles. He lives and works on the California coast and in Brooklyn.