Peter Mars
Fusing and confusing the traditional distinctions between high culture and low art, celebrated American pop artist, Peter Mars, turns his unique interpretation of popular culture to one of the greatest pop culture icons of all time, the singular Elvis Presley.
Through a rare collaboration with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Mars has been granted unfettered access to their extensive photography archive. “Elvis Presley Enterprises has allowed me to use any of their 60,000 archival photographs taken of Elvis throughout his life. If I had only Elvis to work on for the rest of my career, he would fill my days. His legacy is daunting.”
Elvis Presley (1935–1977) is regarded as one of the 100 most important figures of the 20th century. Furthermore in 2010, LIFE chose Elvis as one of the 100 “People Who Changed the World,” listing him in their Cultural Icons section along with Michelangelo, Beethoven, and Dr. Seuss. His musical performance encompassed many genres including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues, and he is credited for bringing rock ‘n’ roll into the mainstream of popular culture. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of popular music. Presley holds the records for most songs charting in Billboard’s top 40 and top 100, and most top ten hits.
Mars’ widely varied subject matter cuts a broad swath across popular culture and nostalgia. Celebrity figures, in particular, charge his batteries with unique inspiration. According to Mars, “True celebrities are individuals that come to embody American pop culture. They play a role in our culture similar to the heroes of ancient times. It is easy to imagine Muhammad Ali as a Ulysses, to understand Elvis Presley as an ancient troubadour serenading a Shakespearian heroine, or Johnny Weissmuller and Michael Jordan, quite literally, as heroes of Olympian stature.”
Mixing inks and paints, employing silkscreen and hand-painting, Mars creates the texture, complex layers, and energy which have attracted celebrity collectors like Sheryl Crow, Priscilla Presley, Michael Jordan, and President Barack Obama. In 2009, Mars joined the likes of Claes Oldenburg, LeRoy Neiman, and Ed Paschke when he was awarded an Artist Residency at the prestigious Ox-Bow School of Art, an affiliate of the Art Institute of Chicago.
