Artist Joe Black with his David Bowie portrait commissioned by Sky Arts.
(Picture: Scott Garfitt/PinPep)David Bowie has been named as Britian’s most influential artist of the last 50 years.
To commemorate his place ahead of other influential artists such as Elton John, Boy George, Steve Coogan, and Banksy, a portrait made from guitar plectrums has been unveiled.
Sky Arts commissioned, artist Joe Black to create the two-metre tall tribute of the “maverick” musicial icon.
Mr Black used 8,500 plectrums of the singer-songwriter, adding: “The idea was to use thousands of specially designed plectrums, with each design representing one of the five artistic areas of Bowie’s creative life and influences - music, film, fashion, literature and art.
“Bowie was a maverick and a global icon who initiated a new Bowie era in popular culture.”
The Starman singer, who passed away aged 69 in January 2019, topped a list of 50 influential due to his ability to transcend multiple art forms, the judging panel said.
Led by broadcaster and DJ Lauren Laverne, the team dew up the list with the top ten also including acclaimed 12 Years A Slave director Sir Steve McQueen in second place, screenwriter Russell T Davies in third, and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood in the fourth spot.
Playright Caryl Churchill, dancer Michael Clark, writers Angela Carter and Muriel Spark, Stormzy, and actress, writer and director Michaela Coel rounded out the top ten.
The finished piece will be donated by Sky Arts to a school in Bowie’s hometown of Brixton, London to celebrate the new generation of young artists who will follow his lead.
Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, said: “As our number one artist, we wanted to honour David Bowie in a way that would feel fitting to the scale of his influence. The artwork that has been created by Joe Black honours the ways that Bowie’s influence transcends genres, through guitar picks with cut out designs of music, art, stage and screen.”
