Jermaine Jackson has chosen Monaco to unveil something the world wasn’t expecting: a gallery museum dedicated to a side of Michael Jackson very few knew existed.
For decades, while the King Pop was breaking records and redefining music, he was quietly pursuing another passion… painting. Working with mentors like Sir Brett-Livingstone Strong and collaborating with artists including Andy Warhol, Michael built a collection of around 120 works. All this time, they’ve been sitting largely unseen, in a secure facility in Washington, D.C, valued at $1.6 billion.
Now, five years in the making, The Jackson Museum is coming to the French Riviera.
More than just walking through galleries
Jermaine Jackson, speaking at The Monégasque Christmas Gala on Wednesday 3rd December, revealed plans for a new exhibition that promises to be anything but conventional. Rather than presenting a traditional gallery of framed works, he aims to create a dynamic, immersive experience.
“We would like to do things a bit differently rather than just have a museum. We would like to create a show at the same time,” he said.
His vision features live narration of the artworks, accompanied by a DJ mixing Jackson 5 classics and Michael Jackson’s solo hits. “15 seconds of looking back to ’87, we go back into the narrative music that tells a story all the way up to when we first started.”
“Exhibitions for me should be different. I would like to narrate the paintings and tell a story,” Jermaine explained.
The artworks themselves depict defining moments in the Jackson family’s legacy: “All that is on canvas.”
The secret artist
Michel’s collection reveals an artist with extraordinary range. His works span from impressionism to surrealism. There are portraits of the White House, portraits of U.S. Presidents commissioned by President Reagan himself, and Disney characters reimagined through Michel’s lens.
One series, titled ‘Treasures Collections’, features portraits of inspiring figures Michael met throughout his life. There’s even a chair he painted himself, reflecting his love for design.
However, perhaps the most striking piece are two Marilyn Monroe portraits co-signed with Andy Warhol. One alone was valued at $160 million two years ago. It was a collaboration between two artists who saw themselves as outsiders, each finding something exotic and different in the other.
The complete collection of over 200 will also be published in an art book with a planned three million copy print run.
“We are one”
For Jermaine, this project is deeply personal. “It’s all about legacy and who we are as a family,” he said. The museum will feature not just Michael’s work, but also a collection Jermaine created with an Iranian artist, his entire life story on canvas.
From their childhood performances to that final, heartbreaking image, “you know, the one you saw of us carrying him at Staples centre”, it’s all there, transformed into art.
As for the artworks, none of them are for sale, he said. This isn’t about money for the Jackson family. It’s about sharing a legacy the world never knew existed, in a way that’s never been done before.
Regarding the exact location on the Côte d’Azur, while he has some ideas, nothing has been revealed just yet.
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Photo of Jermaine Jackson credit: Arsi Sebastien