Russell Young Steve McQueen (crash silver + black) For Sale

About this work

Russell Young has established himself as one of the most significant figures in contemporary Pop Art, extending the legacy of Warhol while developing a visual language entirely his own. His works command consistent attention at auction and remain sought after by collectors internationally, with his celebrity portrait series representing some of the most recognizable images in the contemporary market. Steve McQueen (crash silver + black) exemplifies Young's distinctive approach to cultural mythology. The work belongs to his ongoing exploration of Hollywood's golden age, presenting the legendary actor through Young's signature screen-printing technique. What distinguishes this piece is its material complexity—the combination of acrylic, oil-based ink, and diamond dust hand-pulled onto linen creates a surface that shifts between photographic immediacy and painterly abstraction. The silver and black palette strips away sentimentality, presenting McQueen with the raw cool that defined his screen presence while simultaneously acknowledging the machinery of fame that constructed it. As a unique work rather than an editioned print, this piece holds particular significance within Young's practice. The artist's uniques represent his most concentrated engagements with his subjects, where the handworked surface becomes as important as the image itself. The diamond dust catches light unpredictably, lending the work a physical presence that reproduction cannot convey. Young's treatment of McQueen sidesteps nostalgia, instead interrogating how celebrity images circulate, degrade, and reconstitute themselves across decades. Guy Hepner welcomes inquiries regarding the acquisition of this work.