Russell Young

Russell Young was born in Northern England in 1960. From an early age he was powerfully drawn to the idealized drama of the American dream. He studied film, drawing, photography and graphic design. After college he moved to London. He started taking photographs at the live club shows of Bauhaus, R.E.M. and the Smiths. In 1986, he shot the iconic 'Faith' sleeve for George Michael.

Well known for his bold, iconic, silkscreen paintings of pop imagery turned upon themselves to explore the nature of the American counter culture as seen through the eyes of young boy growing up in Northern England, his bold ground breaking screen print renditions present a visual journey that bares witness to both the excess and ambition that has helped shape the American Dream, a brooding and sometimes brutal celebration of the characters and events that glamorise and chastise in equal measure, whether through direct visual reference or by title, the works set out to both assert and and challenge our perception and understanding of what it is to be American in the 21st century.

His body of work includes painting, screen printing, sculpture, installations and film. His work is included in the collections of Aby Rosen, The Qatari Royal Family, Kate Moss, David Bowie, Liz Taylor, Barack Obama, The Albertina Museum, The Saatchi Collection and Brad Pitt.