Heroes + Heroines

In Heroes + Heroines, Russell Young looks past the darker side of excess and sets his sights on pure stardom with a cast of characters instantly recognizable for their embodiment of American fame. A wall of heroes and a wall of heroines immortalize icons and the nature of longing with the artist’s signature, luxurious use of diamond dust. This collection of stars is not only an ode to beauty, success, and possibility, but also the unending search to grasp the American Dream.
“They transcend normal human beings. And they all have their own ways of how they got to their creative genius.” – Russell Young
Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali
Thunder Red
2011
acrylic paint and enamel screen print with diamond dust on linen
62 x 48 inches

“A young black boxer ‘Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr’ changes his name to ‘Muhammad Ali’ and through shear force of personality propels himself to stardom silencing his critics and  challenging the prejudices of a nation.” – Robin Barton
Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot
St. Tropez Rose
2017
acrylic paint, enamel and diamond dust screen print on linen
36 x 28 inches

Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot
St. Tropez Bleu
2017
acrylic paint, enamel and diamond dust screen print on linen
36 x 28 inches

Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot
Flash Yellow
2017
hand pulled acrylic, enamel screen print and diamond dust on linen
70 x 54 1/2 inches

“But are not all Facts Dreams as soon as we put them behind us” – Emily Dickinson
Marilyn Crying

Marilyn Crying
Violet
2014
acrylic paint, enamel and diamond dust screen print on linen
62 x 48 inches inches

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar
Tempest Silver
2018
acrylic paint, enamel and diamond dust screen print on linen
62 x 48 inches

“The artistic thing that’s inside of me is a creative thing, it’s images, it’s words, it’s feelings. It’s poetic.” – Russell Young
Magnificent Seven

Magnificent Seven
Chalk Black + White
2019
acrylic paint, enamel and diamond dust screen print on linen
38 x 62 inches

“Mesmerized by the drama of the American dream and visual richness of Lichtenstein and Warhol and Rauschenberg, Young paints the world in which he sees it; idealized.” – Flaunt
Kate Moss #1

Kate Moss #1
Sundown Pink + Black
2015
enamel and diamond dust screen print on linen
62 x 48 inches

Kate Moss #2

Kate Moss #2
Wild Mauve + Black
2015
enamel and diamond dust screen print on linen
62 x 48 inches

From Muhammad Ali to Bridgette Bardot, Kate Moss to Kendrick Lamar, Marilyn Monroe to Marlon Brando, the range of protagonists in Heroes + Heroines—crystalized through Russell Young’s  shimmering vision—reimagines the breadth of fame. Together they form a new kind of American tapestry, a tribute to brilliance and reinvention. This series does not simply gaze into the past, it pulls the past towards us, revealing how these icons have held such timeless importance to Young. “These are my heroes and heroines, these are the people that really kept me going. It’s my escapism.”