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- Brett-Livingstone Strong is an Australian born artist (b. 1954) best known for his philanthropic spirit and eccentric nature. He is an architect, sculptor and painter and has been called a modern day Michelangelo because of his work in both mediums (sculpting and painting). In 1972, he was commissioned to paint the royal invitation for the opening of the Sydney Opera House by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. In 1977, he carved John Wayne’s face in a 116-ton rock that fell onto Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. It sold in 1979 for US$1.1 million to an Arizona company, and currently resides in the library of Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas. Strong created a life size bronze statue of John Lennon, entitled Imagine. He began work on the sculpture as a tribute to Lennon six months before the celebrated musician’s untimely death in 1980. Originally unveiled in New York City by Andy Warhol, it currently is in the possession of a private collector. Strong painted portrait of Michael Jackson entitled The Book which sold for $2.1 million to a Japanese businessman in 1990, making it the most money every paid to a living artist for the sale of a portrait. This rare piece was the only portrait that Michael Jackson sat for an artist's rendering and made its first appearance since 1992 on Thursday July 2, 2009. It was displayed for public viewing in Harlem NY near the Apollo Theatre to honor Michael Jackson. In the 1980s, Strong also completed work on the very impressive U.S. Presidentcy Monument and :The National Monument to the U.S. Constitution both commissioned by former Chief Justice Warren Burger. The monument was to have been dedicated by President George W. Bush and placed on the grounds of the White House. Currently these two monuments are part of an unprecedented nationwide educational program entitled link title"The Spirit of Freedom Tour" scheduled to launch in the fall of 2010 and tour 60 cities nationwide designed to heighten an understanding by America's students about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Strong created NASA’s National Space Exploration Monument for display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. On July 16, 1994, Vice President Al Gore announced this monument honoring the men and women of the United States Space Program and celebrating the anniversary of man’s landing on the moon. In the late 1990s Strong proposed the City of Angels Monument project designed to create a symbol for Los Angeles along the lines of New York’s Statue of Liberty or Paris’ Eiffel Tower. The $4 billion development was to cover 122 acres (0.49 km) in downtown Los Angeles with the central focus being a 750-foot (230 m) tower as the base for a 350-foot (110 m) female angel, wings spread, holding a sword of light above her head. Some people criticized the angel as being a symbol of violence, but the artist’s intention was for her to be a symbol of light cutting through the darkness. The project was to have honored the arts and entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Strong had backers who secured loans for some of the land, but didn’t obtain enough donors for the project. Ultimately, an eminent domain action filed by the Los Angeles Unified School District brought an end to the project. In 2000 Strong leveraged his largest and most valuable Fine Art collection appraised by the Bank of NY at $112,000,000 in order to finance the seed capital for his "City of Angels" Monument. The collection included many originals, Limited Edition prints and two notable sculptures exhibited in galleries and museums called "Formation of Life" and "Visions of Heaven on Earth" each appraised at approximately $4,000,000 each. In 2005 the Bank of NY sold their $36,000,000 security note to GMAC. In 2007 GMAC sold the collection to Liquid Brick, Inc (www. liquidbrick. com) a private investment co in New York for an undisclosed amount. In Jan, 2009 Liquid Brick, Inc has made a short video about Strong and his art at www. fineartinvestors. com.
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