Manchester artist Michael Browne is bringing his distinctive blend of politics, history, religion, and street-level engagement to one of the city’s busiest locations this summer, with a new live window painting taking shape opposite the Beetham Tower and Hilton Hotel on Deansgate.
The site, which already houses Michael’s much-talked-about portrait of Donald Trump, is being transformed once again as Michael prepares to paint live in the window in the run-up to and during the Manchester International Festival (MIF). His new, as yet untitled, piece painted in real time for the public to observe will sit alongside the Trump portrait and his Sovereign Servant painting in the Great Northern Warehouse, Deansgate.
“There’s a strong conceptual link between the paintings,” said Michael. “The Sovereign Servant includes the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond, taken from India – a lasting symbol of imperialism. It’s about power, single minded ambition, possession, and theft.”
“In my new painting, Trump, Musk and J D Vance are depicted seated in a cubicle in the fairground at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which is generally occupied by The Laughing Clown. Atop the cubicle is a small cross, as if this is the new religion. The clown here is a disguised God-like figure laughing behind Trump. Beneath their feet is a landscape full of trodden grapes, whilst behind Elon Musk there’s a dangerous biblical figure wielding a scythe, and facing J D Vance is the Catholic Theologian Saint Augustine.”
Michael’s Trump portrait has stopped countless Mancunians in their tracks and, along with The Sovereign Servant, is already attracting a lot of attention in the Deansgate window.
The launch of the new live painting happens to coincide with the Manchester International Festival which opens on July 4th. MIF’s headline exhibition, Football Art, City United at Aviva Studios, features newly created artworks by 11 pairings of internationally renowned artists and footballers including the Manchester United legend Eric Cantona. The connection is a personal one for Browne: In 2023, he collaborated with Eric Cantona to co-curate the exhibition From Moss Side to Marseille at the National Football Museum.
Cantona recently visited GRIT Studios in The Great Northern, where Michael is based, to see his latest works in progress – including a new portrait of American marathon runner Kathrine Switzer, commissioned by Eric himself. Michael will also be painting this live in the Deansgate window, which, fittingly, is just metres from the finish line of the Manchester Marathon. So, for anyone walking around the area, this will be an opportunity to watch Michael’s creative process unfold in real time, and engage with the themes that power his work.
“It’s very difficult for me to get my works in institutions, or to get many of my paintings discussed in mainstream media because of the sensitivity of their content,” Browne explained. “But, live painting in the city – especially during a cultural moment like MIF – opens up new conversations. That’s what art in public spaces is really about!”
