A Review of Pop Artist Michael Albert

Michael Albert, born on October 14, 1966, is the Andy Warhol of 21st century pop art. An environmentalist, Albert believes in recycling products by using them to produce art. A post-modernist and businessman, Albert examines the way societies and cultures are shaped by the power of economic forces, such as advertising and mass media.
He analyzes this trend through his artistic technique which is defined by collages, cryptic symbolism, cubism, and verbal expression, all of which are made using everyday goods.

In The Victim, Albert exemplifies how citizens are "victims" of advertisements of big name brands which drive them to consume and allow their lives to revolve around the consumption of such products. The Victim portrays Albert, still a college student at NYU, sitting at his desk and drawing a portrait of his dorm which is cluttered with popular products including, but not limited to, Kleenex, Planters Cocktail, Pepsi, Crayola Markers, Uncle Ben's Rice, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Head and Shoulders, Lee, Tide, Crest, and Reynolds Wrap.

Verbal messages with letters taken from cereal boxes, candy bars, or other fun famous product characterize most of Albert's work. Such messages include inspirational life messages on The Last Breakfast (2000) which is inspired by the Leonardo DaVinci's The Last Supper. The messages in The Last Breakfast represent what Jesus would have said to his disciples at the last supper before his crucifixion. "Live each day as if it were your last Stay quiet Be careful Let live Do the right thing Death is not the end" are just some of the message written on this piece. In this piece there are also twelve disciples representing the twelve disciples in the Last Supper and Michael's version of Jesus- the Sir Real Lime Man who is depicted with one blue eye and a face made of lime detached from his black hat and suit. The twelve disciples in The Last Breakfast represent breakfast characters from large breakfast companies including, but not limited to, Quaker Oats, Toucan Sam from Kellogg's Froot Loops, and General Mills' Lucky Charms leprechaun.

Many of Albert's works include patriotic themes such as the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, the Statue of Liberty, and a cubist US flag cut in geometric pieces. The US flag is frequently seen throughout Albert's works, as is the SirReal man, and I [heart] NY. Another motif in Albert's works is the number 13 which depicts the number of characters in a piece as seen in The Last Breakfast and The Statue of Liberty (2004). The Statue of Liberty depicts Emma Lazarus' poem on the Statue of Liberty, The New Colossus. Like Albert's other works, the letters of the poem are made of popular products. For example, the 'K' is taken from Kellogg's, 'G' from General Mills, 'O' from Oreos, et cetera. Also in this work is "I [heart] NY" in the top which precedes the poem, as well as The SirReal Apple Man located on the computer screen, his initials M.A. in the bottom right corner, and thirteen characters (twelve disciples and the Statue of Liberty). The twelve disciples in this piece include the most famous women advertised on ordinary products such as Aunt Jemima, the Native American female holding the Land O'Lakes butter, Little Debby, the Starbucks woman, and the Sun-Maid girl. The Statue of Liberty stands tall in the middle of her disciples representing her strength.

Albert graduated from New York University's School of Business and Public Administration which explains his theme of advertising and media in his artworks. His conspicuous appeal for American products and mass marketing led him to create his own products- a natural and organic fruit juice line sold in the New York Metropolitan area called SirReal The Art of Fruit Juice. Albert's fruit juice line represents his own contribution to marketing, yet it stops short from being a national icon as it is not massively advertised and only sold in New York.