Art Icon Richard Hamilton Dies

British artist Richard Hamilton, whose work was highly critical of consumerism and politics, died Tuesday at 89 while preparing a retrospective of his art. Among his many achievements, Hamilton designed the minimalist white cover for the Beatles album that bears no name.

Hamilton was best known for a collage produced in the 1950s, but he remained active. More recently he lampooned Tony Blair as a cowboy.  —PZS

BBC:

His later work focused on political images, which often parodied post-war consumerism.

Serota said: “This fascination with the consumer society was highly critical, a moral position that was also evident in his distrust of the political establishment ranging from Mrs Thatcher to Tony Blair and Hugh Gaitskell.”

Shock and Awe (2007-08) featured Tony Blair wearing a cowboy shirt, with guns and holsters.

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Britain’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair as imagined by artist Richard Hamilton in a work titled “Shock and Awe.”