David Bowie has been announced as Britain’s most influential artist of the last 50 years.
The iconic Ziggy Stardust singer, who sadly passed away at the age of 69 in January 2016, landed the number one spot in a list that also features artist Banksy, 90s pop sensation the Spice Girls and acclaimed director, screenwriter and actress Michaela Coel.
A team of expert judges across music, film & TV, performing arts, literature and visual art were challenged to create the list by TV channel Sky Arts in a celebration of British artists past and present and their influence on global culture.
The 15-person judging panel, led by DJ, presenter and author Lauren Laverne, included MOBO Awards founder Kanya King CBE, acclaimed writer Bonnie Greer, film critic, Ali Plumb and esteemed theatre critic Lyn Gardner.
Bowie was named most influential by judges as they commended his influence across the industry and ability to transcend a variety of mediums including music, film and fashion.
To celebrate Bowie topping the list, Sky Arts commissioned Joe Black, a critically acclaimed mixed media artist from London, to create a unique artwork of the legendary musician using guitar plectrums.
Each plectrum features a cut out shape to symbolise all the artistic disciplines Bowie influenced, from music and film to art, performance and poetry.
The artwork, standing at a mammoth 2m tall, has been made using 8,610 individually placed guitar plectrums.
The final result is a stunning portrait of Bowie that will be donated by Sky Arts to a school in Bowie’s home town of Brixton, celebrating the new generation of young artists who will be inspired by the musical legend.
Speaking about being involved in the campaign, Joe said: "This portrait was created to celebrate David Bowie being named the most influential artist of the last 50 years.
"His visual representation had a huge impact across all of the arts worldwide. The idea was to use thousands of specially designed plectrums with each design representing one of the five artistic areas of Bowie’s creative life and influences - music, film, fashion, literature and art.
"Bowie was a maverick and a global icon who initiated a new Bowie era in popular culture," he added.
Britain's top 10 most influential artists of the last 50 years are:
1. David Bowie
2. Sir Steve McQueen CBE
3. Russell T Davies OBE
4. Dame Vivienne Westwood
5. Caryl Churchill
6. Michael Clark
7. Angela Carter
8. Stormzy
9. Muriel Spark
10. Michaela Coel
