Envy Man Magazine Online

Pop Goes the Easel. Celebrity Pop Artist, Nicolosi, has quickly become a household name in contemporary art circles by creating his signature pop art portraits of many of today's top luminaries in the entertainment, sports, political, and corporate arenas. In the past year, his pop art career has catapulted onto the world stage after being featured on Entertainment Tonight during their telecast of the 58th Annual Primetime Emmys. Nicolosi created pop art portraits of such celestial subjects as Mariska Hargitay, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Conan O'Brien, Stockard Channing, Kiefer Sutherland and Julia Louis-Dreyfus to name a few.

In January, Entertainment Tonight again featured the pop art portraits of this modern day mono-moniker artist during their coverage of the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards show.  A few of the celebrities represented in the artwork were Meryl Streep, Eddie Murphy and Helen Mirren.

These celebrity portraits were autographed backstage by both Nicolosi and the celebrity subject of each portrait. 

The roster of celebrities who autographed their own Nicolosi pop art portrait at the Golden Globes reads like a who’s who of tinsel town:  Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Patrick Dempsey—aka Dr. McDreamy, Beyonce Knowles and the Dreamgirls.

A graduate of The University of Iowa, Nicolosi also works directly with the Iowa State Arts Council and the Iowa Foundation. The University of Iowa's Director of Alumni Relations, Penni Ryan, has tapped Nicolosi to create a commemorative pop art rendition of the College of Dentistry building to celebrate the dental school's 125th anniversary this year.

When not creating commission portraits, Nicolosi is often working on pieces which benefit a host of his favorite charities that include The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, Kreative Kids, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and Habitat for Humanity.

Even Broadway’s new “It Girl,” Laura Bell Bundy, has recruited Nicolosi to whip up a pop art portrait of her on-stage pooch, “Bruiser,” for the world premier of the new Broadway blockbuster extravaganza, Legally Blonde: The Musical.  Bundy first met Nicolosi when the duo collaborated on a project at The National Arts Club in New York City. The pair merged their creative forces with club President O. Aldon James and actor/writer Joel Vig to put a long overdue star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame for legendary actress Patricia Neal. The pop art portrait, which Nicolosi created to celebrate Patricia Neal’s star, was autographed by Ms. Neal and is now in the permanent collection of The Hollywood Museum.

In November 2006, Alexian Brothers Bonaventure House of Chicago named Nicolosi and Senator Barack Obama as the two most recent prominent Chicagoans to serve as honorary board members for their organization. Nicolosi and Senator Obama will join the roster of other Chicago notables including Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Other celebrity subjects who have autographed their own Nicolosi pop art portrait include Senator Hillary Clinton, Ashton Kutcher, Placido Domingo, Gary Sinise, Golden Girls’ Rue McClanahan, Larry Hagman, Barbara Eden, Rita Moreno, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Kirk Douglas.

Nicolosi is currently in discussions with the Director of the John Wayne Birth Place Museum to create the official portrait of the “Duke” to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Wayne (Marion Morrison) in Winterset, Iowa on May 26, 2007.

For commission inquiries and to see more of Nicolosi’s pop artwork, you can visit his online gallery at www.popartgalleries.com