David Nordahl (born 1941) is an American painter, most notable for serving as singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's personal portraitist from 1988–2005. Nordahl gained initial fame through his scrupulously researched paintings of

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

life.

Biography

David Nordahl was born in

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea is a city in Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of ...

in 1941. Of his early years, Nordahl stated: "I can't remember not drawing. I had an abusive, alcoholic father, and drawing is something that takes you out of the real world. I was always interested in cowboys and Indians. I sold drawings of the

Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

to my classmates." He graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1959. Besides painting portraits, Nordahl also created set pieces for theatrical productions for the Albert Lea Civic Theater in the mid-1960s. In 1964 in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

he founded Pandora Productions with Bart de Malignon, making posters and

blacklight poster A blacklight poster or black light poster is a poster printed with inks which Fluorescence, fluoresce under a black light. The inks used contain phosphors which cause them to glow when exposed to ultraviolet light emitted from black lights. Over ...

s.Ensminger, David. "Black Light Panthers: The Politics of Fluorescence," ''Art in Print'' Vol. 5 No. 2 (July–August 2015). He moved to

Steamboat Springs, Colorado The City of Steamboat Springs is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Routt County, Colorado, United States. Steamboat Springs is the principal city of the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Sta ...

, in 1977. In Colorado, Nordahl solely focused on painting

photorealistic Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can be ...

portraits of Apache life, which lured collectors due to his painstaking detail and high quality.

Michael Jackson's patronage and friendship

Nordahl left the world of commercial art to work as Michael Jackson's private portraitist in 1988. He received a late night phone call from Jackson, who had recently seen a Nordahl painting in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's office, depicting a 19th-century raid on an Apache camp by US Army troops. Initially contacting Nordahl for art lessons, Jackson quickly found a kindred spirit and friend. This led to a creative collaboration which, until 2005, yielded thousands of drawings and roughly a dozen large-scale commissions. Nordahl and Jackson's bond was cemented not only through their mutual artistic appreciation, but through their shared experience of traumatic childhoods. "I grew up in a difficult home, and he did too," says Nordahl. "We had no playtime growing up. We're both fanatical about work". In addition to his work as portraitist, Nordahl provided designs for Jackson's amusement park in

Neverland Ranch Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch"Neverland Never More"
, by William Etling (author ...

Post-Jackson career

Since Michael Jackson's move to

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

in 2005 (and later his death in 2009), Nordahl has returned to painting Apaches and other subjects. He is currently represented by Settlers West Galleries in Tucson.

Personal life

Nordahl currently resides in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

with his wife, artist Lori Peterson. Nordahl's son,

Blane David Nordahl Blane David Nordahl (born April 19, 1962) is an American cat burglar, who was given the nickname "Burglar to the Stars" after his exploits at the homes of individuals such as Ivana Trump, Steven Spielberg, Curt Gowdy and Bruce Springsteen. A high ...

, was arrested in August 2013 in connection with a string of thefts that focused entirely on antique silver pieces.

References

External links

davidnordahl.comDavid Nordahl's Farewell to Michael JacksonUK Guardian's Photo Gallery of Nordahl's Jackson portraits
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordahl, David 1941 births Living people Artists from Minnesota 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists Photorealist artists People from Albert Lea, Minnesota 20th-century American male artists