In an attempt to get the Academy Award committee’s attention, artist Michael Moebius has launched a creative $30,000 stunt. Adoring the late, great actress Marilyn Monroe, Moebius is using thousands of his own funds to advocate for the Academy to grant her a lifetime achievement award at the Oscars, saying that the entire entertainment business “raped” her genius talent. “Everyone thinks they have an Academy Award because they are household names, but they don’t,” he exclusively told The DailyMail .
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The well-known artist has asked Instagram users to support his creative initiative with an endearing caption, “Cinema and film have always had a significant influence on my work as an artist. I’m thrilled to share my latest artwork “Celebration” with the world featuring Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean celebrating the Oscars they deserve. This painting is not just a stroke of my brush; it’s a symphony of emotions, a testament to the indelible mark these icons left on our hearts. I passionately believe in granting them the recognition they richly deserve for their timeless impact. I’ve started an online petition, urging the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to grant them the posthumous recognition they are entitled to. Let’s collectively support the legacy of these legends and ensure that their profound influence on the realms of cinema and culture receives the utmost recognition and honor. Please sign my petition and support Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley & James Dean at oscarsforlegends.com , thank you! Link in bio. #oscarsforlegends.”
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“Everything they did is connected to the entire industry of Hollywood. They are like the gods of the whole industry, and if you think about it, they all had a sad story. They were all raped by the entire industry,” he told the publication. After attempting to visualize Marilyn, James, and Elvis receiving Oscars for one of his artistic endeavors, Moebius started his campaign. He said: “We’re not judging the acting or the music , we’re just saying their achievement for the entire industry and their influence was so tremendous. I think everyone will be on our side to give them something back because they entertained everyone.”
He was inspired to act after realizing that all three legends had been overlooked, and he conceived a year-long piece in which he painted them all clutching Oscars. “I was going to paint them together in a beautiful amusing way on a Hollywood night out you know, having a fun time,’ he said. ‘But they’ve never been together like this.” He continued, “When you look at the list of posthumous Oscars granted, lifetime achievement awards granted, and awards in general by the Academy and recognition by the Academy that’s been done, it’s a pretty lengthy list. But you don’t see any of these three names appear on it. Are they not good enough? Is this an oversight? Are they already so big that there’s no need to recognize them? But isn’t that kind of backward? Is that the penalty of leadership? Like, you’re so recognized that you don’t even get an award?”
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Talking about his $20,000 and $30,000 worth of digital campaign Moebius said, “It will be worth it. It’s important to bring this to the Academy’s attention – and there’s really no better way to bring it to their attention than to actually put it right in front of their faces. We have a few different digital billboards going up all around the city, and we’re gonna tie them thematically to Oscar time. We have these huge billboard trucks which have screens on all sides and the back and we’re going to literally park them in in front of their offices.”