Those nude drawings of Iggy Pop are finally here

It’s been an incredibly long wait since we first glanced Iggy Pop naked and spread out over a table top surrounded by artists sat behind easels, immortalising him on paper. Finally, the resulting nude drawings are here and will be exhibited at Brooklyn Museum from November.

Pop’s foray into life drawing was a collaboration with British artist Jeremy Deller, who, along with Brooklyn Museum’s Sharon Matt Atkins, helped select 21 artists to capture their interpretation of the frontman in all his glory.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pop explained that “it was not about anything silly… It wasn’t about my winkie, or anything. It was just a documentation of what’s left of me. I thought it was a good idea the artist had and I enjoyed so much the company of the 21 drawing students and working artists. It was a very nice vibe in the room.”

While Pop might not seem like the most likely of nude subjects, Deller explained in the upcoming show’s press release that his choice related to our ideas of masculinity. “Iggy Pop has one of the most recognisable bodies in popular culture. A body that is key to an understanding of rock music, and that has been paraded, celebrated, and scrutinised through the years in a way that is unusual for a man. It is also fair to say that it has witnessed a lot. It was for these reasons that I wanted him to sit for a life class.”

The drawings will be shown alongside works from the museum’s collection that depict the male body in an examination of the “shifting cultural representations of masculinity across history”.

Iggy Pop Life Class will run from November 4, 2016 to March 26, 2017 at Brooklyn Museum