Michael J. Browne and the Art of Painting Football's Gods
"The GOAT's Last Dance" by a Cast-Aside from Moss Side.
Cristiano Ronaldo sits atop a golden chariot with a golden staff in hand. His long-term partner, Georgina Rodríguez, stands by his side, surrounded by a cast of characters drawn from another age and another world entirely. A ride into the sunset. A procession through a life fully lived.
This is an extraordinary allegorical painting of the Ronaldo family in a carnival procession through life, based on Annibale Carracci's Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne, a Baroque celebration of abundance and mortal triumph. Carracci's original depicts Bacchus (god of wine, excess, and fertility) atop a chariot in triumphant procession, surrounded by devoted followers revelling in the fullness of life. Michael J. Browne takes that classical foundation and makes it entirely his own.
• In progress: completing "The GOAT's Last Dance".
•Browne's replica of the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling of the Cocotoo restaurant in Central Manchester.
Is it a portrait of Ronaldo's self-indulgent persona and devoted followers, or the sheer fertility of his footballing genius? Perhaps both. Like Bacchus himself, Ronaldo is a figure in transition, pleasure and triumph giving way to something deeper, celebrating mortal life before it passes.
This is a swan song for the greatest: a career painted at its sunset. Mortality dressed in gold, a reminder that even gods have a last dance, and some legacies are already complete.
The piece is currently for sale. Contact Curiat for private viewings or gallery collaborations.
• Browne in motion, standing atop a bar structure to complete his heralded copy of the Sistine Chapel.
• David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville, Ryan Gigs and Gary Neville came to view and sign the work. With childhood friend, and talented right winger, Terry Cooke who had to cross the road to Manchester City as Sir David was ruling the roost
Michael J. Browne, known as the "Manchester Michelangelo", has spent decades painting football icons with the reverence of a Renaissance master. Born in Moss Side, Manchester, he went on to study at the Chelsea School of Art before carving out one of the most distinctive careers in British art.
Perhaps his most famous work, The Art of the Game, chronicled Eric Cantona's footballing redemption, featuring Sir Alex Ferguson, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, and the Neville brothers. The overwhelming scale and beauty of the piece was displayed publicly before moving to Cantona's private collection.
• Eric Cantona and Michael J. Browne's Joint Exhibition.
• The overwhelming scale and beauty of The Art of the Game on display.
Cantona visited Browne while the painting was in progress, bringing his father, also an artist, to watch. The painting now sits in Cantona's private collection alongside several other works by Browne. Browne's work has since been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London and purchased by the Professional Footballers' Association.
An Eye for Myth, Allegory, and Politics
Browne's central themes have always been heroism, human rights, politics, and sport. In Ronaldo, he finds all of these at once: the strength, the labour, and the rewards of a life fully lived.
• Each painting takes hundreds of hours. His brush moves like spring water: fluid, instinctive, and inevitable.
• Yet for Michael, we all know this will not be his last masterpiece...
• The Art of the Game: Browne pictured with Brian Kidd, former coach of Manchester United and Manchester City.
artwork credits:
Michael J. Browne : Eric Cantona Collection : Curiat Editorial Archive
