Perry Milou

Perry Milou (born October 4, 1967) is an American contemporary pop artist known for his representational works of popular culture subjects including iconic celebrities, notable sports players, political figures and landmarks. Collectors and critics have noted his bold and rich palettes throughout his career. His list of commission patrons and collectors includes names such as Sylvester Stallone, Julius Erving, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Eagles and Ed Rendell. He lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Work Milou first gained recognition in Philadelphia, with paintings of local sports heroes and landmarks which he created outdoors in a high traffic area of the city where people could see him and his work. Milou takes an original approach while drawing influence from masters – pop stylings of Peter Max and Andy Warhol, skills of Edgar Degas and brushstrokes of Vincent van Gogh. He's described his art as a "fine-pop” and “in your face with vibrant colors”, Other works combined Swarovski crystals with this painting technique, like his Vegas Icons Playing Cards series. In 2007 his Marilyn Monroe series was featured in the Marylin in Art book published by Cantor Publishing Group. “I am constantly looking at the sky; it is the closest thing to watching God paint in the present moment.” multi-media oil paintings embellished with Swarovski Crystals and decoupage. a series of three 8x8ft paintings. Each canvas included 1,024 painted square sections that combined created the image on each canvas, an effect like pointillism Anticipating large crowds, he linked this interactive project to charity and charged $100 to kiss a square. with the earth as the background, painted in Milou's “rain” technique. The second Holy Day depicts Francis outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A Prayer for Peace is priced at $1,000,000 with a majority of the proceeds designated to charity.

Sports icons Milou began including sports players in paintings in the early 2000s, especially when a local team was on a championship run. Milou continued works in similar fashion throughout the years, another example including four quarterbacks from the Eagles - Norm VanBrocklin, Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb. More recently, Milou created a 48x36in oil portrait of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz

Commissions In 2001 Milou was commissioned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art to create two large oil paintings. The pair of paintings portrayed the two famous facades of the building using Milou's take on Van Gogh style techniques. He was commissioned by the museum again in 2007 to paint a portrait of Benjamin Franklin in celebration of the founding father's 300th birthday. “It’s spontaneous creation, we paint simultaneously – it’s like dueling brushes.” He again worked with Dellapenna in 2005 to create their painting On The Town, which is 6x8ft with the hefty price tag of $12,500.

Galleries After working and promoting himself outdoors for years in Rittenhouse Square, Milou gained enough recognition and finance to open a gallery in the area. He saw initial potential in Philadelphia's market, opening his first gallery in 2003. The eponymous Perry Milou Gallery served as an indoor studio and exhibition for people to visit after watching him paint outdoors for the previous four years. After years as a gallerist in Philadelphia, the businessman in Milou had him looking to other larger markets where more people would be willing to invest in quality artwork at higher price points. where Milou was hoping to capitalize on the art market that was fueled by the annual Art Basel showcase. Another being the Second Annual Bubby's Cook-off in 2014 in which the proceeds went to the Friendship Circle Foundation.

Controversy Milou regularly worked and displayed his finished paintings in the corner of Rittenhouse Square until the Park Commission got involved in 2002. The Commission claimed receiving several complaints about Milou, and though Milou claimed he never transacted a sale inside the park, the Commission director said that was irrelevant and began to enforce the no-solicitation policy by initiating ranger patrols through the Square. Milou said he planned to continue painting in the park.

Personal life Milou was raised in the Cheltenham-Mount Airy and Haverford suburbs near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Arizona, where he studied graphic design and illustration. While attending university, he was the first student to convince the Bachelor of Fine Arts program to include “open studio” as a major in 1990. After college he moved back to Philadelphia. Milou now resides in Pennsylvania with his wife, daughter and son.