David LaChapelle is featuring his mind blowing show at the Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York this week. Works featured included Martyred Jackson which are glaringly critical interpretations of mainstream culture.

The 47-year-old LaChapelle spoke passionately the other day about growing up gay, Catholic and suicidal in Fairfield, Conn., and finding salvation (and photography) at the North Carolina School for the Arts.

Now, for his first New York solo show since 2008, LaChapelle’s brings three dramatic series to the Paul Kasmin Gallery: American Jesus, Thy Kingdom Come and The Rape of Africa (images below). American Jesus – a series began over a decade ago – includes three large-scale photos depicting Michael Jackson as a modern day, Biblical martyr (from LaChapelle’s final photo shoot with Jackson).

Michael Jackson, American Jesus? Photographer David LaChapelle’s newest exhibit, “American Jesus,” depicts the late pop singer Michael Jackson in a series of photos as, well, Jesus. LaChappelle and Jackson were good friends, and completed a photo shoot shortly before the singer’s death (although it’s likely that a stand-in or two also was involved in putting together these shots).

Michael Jackson in American Jesus to James Franco on General Hospital

David LaChapelle transforma Michael Jackson em Jesus em sua mais recente exposição Habituado a criar polêmica com seus trabalho, o fotógrafo americano David LaChapelle não poupou nem mesmo a figura de Michael Jackson em sua mais recente exposição na cidade de Nova York. Intitulada “American Jesus”, ela traz fotos inéditas do astro pop feitas antes de sua morte, em 25 de junho de 2009, encarnando Jesus Cristo. No retrato “Beatification”, por exemplo, Michael surge de mãos dadas com uma santa.

Der King of Pop im religiösen Kontext: David LaChapelle inszenierte Michael Jackson kurz vor seinem Tod. Derzeit sind seine Werke unter dem Titel "American Jesus" in der Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York zu sehen.

Who’s Bad? The Kitsch Pop Surrealism of David LaChapelle Salvador Dalí, it’s been said, was not a great artist, he just played the part until everyone believed it. Today that assessment seems both insightful and quaint: insightful because, to anyone not blessed with an extraordinary tolerance for kitschy self-aggrandizement, the work has not aged well (college dorm walls be damned), quaint because the idea of the great artist has been so thoroughly dismantled, satirized, reassembled and dissected as to become something of a sepia-toned, verbena-scented relic, a curiosity of intellectual history.

Legendary fashion photographer David LaChapelle attended the New York City debut of his latest series of work, "American Jesus," featuring this image of Michael Jackson (left).

LaChapelle's works are bound to evoke potent reactions but the intent is to suggest contemplation rather than offense. Religious allusions are carefully borrowed and appropriated in his rendition of the Boticelli painting with Naomi Campbell posing with her breast exposed accompanied by a small African boy holding a machine gun.

The Artist and Celebrity-Snapper Explains His New Show At Paul Kasmin Art and fashion photographer David LaChapelle’s poppy, religious-themed work features contemporary icons in tableaux straight out of the gospels.

David LaChapelle and friends congregated Tuesday night at the Standard's Highline Room to honor the unveiling of his latest photo show, "American Jesus."

Fino al 18 settembre il celebre fotografo presenta a New York American Jesus, mostra che vede protagonista Michael Jackson, amico personale dell'artista. Le foto sono state scattate poco prima che il cantante morisse.

In "American Jesus," there are images of Jesus holding a wilted Michael Jackson; Mr. Jackson as archangel standing on the devil; and Mr. Jackson holding hands with Our Lady of Lords, played, in this scenario by Czech model Hana Soukupová.

Fresh off a worldwide tour of galleries, Mr. LaChapelle is back in town, opening "American Jesus" next week at Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York-and courting trouble.