'Gum Blonde' Britney Spears

Oct 2, 2007, 13:00 GMT

Vintage Brit: US pop star Britney Spears performs on stage in Oberhausen, Germany, 28 May 2004 during her European \'The Onyx Hotel Tour\'. Troubled pop star Britney Spears was ordered 02 October 2007 to relinquish custody of her two toddlers to former husband Kevin Federline. EPA/ACHIM SCHEIDEMANN

Britney Spears is the star of a new art exhibition.

Art show 'Just Britney' - which includes a portrait of the singer made entirely from chewed bubble gum, entitled 'Gum Blonde XLVIII' by Jason Kronenwald - opened at Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbatos's Hollywood gallery on Friday (28.09.07).

Curator Steven Corfe said: "We reached out to a number of artists and found Britney is such a polarising character these days.

"People absolutely adored her and wanted to celebrate her bubblegum, pop princess years. Or, they thought she was an irresponsible mother or wanted to play up the drug side of things.

"She personifies our obsession with celebrity culture, and it's an obsession that won't die down no matter how far she goes off the rail. We love to put people up on a pillar and we love even more to shoot them down. The show reflects that whole spectrum."

The exhibition features 50 pieces of artwork all inspired by or starring the 25-year-old singer.

One piece, titled 'Snake Charmer', is a 6ft by 10ft portrait based on a paparazzi photo of Britney exiting a car wearing a short skirt and no underwear, painted by Jamie Boling.

It is not the first time Britney has inspired a work of art.

Last year, sculptor Daniel Edwards created 'Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston', a bronze statue of Britney giving birth on all fours on an animal-skin rug.

It was revealed yesterday (01.10.07) that Britney had lost custody of her two sons, two-year-old Sean Preston and one-year-old Jayden James after failing to adhere to court orders in her ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

(C) BANG Media International