Madonna and her children at the painting exhibition

Madonna has built a legacy that transcends music and has been studied by sociologists, historians, and other scholars, contributing to the rise of Madonna studies, a subfield of American cultural studies. According to Rodrigo Fresán, “saying that Madonna is just a pop star is as inappropriate as saying that Coca-Cola is just a soda. Madonna is one of the classic symbols of Made in USA.” Rolling Stone Spain wrote, “She became the first master of viral pop in history, years before the internet was massively used. Madonna was everywhere; in the almighty music television channels, ‘radio formulas’, magazine covers and even in bookstores.