celebrity artists

Sylvester Stallone's Artwork Goes On Display In Switzerland

Sylvester Stallone isn't an actor who took up painting on a lark. His commitment to art spans decades and will get its due in a new retrospective exhibit at Galerie Gmurzynska in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The exhibition, Sylvester Stallone. 35 Years of Painting, shows around 30 pieces that Stallone has painted, some of them self portraits. Stallone likes to paint on a grand scale, the pictures are large, colorful and bold and he cites Pablo Picasso and Gerhard Richter among his influences. In his acting, Stallone combines broad gestures and big action with moments of surprising delicacy and vulnerability and that's true in his artwork as well.

The exhibit runs from February 18 to March 15 and is accompanied by a catalogue written by art critics Anthony Haden-Guest and Donald Kuspit. Over the past couple of years, Stallone has been able to command some pretty impressive prices for his art. In 2009 he sold a piece to casino mogul Steve Wynn for $40,000.

Gallery: Celebrity Artists

Tags: celebrity artists, sylvester stallone

How Much Would You Pay For Pete Doherty's Blood Art?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Celebrity Design

In the world of celebrity artists, Pete Doherty might be one of the oddest. The notorious musician is part of several bands including The Libertines and Babyshambles but made headlines for his relationship with Kate Moss and his addiction to heroin. Just about everything he does causes controversy and his art is no exception. When he first exhibited his paintings in 2007, they turned heads and stomachs because of his use of human blood, mostly his own.

Paul Fraser Collectibles is selling a painting that Doherty made for a fan last year. The Paul Fraser website says that a fan approached Doherty asking how he could make some money. Doherty said he would create a blood painting and send him £20. The painting was sent a week later (with a drawn £20 note). The canvas measures 32"x32" and the words "For Alistair, love Peter" are scrawled over half the canvas in blood. The self-portrait shows Doherty smoking, wearing his trademark hat, a quick smudge of pencil, pen and blood. It's listed for £25,000.

Gallery: Celebrity Artists

Tags: celebrity artists, pete doherty

Continue reading “How Much Would You Pay For Pete Doherty's Blood Art?”

Ronnie Woods To Show Art In Ohio

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Rolling Stones guitar player Ronnie Wood is the latest celebrity artist to have a big show. The show at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio will be the first exhibit of Wood's work at a major U.S. museum and will include 30 paintings, 22 drawings and seven mixed-media pieces.

Wood has been painting and drawing since he was a child and specializes in portraiture but also does landscapes. Before becoming a musician he studied at Ealing College of Art in London. He has always continued painting and drawing often making pictures of friends, family and the musicians he has played with. His work has been exhibited around the world. Wood plans to attend the opening of the Butler Institute exhibit on September 21. The show will run through November 21.

On his website, Wood showcases images of Mick Jagger, Slash, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Al Pacino and more.

Gallery: Celebrity Artists

Tags: art, art exhibit, art exhibits, celebrity artists, rolling stones, ronnie wood

James Franco Plans First Solo Art Show

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Celebrity Design

When it comes to celebrity artists, James Franco is one of the toughest to peg. The WSJ's fascinating article on his upcoming first solo art show at the Clocktower Gallery in New York City refers to Franco has having a "sort of creative schizophrenia." An interesting way to term his recent actions which have included a guest-starring role as a murderous artist also named Franco on "General Hospital" as well as taking classes at Columbia, New York University, Yale and the Rhode Island School of Design among others. He has also been working on several writing projects.

His exhibit "The Dangerous Book Four Boys" incorporates sculpture, photography, drawing, film and video and will be curated by Alanna Heiss, the founder and former director of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center. The WSJ article says that the exhibit centers on ideas of boyhood and the sexual awakening of the early teenage years. Rather than a showcase of single pieces the show is more about the thoughts they inspire. Some of the short films show burning or otherwise destroyed objects while another work takes on a subject often explored in "Star Trek" fan fiction, a romantic rendezvous between Spock and James T. Kirk. The exhibit opens on June 23 at the Clocktower Gallery a nonprofit exhibition space at 108 Leonard Street in Tribeca.

Tags: celebrity artists, james franco for gucci

Cher's Son Takes On Celebrity In Second Art Exhibit

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Artist Elijiah Blue knows a lot about the world of Hollywood fame, he's the son of Cher and Gregg Allman. His latest exhibition "Stuff of Legends", presented by Kantor Gallery and Madison Gallery follows the success of his sold out inaugural exhibition "Step-and-Repeat" at Kantor Gallery, with the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art acquiring the final piece.

"Stuff of Legends" and "Step-and-Repeat" are both commentaries on the union of celebrity and commerce. "Step-and-Repeat" looked at the commercial medium of the step and repeat backdrop found on red carpets. "Stuff of Legends" is a further abstraction and smaller study on the nuances of the first series of paintings in "Step-and Repeat." Both take a Warhol-like look at logos and Blue explores the "current celebrity condition" as an Orwellian device. In an interview with ArtInfo in February for the "Step-and-Repeat" exhibit Blue said: "I watch Jersey Shore. I love it. I watch it and I am corrupted, and I am the symptom. I am not above any of this - there is no escaping what we have become. I am just commenting on it."

The exhibition runs at the Madison Gallery 23410 Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA 90265-310.317.8787

Tags: art, art exhibit, celebrity artists, cher, elijiah blue, gregg allman, madison gallery

Designer Kenzo Exhibits Paintings

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Designer Kenzo Takada started painting ten years ago after he sold his Kenzo label to luxury goods company LVMH. Now he's showing off the fruits of his work at the Studio 55 gallery in Paris. The small exhibition of eight works feature the Japanese-born designer in a series of flower-printed kimonos. Kenzo is a also a collector of Asian art, furniture and antique kimonos. The exhibit runs through July 10.

[via AP]

Tags: art, celebrity artists, exhibition, kenzo, kenzo takada, paris

Sir Anthony Hopkins Exhibits Art In London

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Celebrity Design

Looks like Bob Dylan isn't the only celebrity with an art show in London. A collection of 50 paintings by Sir Anthony Hopkins are being shown at Gallery 27, Cork Street, London until February 20. The show includes 38 paper and seven acrylic works as well as five limited-edition prints. The prints are available for purchase. This isn't his first foray into exhibiting his art. In 2007, he held an exhibition titled Dreamscapes in Aspen, Colorado just a few years after he had started to paint. His paintings can sell for upwards of $20,000. Check out pieces from the exhibition in the gallery below.

[via The Telegraph]

Gallery: Anthony Hopkins, Artist

Tags: celebrity artists, CelebrityArtists, Sir Anthony Hopkins, SirAnthonyHopkins

Bob Dylan's Art To Go On Display In London

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Art

We mentioned Bob Dylan's career as an artist a few years back but the musician's first ever show of his works on canvas will open on Saturday February 13 at the Halycon Gallery in London. The new work represents his artistic journey from the drawings in The Drawn Blank Series to works on paper and now finally to canvas. The Drawn Blank Series of drawings and sketches were also gathered into a book.

The paintings are based on drawings and sketches made while he was on the road during the period of 1989 - 1992. In a press release Dylan said of his own work, "I just draw what's interesting to me, and then I paint it" and says that he can find inspiration anywhwere. His work, which includes both landscapes and personal scenes, contains some of the same everyday poetry aspect that his songs also capture. The show will run through April 10.

[via ArtDaily]

Tags: art exhibit, ArtExhibit, bob dylan, bob dylan art, BobDylan, BobDylanArt, celebrity artists, CelebrityArtists, halcyon gallery, HalcyonGallery, london