As New York City prepares to celebrate over 50 years of Rolling Stones history, HG Contemporary Gallery is proud to present a sales-focused exhibition of rare art and memorabilia created by and inspired by the iconic band members.
MICK, KEITH, CHARLIE & RONNIE: ART + OBJECTS will showcase original paintings, drawings, hand-embellished prints, hand-written set lists and manuscripts, vintage memorabilia and posters, unique guitars and photography either created by or inspired by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood. The show pays homage to each musician, with an emphasis on works produced by Ronnie Wood - the band’s most accomplished visual artist, as well as important pieces from Andy Warhol, Peter Beard, Sebastian Kruger, Jeff Koons, and more.
Show highlights include Mick Jagger hand-written lyrics, "Devil Keith, " an original drawing co-created by Ronnie and Keith, a Ronnie original hand-painted Bigger Bang “Tongue” guitar, a Peter Beard Stones themed Polaroid collage, painted and hand-notated with lyrics, Andy Warhol Love You Live photographs and a very limited edition Jeff Koons Licks print signed by the entire band and the artist.
Original vintage photographs, rare VIP promotional items and unique t-shirts, hats, and mugs will be available for purchase both in the gallery and through Paddle8.
“What makes this show so incredible is that it is one of the most comprehensive collections of items, rivaled only perhaps by the band’s own archive. These pieces are extremely rare and personal,” said gallery director Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim. Ronnie Wood - Ronnie Wood’s renowned musical career has sometimes overshadowed the fact that he is a trained, highly talented and successful artist and a skilled draughtsman. Wood attended the Ealing College of Art in London, where classmates included Freddie Mercury and Pete Townsend. Throughout his career as a musician, he carries his paints and sketchbook around with him on tour, finding infinite inspiration from the music, the people and the places he was connected to. His bandmates even gave him the nickname Ronnie Rembrandt. His work largely focuses on the band members and other musicians and entertainers, family, close friends and self-portraits. This show offers a comprehensive look at the inner workings of one of the most creative artistic minds - a true artist both on and off stage.
Andy Warhol – (American, b. 1928)
Warhol met Mick Jagger in 1963 when the band was not well known in the United States. Warhol designed the band’s provocative 1971 album cover Sticky Fingers with its focus on a man’s crotch and a zipper that opened, and their 1977 album Love You Live. This cover features images from a number of photographs that Warhol took of the band members licking or biting each other or just sticking their tongues out. These images were also used on tablecloths, bags, and other items for the 1977 album launch party at New York’s club Trax.
Peter Beard – (American, b. 1938)
The famed American artist and photographer, was commissioned by Rolling Stone magazine to photograph the Stones 1972 “Exile on Main Street” tour and spent two months traveling with the band in Canada and the U.S., becoming close friends with Mick Jagger.
Jeff Koons – (American, b. 1955)
Pop Art icon, Jeff Koons, is well-versed in working with celebrity imagery and pairing them often with seemingly banal objects. For the Rolling Stones 'Forty Licks' tour in 2002, he designed the band's stadium show backdrop. With the mural, Koons had made implicit the very essence of the band; sex, drugs and rock 'n roll.
Sebastian Kruger – (German, b. 1963)
“New Pop Realism” legendary artist is a friend of the band and has been using them in his incredibly detailed, distorted yet hyper-realistic paintings for years.