Lorrie's Pop Life Art Blog

Louis Armstrong Painting by Tony Bennett

Legendary singer and painter Tony Bennett has donated a portrait of the great jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong to be auctioned in support of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. The oil painting depicts Armstrong performing on his gold-plated Selmer trumpet. This is the second Tony Bennett portrait of Armstrong. The first one was painted in 1970 and presented personally to Armstrong by Bennett. The painting still hangs in the den of Louis Armstrong’s house, which is now the Louis Armstrong House Museum. Visitors to the museum can hear an audio recording of Armstrong speaking about the painting and about his friend “Benedetto”. Benedetto is Tony Bennett’s birth name and he uses it to sign his paintings.

The auction opened at Charitybuzz.com on February 1, 2012 and continues through February 29th, 2012. Both Tony Bennett’s original painting of Louis Armstrong and his new painting will be on exhibit together during the month of February at the Louis Armstrong House Museum until the close of the auction, giving museum visitors the opportunity to see both paintings together before the auctioned painting ends up with a private collector.

According to the museum, proceeds from the auction will underwrite historic house tours, concerts, and community programs at the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

In the video below from DNAinfo.com, museum director Michael Cogswell talks about the museum, the paintings, and the auction.

See also:

Tony Bennett’s Art Website

Tony Bennett in the Studio: A Life of Art & Music at Amazon.com

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Related blog entry: Tony Bennett Draws Nude Portrait of Lady Gaga (December 12, 2011)

Visit the Pop Life Art home page for links to the artwork of more than 100 actors, singers,and musicians.

Hula Hula Gal by Mark Mothersbaugh

Artist, composer, singer, and founding member of the new wave band DEVO, Mark Mothersbaugh brings his “Beautiful Mutants” and his Scion Car Sculpture to the LA Art Show. Mark Mothersbaugh’s “Beautiful Mutants” are altered photographs described by Mothersbaugh as “pulled from man’s past…then ‘corrected’ into sickeningly beautiful beings. It is a study of humans via symmetry using photos both recent & vintage.”

Mark Mothersbaugh’s Scion art car sculpture is, as with the “Beautiful Mutants” pulled apart and “corrected” into symmetric forms. The art car sculpture is a car and a trailer made up of two Scion halves fused together. According to the show’s organizers, this display of Mothersbaugh’s “Scion Car Sculpture” is the first look at the sculpture installation before it is showcased at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles.

A portion of the sales of Mothersbaugh’s art at the LA Art Show will be donated to The Art of Elysium. The Art of Elysium encourages working actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. They provide artistic workshops in acting, art, comedy, fashion, music, radio, songwriting and creative writing.

The LA Art Show opened January 19 and continues through January 22, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, West Hall A.

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For more information about Mark Mothersbaugh and his artwork visit http://www.mutatovisual.com/

Related blog entry:  Mark Mothersbaugh: Rugs! Rugs! Rugs! (December 11, 2011)

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At Amazon.com: Beautiful Mutants by Mark Mothersbaugh

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Visit the Pop Life Art home page for more links to the musicians that are artists.

Yul Brynner, The King and I, Self Portrait, 1956

Yul Brynner: A Photographic Journey, an exhibition of photographs by the Academy and Tony Award winning actor, will be on display at The Little Black Gallery in London. The exhibition was put together by Brynner’s daughter Victoria Brynner, and coincides with the recently published book of the same name. The four-volume book, published by Edition 7L and edited by Victoria Brynner, comprises a selection made from 8,000 images and press cuttings, and includes forwards by Ingrid Sischy, Stefano Tonchi, Martin Scorsese and Bruce Weber. According to the gallery, “Brynner’s subjects are some of the pivotal figures of cinematic and stage history, and his talent lies in capturing these people and particularly actors (those best at disguising their true selves) at ease, both on and off set: Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Audrey Hepburn in a gondola in Venice, Elizabeth Taylor relaxing poolside.”

The exibition opens Januarry 11, 2012 and continues through February 11, 2012.

Yul Brynner, Sophia Loren, Houseboat, 1957

Yul Brynner: A Photographic Journey  at Amazon.com.

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Visit the Pop Life Art home page for links to the artwork of more than 100 actors, singers,and musicians.