Positively Bob Dylan

As the Bob Dylan magazine ISIS reports in its latest issue, there will be an exhibition of original paintings and limited edition prints by Bob Dylan from 14 June 2008. The exhibition will include new, previously unseen works. It will take place at London’s Halcyon Gallery in Mayfair, one of Europe’s leading galleries for contemporary art in its 25th anniversary.
Bob Dylan’s interest in painting was probably influenced by artist Suze Rotolo, Bob’s girlfriend in the early 1960s. Examples of his early works can be found on the covers of his albums of “Self Portrait” (1970) and “Planet Waves” (1974), but only recently he agreed to a very first official exhibition at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz in Germany from October 2007 until February 2008, entitled “The Drawn Blank Series Watercolor and Gouache Paintings Exhibition”. The initial idea for that came from a book of drawings and sketches done by Dylan from 1989 to 1992, which were published under the title “Drawn Blank” by Random House in 1994. You can read the official press release by Columbia Records here, or take a look at some of the paintings on this page of the Guardian website.

“Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956–1966″ is a new exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles more than 160 artifacts, including Dylan’s handwritten drafts of classic songs, rare concert posters and a recording of his first concert, which has never been commercially released. It follows Bob Dylan from his Minnesota roots to his growing fame as a rock star. The presentation is complemented by a newly developed satellite exhibit, which offers a unique opportunity to experience the creative process. Visitors can simulate playing along with Dylan on keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, drums and organs, as well as experiment with a mixing board on an authentic Dylan recording!

The exhibition can be visited until June 8, 2008 at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 North Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. General admission is $10.

The Skirball Cultural Center is an affiliate of Hebrew Union College. Its mission is to explore the connections between four thousand years of Jewish heritage and the vitality of American democratic ideals. It features a museum, changing exhibitions, engaging music, theater, comedy, film, family, and literary programs in an architectural setting designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie. Over 500,000 people visit the Skirball each year.

The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles will be holding a symposium on influences that helped shape Dylan’s music. The event on March 30 will be hosted by Bob Santelli, director of the Grammy Museum and author of “The Bob Dylan Scrapbook”. The presented topics will include Dylan’s Minnesota roots, his Jewish upbringing, connections to black female gospel singers, and an examination of folk music before and after Dylan. One of the presenters will be Greil Marcus, cultural historian and author of “Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads”.
Ticket prices range from $35 (general) to $15 (students) and can be ordered online here.

Also “Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966″ is still on view at the Skirball Cultural Center through June 8, 2008 . The exhibition features more than 160 artifacts, including Dylan’s handwritten drafts of classic songs, rare concert posters and a recording of his first concert, which has never been commercially released.

The Steven Kasher Gallery in New York is currently hosting an exhibition of Fred McDarrah’s photographs from the 60’s and 70’s. Among the photos are 6 very rare original gelatin silver prints of Bob Dylan.
The vintage photographies have an average size of 8″x10″ and range in price from $3,000 to $4,000.

“Fred W. McDarrah: Artists and Writers of the 60s and 70s” celebrates the former Village Voice photographer’s 80th birthday. It is the first ever gallery exhibition surveying McDarrah’s work, and the first exhibition ever curated from his entire archive of published and never-before-seen prints.

Fred W. McDarrah was the primary photographer and picture editor at “The Village Voice” during that newspaper’s first thirty years (and he is still with The Voice as Consulting Picture Editor). His pictures were the graphic expression of the United States’ first alternative weekly as it recorded the most vibrant decades of New York City.

Besides Dylan the exhibition also shows iconic images of Andy Warhol, Allen Ginsberg, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Jack Kerouac, Martin Scorsese and Elvis among many others. It can be visited through January 6, 2007.

> Steven Kasher Gallery