As Iman was writing about Echo And the Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant new exhibition, I realized that a lot of musicians are also visual artists. It is quite impressive, but not really surprising, as many people find several mediums to express their creativity. Here are a few of them, since I can’t obviously mention every single one!
Rapper Swizz Beatz is an accomplished painter, iconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix realized many amazing paintings, M.I.A. is a visual artist, Yoko Ono was of course a famous visual artist before marrying John Lennon, and her husband sold lithographs all over the world.
Kurt Cobain did a series of paintings, and now it seems that his ex-wife Courtney Love has an exhibit right now in New York.
Incubus’ Brandon Boyd is also a renown painter.
Musicians such as Devendra Banhart and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs’ Nick Zinner are also serious and dedicated artists, Banhart’s work can be seen in famous New York galleries but also on the cover of his albums, whereas Zinner released a book of photographs.
X’s Excene Cervenka has shown her journals and collages at the Santa Monica Museum of Art and in New York. Patti Smith is a visual artist and had exposed her drawings, photographs and films in Paris.
Bob Dylan is a painter, although some of his work has shown an extreme likeness to famous photographs!
The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne is famous for drawing a lot, and the psychedelic covers of the Flaming Lips’ albums are his.
Ron Wood, guitarist for the Jeff Beck Group, founding member of the Faces and famous Rolling Stones is a great painter, as is Grace Slick, the outspoken lead singer for Jefferson Airplane.
Crooner Tony Bennett, is a painter, as was Miles Davis.
And, if you need another evidence that visual art and music are totally intertwined: Cats Stevens, Joseph Arthur, John Cougar Mellencamp, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Paul McCartney, Kim Gordon, Ryan Adams, Joni Mitchell,… all terrific painters!
