Painting by Ronnie Wood _390
LIVERPOOL is to stage its first exhibition of artworks by troubled Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.
The critically acclaimed art of the 61-year-old rock star, whose controversial private life has led to recent front page headlines in the national press, is to go on display at Liverpool Academy of Arts in Seel Street from Tuesday, August 19.
Exhibition organiser Jonathan Poole, who recently staged an exhibition of John Lennon’s art work in the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo’s atrium, said the exhibition will have an especial impact as it will coincide with Beatles week and the Mathew Street festival when tens of thousands of music fans will descend on the city.
"The 'rivalry' between The Beatles and the Rolling Stones back in the 1960s was always a pretty good-natured affair," said Mr Poole, whose gallery not only represents the art estates of Lennon and Wood, but those of other musicians including the late Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix.
"What is without doubt is that both bands had a huge impact on popular culture. Ronnie was – and is - part of that huge creative explosion. He takes his art extremely seriously and it's fascinating to see that creativity expressed."
Born into an art-loving family, when he was a child Wood’s drawings were featured on BBC TV’s Sketch Club. He consequently won one of their competitions, an achievement he refers to as his "awakening to art".
He then Wood followed his brothers Art and Ted into art school - he attended Ealing Art College - and his very first job was as a sign-writer.
Wood, who joined the Stones permanently in 1976 after the split between Rod Stewart and The Faces, first exhibited his work publicly in San Francisco in the 1980s. He has since held exhibitions all over the world, often tied in with the Stones' hectic tour schedules.
Working with paint, screen-printing, woodcuts and etching methods, Wood has created a wide variety of artworks, from bold, abstract pieces to intimate portraits of fellow band members and other showbiz friends including actor Jack Nicholson.
Several of his paintings, including a work commissioned by Andrew Lloyd-Webber, are displayed at London's Drury Lane Theatre.
Art critic Brian Sewell has called Wood "an accomplished and respectable artist"; and the South Bank Show has devoted an entire programme to his artwork.
More recently it's his problematic private life which has been in the spotlight. A recovering alcoholic he is said to have fallen off the wagon after allegedly leaving Jo, his wife of 23 years for Russian cocktail waitress Ekaterina Ivanova, over 40 years his junior. He subsequently booked into rehab in Surrey on July 16 for an expected six week programme of treatment.
"He was supposed to be coming along to the opening but given the current circumstances we don’t think that this will be possible," said an exhibition spokesperson.
The free exhibition at the Academy in 32 Seel Street is open from 11am until 5pm and will feature up to 80 original works and prints, a selection of which will be up for sale. It runs until Friday, August 29.
