New Bob Dylan Artwork Debuting at U.K. Exhibit
A new collection of Bob Dylan‘s artwork is headed to a U.K. exhibition next month. According to the BBC, 12 pastel portraits by the Bard will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The pieces are a mix of real and fictitious characters that art historian John Elderfield called “products of the same extraordinary, inventive imagination.”
100 Greatest Artists: Bob Dylan
“Bob Dylan: Face Value” features works that have not been previously shown anywhere. “Bob Dylan is one of the most influential cultural figures of our time,” director of the National Portrait Gallery Sandy Nairne said. “He has always created a highly visual world either with his words or music, or in paints and pastels.”
Dylan has drawn since childhood, but has only shown his work publicly in recent years. “Bob Dylan: Face Value” will be the first U.K. exhibition of portraits by Dylan, though the Halcyon Gallery in London featured drawings and sketches by the singer-songwriter in 2008. He was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters this past May, marking the first time a musician was recognized as an honorary member for the prestigious award.