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September 24, 2009

Ryan Adams Art Opening/Auction @ Morrison Hotel Gallery, NYC 9/23/09

Prolific Renaissance Dude D. R. Adams gives away so much of his hobby art (Werewolph jams, Gorf lessons) for free, I was surprised to see the price tags on the vlogger/poet/rocker's mixed media collages now on display at Morrison Hotel Gallery. $6,500 ... $9,000 ... $14,000! Last night Ry inaugurated the Artist In Residence series at the former CBGBs space and his work is appropriately grimy and obtuse. Most had amusingly straightforward titles like "Statue Of Fucking Liberty" and "I Really Miss These Headphones" (a pair was fixed to canvas along with vintage food labels). Among colorful, abstract portraits and cityscapes (and a hundred too many balloons) hung skilled sketches and pretty still lifes. What you won't see at Morrison are a dozen or so pieces the musician painted on-site earlier this month expressly to benefit Housing Works (a charity of which we are fond). Prior to the 8PM public opening, these new works were auctioned to assorted invited friends and fans, with Jesse Malin as auctioneer (he was funny, but did not attempt an "auctioneer's chant") and numbered paper plates as makeshift bidder paddles. Most sales were in the low thousands, ending with a two-for-one steal at $2,500. Earlier in the evening I spoke with a superfan who came from Seattle just to view the art ... and she ended up buying a piece. Ryan, in a Kreator tee, mingled with guests -- among them his new blog editor, new friend Mary-Louise Parker, and new Hall Of Fame nominee Mike Rutherford (sans Mechanics) -- then autographed advance copies of Hello Sunshine and pink Pax Am 7's. No, @TheMandyMoore was not in attendance, but I'm sure she's happy to have these canvasses out of the garage.

Posted at 5:40 PM by Scott in
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17 Comments

Ha!

Posted by: Marrow at 09/24/09 6:32 PM  | Reply
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Gotta hand it to him; that's some pretty cool stuff.

Posted by: a'tris profile link at 09/24/09 6:45 PM  | Reply
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<3 jesse malin

Posted by: mr. bultitude profile link at 09/24/09 6:51 PM  | Reply
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So i'm the one who has to say it??? those paintings are hideous. hey ryan, don't quit your day job songwriting/blogging/poetry-ing/making love to mandy moore, you talented muthafucka!

Posted by: Bootyfish at 09/24/09 7:29 PM  | Reply
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yeah all but the one in the last picture are pretty poor. If musicians wanted their visual art taken seriously they wouldn't put their name on it because it's often the only aspect that makes it desirable in the first place. I realize that would be a ridiculous and stupid thing to do but are you buying that crap for $15,000 if it were painted by someone you've never heard of? No, you're not.

Posted by: nick at 09/24/09 7:44 PM  | Reply
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There's several of these I'd love on my wall and several more that are pretty bad. Cool that he auctioned them for Housing Works. By the way, Mary Louise Parker is quite old friend, and wrote a blurb on the cover of his first book.

Posted by: Sandy at 09/24/09 8:00 PM  | Reply
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so... terrible visual artist too.

next up: films!!

Posted by: clem at 09/24/09 11:01 PM  | Reply
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Not really liking the artwork, although the "Part of Mary-Louise Parker's Face" photo made them a lot more interesting being blurred in the background.

Posted by: artrckr profile link at 09/25/09 12:10 AM  | Reply
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These are pretty awful. A lot like his recorded output since Heartbreaker, they're high on quantity, low on quality.

Posted by: gee at 09/25/09 8:08 AM  | Reply
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Resisting the urge to defend Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, etc....

Posted by: michelle profile link  in reply to gee's comment at 09/25/09 11:03 AM  | Reply
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No Mary-Louise Parker pics = FAIL.

Posted by: Dix at 09/25/09 10:51 AM  | Reply
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I really wanted to look for the good in these paintings... there wasn't any. These are horrible...
Love his music.

Posted by: Ricardo Valesquez at 09/25/09 11:20 AM  | Reply
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Dude looks like Rick Moranis these days.

Posted by: NLP at 09/25/09 3:14 PM  | Reply
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So these are the final gasps of what is left of the music industry...

...musicians selling "art" so they can afford to keep making music. Play close attentions kids. One day, this might be you.

Posted by: SubSickAlien profile link at 09/25/09 9:07 PM  | Reply
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Kreator - Pleasure to Kill shirt spotted! Awesome!

Posted by: Nick at 09/26/09 11:51 AM  | Reply
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i like how you are refraining from shitting all over his artwork because it's going to the charity the dirty projectors help out

Posted by: grover profile link at 09/26/09 1:50 PM  | Reply
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I think this stuff is great! One must appreciate abstract art to get it, and that's pretty trendy these days, I cant believe more of you fakes dont like it.

Posted by: Heady at 10/01/09 12:39 PM  | Reply
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