Credit: Marc HauserA new exhibition of John Mellencamp‘s latest paintings, dubbed “John Mellencamp: Expressionist,” will open on September 20 at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. Admission to the exhibit, which will be on display through November 18, is free, as is entry to the museum itself.
“John Mellencamp: Expressionist” will feature at 42 works by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, including large oil paintings and mixed-media pieces, that reflect the various topics and concerns the singer-songwriter also focuses on in his musical compositions.
Butler museum director Dr. Louis A. Zona categorizes Mellencamp’s art as Neo-Expressionistic, “since his paintings are a return to the emotionally based applications brought forth by [such creative movements as] German Expressionism, Fauvism and Abstract Expressionism.”
In addition, Zona says Mellencamp’s paintings are “rich in spellbinding imagery, enriched by his understanding of visual organization and the power of color.”
A private artist reception exclusively for Butler museum members will be held to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. People with active memberships prior to September 1 of this year will receive invitations via mail, and will have to make a reservation to attend. Museum membership info is available at ButlerArt.com.
A full-color catalog is being put together to accompany the “John Mellencamp: Expressionist” exhibit featuring a new interview with Mellencamp, commentary by Zona and an essay by award-winning cultural writer David Shirey. The book will be sold via the Butler Museum Stores beginning September 20.
A previous art exhibit by Mellencamp, titled simply, “The Paintings of John Mellencamp,” was displayed at the Butler Institute’s Trumbull Branch in Howland, Ohio, from November 2013 to January 2014.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
