If you live in or near London, you should try and get along to the last exhibition ever of drawings and oil paintings by Miles Davis. They are being showcased at The Exchange Court Gallery in Covent Garden from Monday 1st June 2009.
The Exhibition also includes some of the love notes Miles wrote to his girlfriend before his death. Acquired from the private collection of Jo Gelbard, his sculptress girlfriend, who inspired most of his work during the last five years of his life, the Miles Davis Exhibition will run until Saturday, 6th June, 2009. (See my interview with Jo Gelbard and review of her previous Miles art exhibition).
In 1980 Miles began to focus his talent in a new direction and started seeking expression and creativity not just through music, but also through visual art. He established himself as an immensely accomplished painter with bold and vibrant canvases full of colour and movement, reflecting the constant changing moods and tempos of his music compositions. His painting reflects his well documented fascination with and love of women, together with evocations of African tribal art.
This work, since his death, has been largely under wraps with only a handful of one-off shows showcasing these fabulous works. Well known celebrities such as, Prince, now own work from previous collections.
The exhibition is in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Miles Davis’ ‘Kind Of Blue’, acknowledged by music critics to be the greatest jazz album of all time.
The website for The Exchange Court Gallery is www.1-5exchangecourt.com
