The exhibition with the controversial title "Sympathy for the Devil : Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967" will open at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago on the 29th of September 2007, and is sure to be an impressive and unique event dedicated to a mostly ignored chapter in the art of the 20th century. The curators of the show will try to examine the realtionship established between the magic of rock music and the contemporary art, a close link that managed to transcend generations, cultures, political regimes and even countries, managing to compose an universal language, spoken and understood everywhere. This vivid explosion of rock and roll art appeared in the late 50s in the US and Great Britain, and quickly spread in the whole world. The 60s proved to be one of the best times for this kind of artistic productions, as the genre laid down it's foundations, and several prestigious artists such as Andy Warhol became involved. Warhol was an iconic image of the genre, after his cooperation with The Velvet Underground, who would later release the album The Velvet Underground and Nico, in 1967, an album which was marked by Warhol's influence. Over the years, several important US artists such as Slater Bradley, Raymond Pettibon or Mike Kelley have created art for rock bands, ranging from album covers to music videos. Also, several of the most important rock musicians, such John Lennon, Bryan Ferry, Freddie Mercury or Peter Townsend had studied at art schools and used the imagery and techniques for their music.
"Sympathy for the Devil : Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967" will be the most comprehensive presentation of this important part of art history, retracing it's stepts and periods through an impressive collection of artworkd, album covers, music videos, newspapers, magazines, posters and other materials.
2007-07-31
