New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Tony Bennett, who paints under his birth name, Anthony Benedetto, presents his expansive portfolio of artwork at the Art Students League of New York's American Fine Arts Society Gallery on November 5th.
The varied collection includes watercolors denoting landscapes from Portugal to New York and intimate ink drawings ranging from self-portraits to a notable depiction of collaborator and pop superstar Lady Gaga. Other highlights include a Miles Davis and
John Coltrane gouache and
India ink piece, a Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn oil painting, a sketch of Stevie Wonder, a self-portrait oil painting, a statue of liberty watercolor and more.
EXHIBITION DATES: November 5th, 2019 - January 11th, 2020
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Bennett took classes at the League under sculptor, anatomist, and painter Frank Porcu and has been a friend to the League for many years. The Art Students League recently hosted a Gala to honor the New York icon with The Everett Raymond Kinstler Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is named after Everett Raymond "Ray" Kinstler, the American portraitist who recently passed away, and was a longtime friend of
Bennett and an Art Students League patron. More info on the Gala HERE.
Tony Bennett's life and philosophy is the embodiment of the Great American Story. As he celebrates his 90th birthday on the 3rd of this month, his career as the pre-eminent singer of the 20th and 21st centuries is unprecedented. He continues to be embraced and loved by audiences of all generations. Born in Queens, N.Y., in 1926, Mr.
Bennett served in the Army during World War II and marched with
Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma during the Civil Rights Movement, and was honored by the United Nations for his humanitarian efforts and ideals. As a musical performer he has received 19 Grammy Awards, is a Kennedy Center Honoree and an NEA Jazz Master. With his wife Susan, he established Exploring the Arts to support arts education in public high schools.
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Bennett is also an accomplished painter whose passion for the visual arts began as a child growing up in Astoria, Queens and has flourished throughout his life. Painting under his given name of Anthony Benedetto, he has three paintings in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and has exhibited his artwork in museums and galleries throughout the world. Whether performing in concert for sold-out audiences or painting in his art studio in New York City, Tony
Bennett has used his exceptional creative talents to search for "truth and beauty" in his artistry.
About The Art Students League of New York was founded in 1875 by students breaking away from the
National Academy of Design. That independent spirit remains at The League today, where students pursue their work unconstrained by dogma, politics or burdensome tuition. Students are educated in the language and process of making art in an environment where anyone who wishes to pursue arts education can realize his or her full potential. The League fulfills this mission by offering affordable, high-quality education and instruction in painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and assemblage. Artists who have studied at the League include Georgia O'Keeffe, Norman Rockwell, Romare Bearden, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg,
Louise Bourgeois,
Alexander Calder,
James Rosenquist, and Ai-Weiwei, among others. www.theartstudentsleague.org
