Friday October 6th, 2000

Visual artists collaborate for Gibson Custom debut of Art of the Guitar II next month

On November 9th, a once in a lifetime collection of Gibson guitars will be unveiled at the Animazing Gallery in Soho in New York City featuring instruments hand-painted by noted artists and musicians, including Leroy Neiman, "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, and legendary rock bassist John Entwhistle.

The Art Of The Guitar II will feature 25 one-of-a-kind Gibson guitars, each hand-painted by the artist and available for purchase. Other artists contributing designs include Ralph Bakshi (Lord of the Rings), celebrated poster artist Derek Hess, Carol Paulson, Alison Lefcort, and official Grammy Awards artist Rick Garcia. Guitars in the collection range from Gibsons classic Les Paul, to the carved top E5 Switchmaster and the solid-body SG, and range from $4,500 to $100,000 dollars.

Les Pauls by Grammy artist Rick Garcia

Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Musical Instruments, said, "The guitar has grown to be much more than just something to make music with, it has become a lifestyle symbol that is recognized universally around the world. With Gibsons rich history and classic designs, we could hardly think of a better medium to offer as a springboard for artistic inspiration."

In addition to the artist-painted guitars, the Gibson Custom Shop will display some of its finest "art guitars," including its

Les Paul by Leroy Neiman

Centennial Les Paul, complete with solid gold hardware and diamond inlays, as well as the Elvis Presley Super 400, with relief carvings of Elvis in different stages of his career and inlaid with genuine rubies.

Also featured at the gallery will be the Gibson Millennium Guitar, a priceless instrument adorned with hundreds of hand-painted scenes from the 20th Century. Visually displayed by decade, this breathtaking instrument depicts the people and events that shaped the 20th Century, including two World Wars, the people who changed history (Wright Bros, Einstein, Mother Theresa, Princess Diana, etc), tragic events (Hindenberg, Titanic, space shuttle crash), and important happenings (prohibition, man on the moon, segregation).

The Art Of The Guitar II is the follow up to last years Art of the Guitar display at New Yorks Magidson Gallery, which was the first ever gallery showing of guitars-as-art. Featured were a collection of famous photographs of rock stars, paired with the Gibson guitars they were playing in the photos.

Les Paul by Derek Hess

Heidi Leigh, of Animazing Gallery, said, "This is an entirely new realm of fine art; a sculptural event where the guitar becomes a canvas for important contemporary artists. Gibson guitars are simply the finest, and the aesthetic appeal of coupling an instrument with an original painting is very exciting."

The opening gala will take place on November 9th, and will be sponsored by Yahoo!Auctions. During the evening (6-10p.m. E.S.T.), one Gibson guitar will be auctioned online, with proceeds to benefit charity.

Gibson Guitar, the 106 year-old American icon, has the distinction of contributing to the birth of every major American musical genre. From the 1890's, when former shoe clerk Orville H. Gibson began crafting world-class instruments in his Kalamazoo, Michigan workshop to the early 1900's when Gibson mandolins powered the popular orchestras of

Les Paul by Alison Lefcort

the day, to the early jazz foundations of Charlie Christian and Les Paul, bluegrass pioneers Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs, country icons Hank Williams and Chet Atkins, Blues royalty B.B. King, rock and roll's early mavericks Elvis Presley and Scotty Moore, the British invasion of the '60s with Beatles' George Harrison and John Lennon, renowned players like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Pete Townsend, hard rock trailblazer Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, and modern rockers like Sheryl Crow. The list is a who's who of legends. Gibson, now based in Nashville, Tennessee, still carries on the same tradition of excellence established by Orville Gibson over a century ago.

Homer Simpson Les Paul by Matt Groening

For over a generation Animazing Gallery has been a leader in the world of animation, helping people build extraordinary collections, and hosting sensational events. With locations in Soho and Westchester, Animazing showcases vintage and contemporary animation art and fine art that is fun created by important, contemporary masters. In 1997 the gallery launched the critically acclaimed PEANUTS Paintings by Tom Everhart. Today, revolving exhibits reflect the colorful and joyous spirit that is reflected in Americas cartoon art. Animazing proudly represents Walt Disney Art Classics exclusively in New York City, and the sensational fine art of Ralph Bakshi.

The Art Of The Guitar II exhibit will open on Tuesday, November 9th at the Animazing Gallery (474 Broome Street, New York, NY) and will run for two weeks.

Stay tuned to gibson.com for more information in the coming weeks.

ES-5 by Carol Paulson

To see the Custom Shop's unequaled collection of handcrafted instruments go here