Dee Dee Ramone the late bassist of ‘Punk band’ The Ramones will be honoured next week with a posthumous gallery exhibition of his paintings. The show is made possible by the ‘Street Artist’ Shepard Fairey, a huge fan of the band. The exhibition has been organised along with the former Ramone’s estate, which is lending the art. The paintings will be on display at Subliminal Projects, in Echo Park and runs 26 Oct. through 17 Nov.
” I have been a fan of the Ramones since I got into punk rock in 1984. The Ramones always impressed me with their style, blending a sense of humor with aggression and pop melody. I did not realize Dee Dee Ramone made art until a few years ago, but it does not surprise me that Dee Dee mixes the same sensibilities in his art that the Ramones had as a band. In Dee Dee’s art there is a connection to Warhol’s Pop art, Basquiat’s street scrawl, and Punk’s sense of humor and antagonism that feels like an uninhibited visual manifestation of the fun and bizarre world of Dee Dee. I feel very lucky that Subliminal Projects can showcase these paintings and share the visual dimension of Dee Dee’s remarkable creativity.” — Shepard Fairey, 2012
The Memorial Exhibition will mark the 10th anniversary of the musician’s death. Erica Overskei the gallery manager at Subliminal Projects, said the show would be comprised of 19 canvases, five paintings on wood, and one mixed media on card stock. Some of the works were made in collaboration between Ramone and artist-musician Paul Kostabi, and with Barbara Zampini, Ramone’s widow. Much of the art was co-created by just Ramone, and all works were completed toward the end of his life. None of the canvases will be available for sale.
Dee Dee Ramone (born Douglas Glenn Colvin, Sept. 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002) was a founding member, and a primary songwriter in the world famous Ramones. He was the bassist from their start in 1974 until leaving the band in 1989 to pursue a solo career and other endeavours. At the encouragement of co-founder Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee continued to write songs for the Ramones until they retired in 1996. His unique perspective and invaluable artistic contributions were a vital element to the chemistry of the Ramones. Recipient of a Grammy award for lifetime achievement, Dee Dee is the most influential punk rock bassist, and one of the most prolific punk rock songwriters of all-time.
In addition to work by Dee Dee, Shepard Fairey will be releasing a print based off selected images provided by Dee Dee’s Estate. This print will be available for purchase, along with a print of Dee Dee’s Untitled (Self Portrait), 2002. As a way to further honor what Dee Dee contributed to others during his lifetime, a portion of proceeds from sales of the Untitled (Self Portrait) print will be donated to the Los Angeles Food Bank in Dee Dee’s honour.
Dee Dee was found dead in 2002 in his L.A. home, he died of an apparent drug overdose. He is buried in the Hollywood Forever cemetary.
