Color and Emotion: The Butler to Display Art of Rocker Paul Stanley
Guy D'Astolfo / businessjournaldaily.com
Beginning Aug. 13, the public can view Paul Stanley's exhibition during regular museum hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The museum is at 524 Wick Ave. Admission is free.
YOUNGSTOWN – For Paul Stanley, painting is never about perfecting a technique or becoming proficient at a genre. Too much devotion to those things can take a toll on creativity.
Instead, the rock’n’roll superstar aims for emotional impact.
Stanley, who cofounded KISS and has fronted the iconic rock band for five decades, has become an accomplished artist. He will reach a milestone on Sunday, Aug. 13, when the first exhibition of his work in a museum opens at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown. The exhibition will run through Oct. 8.
The multitalented rocker wrote many of KISS’ biggest hits and is the band’s primary singer.
Stanley is also an actor – he played the lead role in the Toronto production of “Phantom of the Opera” – and has written two bestselling books: “Face the Music” and “Backstage Pass.”
Aside from music, Stanley’s most successful undertaking has been visual art. Sales of his eye-catching paintings have topped $25 million.
Although rock’n’roll was his first love, Stanley excelled at art while growing up in New York City. But music proved to be his best route to success, and he threw himself into it as a teenager.
The artistically driven Stanley, now 71, formed KISS in 1973 with Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. With each member becoming a character through face paint and costume, and an explosive live show, KISS became known for its image as much as its music and would become one of the top-selling bands of all time.
Stanley put his art skill to use for the band, designing the KISS logo, which is one of the most recognizable in rock history. He also played a key role in designing the band’s album cover art.
