Ryan Adams Opens Art Exhibit at Morrison Hotel Gallery

Posted on Sep 24th 2009 1:30PM by Emily Tan
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Between fighting off Courtney Love, getting married and now showing off his painterly skills on the canvas, Ryan Adams has had one busy year. Adams debuted his collection of original artwork at the Bowery's Morrison Hotel Gallery on Wednesday night, becoming the gallery's first artist in residence. The singer-songwriter created more than 20 paintings and mixed-media pieces, which channeled his inner Andy Warhol, that will be on display for the next month.

Adams also auctioned six pieces to benefit the Housing Works Bookstore Café -- a non-profit committed to fighting AIDS and homelessness. The artwork was created at the Morrison Hotel weeks before the opening.

With fellow musician and friend Jesse Malin acting as the night's auctioneer, the paintings included two that Adams considered "self-portrait sketches that's f---ed up," one that incorporated banana peels and Hot Fries with acrylic paint and a piece titled 'That's Either a Flower or Some S--- on Fire.' "Even if you think the piece sucks, if you have a couple of bucks, buy it and give it to somebody," Malin announced in hopes of gaining a higher bid.

While most of the pieces sold for $1,800, Adams' 'Driving Me Crazy' painting sparked a bidding war in the crowd and raised $3,600. Unfortunately, his self-portraits didn't do as well and were sold as a 2-for-1 deal. To make the deal even sweeter, Adams promised he could color-correct the paintings to the buyer's taste. "I could just change them and they're good," he said. "I could fill in the lips or the eyelashes."