LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined, an exhibition that revisits groundbreaking music through visual art. Artists often cite music as a source of inspiration, capturing the sonic experience through color and form, or translating musical innovations into their own practices. In this exhibition, a diverse, intergenerational group of contemporary visual artists are in creative dialogue with iconic musical artists. These artists responded to songs and albums released by Interscope Records over the last three decades with works of their own in a range of media. The exhibition will present over 50 artworks by 46 visual artists; a majority of the works are newly commissioned pieces and will be presented for the first time to the public.
Featured visual artists include Cecily Brown, Lauren Halsey, Rashid Johnson, Takashi Murakami, Ed Ruscha, and more; many of the artists are represented in LACMA’s permanent collection. Iconic musicians from the last three decades include Dr. Dre, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Nine Inch Nails, Lady Gaga, and more. A full list of artist and musical pairings is below.
“Artists Inspired by Music celebrates a dialogue between two different art forms across three decades of production,” said Staci Steinberger, LACMA associate curator of Decorative Arts and Design. “The show provides a fresh perspective on influential albums for the present moment.”
Touching on LACMA’s ongoing exploration of the intersections of art and music, the museum will present public programs exploring musical expression and movement throughout the run of the exhibition.
“Los Angeles is a creative capital known for many kinds of art forms,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined is an extension of a series of LACMA exhibitions and programs celebrating the relationship between art and music.”
This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, featuring commissions made by Interscope Records on the occasion of its 30th anniversary
To mark Interscope Records’ 30th anniversary, which kicks off this month, co-founder Jimmy Iovine, current chairman John Janick, vice chairman Steve Berman, and music executive Josh Abraham revisited the label’s history of groundbreaking music through the lens of visual art, an idea that was sparked by label partner Justin Lubliner.
Interscope invited artists to select albums and songs from Interscope’s catalogue and fostered exchanges with musicians to generate resonant pairings. The team worked closely with LACMA associate curator of Decorative Arts and Design Staci Steinberger, to collectively organize the exhibition. The scope and size of the selection of music recognize the profound impact that Interscope artists have had on global culture in the past three decades.
The installation foregrounds the creative pairings, visually reflecting on a history of musical innovation and powerful performances across genres. In some cases, multiple artists responded to the same musician, offering different interpretations of their work through the years. Following the conclusion of the exhibition, the artworks will be used on reissues of the record albums.
