Art and music collide in Ramones exhibition
Left to right: Mark Kostabi, Enasaurs, 1984 (used on the cover of the Ramones album ¡Adios Amigos!); George DuBose, Ramones photographs; Mick Rock, photograph and outtake for the cover of End of the Century, 1979; t-shirt worn by Johnny Ramone on the cover of End of the Century; Arturo Vega, “Gabba Gabba Hey” sign, 1996; “Pinhead” mask and dress; Bobby Belfiore, “Pinhead” painting from the rock club Coney Island High. Photograph by Andrea Compa.
“Hey! Ho! Let’s Go! Ramones and the Birth of Punk” opened to enthusiastic crowds Sunday, April 10th at the Queens Museum. Upwards of 3,500 people attended, breaking the museum’s record and creating 90-minute waits to get into the exhibition.
Co-curated by Gallery 98’s Marc H. Miller and open through July 31, the multi-media exhibition not only tells the story of the Ramones, but also puts special emphasis on the explosion of visual art that surrounded the rise of New York punk from the 1970s through today. The exhibition features over 350 pieces of art, photography, ephemera, memorabilia, and video.
Shepard Fairey, Tommy Ramone, 2016. Courtesy the artist / OBEY Giant, Inc.
The press has taken note:
“CBGB was more than just bands. It was just swarming with artists—visual artists, photographers, writers, film-makers, fashion people—so the band was very fortunate in the kind of visual record that was created around them.”
Artnet
“Art and music were as inextricably connected in the ’70s as they were in the era of Warhol’s Silver Factory, and Miller’s exhibition unscrambles all its various elements for a 2016 audience.”
i-D
“Even fashion’s savviest marketing minds would be hard-pressed to rival the split-second recognition of the band’s logo, dreamed up by [Arturo] Vega, and today almost as universal as the Nike swoosh.”
Vogue
“A former Bowery resident and CBGB regular with a Warholian mind, Miller has pushed the boundaries of what does and does not belong inside of galleries.”
Pitchfork
Among the artists represented are: Sergio Aragonés, Bob Gruen, Fly-O, Curt Hoppe, Bradley Castellanos, Arturo Vega, Roberta Bayley, Keith Green, Matt Groening, John Holmstrom, Legs McNeil, Jenny Lens, George Seminara, Charles Burns, George DuBose, Stephen Kroninger, Mick Rock, Geoff Davidson, Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Paul Kostabi, Bettie Ringma, Haoyan of America, Richard Hambleton, Mark Kostabi, Godlis, and Danny Fields.
Special thanks to Mickey Leigh and Linda Ramone.
Curt Hoppe, Arturo Vega, 2010. Vega, the Ramones’ art director, designed their iconic logo.
Naoshi Sunae, Shining Full Moon -Crazy Stars- (detail), 2016. From a display of riquiño (“cute”) art about the Ramones.
Stephen Kroninger, Joey Ramone, 2001. A commemorative collage created for the Joey Ramone Foundation after the singer’s death.