Good article here:
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/219109
Must-know info for art lovers
For those interested in viewing and possibly purchasing works of art by Leonard Cohen:
Each of the images is available in limited-edition prints of 100 each, with prices ranging from $1,500 to $4,500 (both figures U.S.) depending on size. (Framing costs extra.)
For those with thinner wallets, a soft-cover catalogue is available at $25, and unframed posters will be on sale for $15 (both figures Canadian).
Art collectors and Leonard Cohen fans from various U.S. and Canadian cities are coming to town to see the stage show, take in the gallery exhibit and possibly buy some Cohen prints.
In his poetic introduction for the exhibition, called "If There Were No Paintings," Cohen assesses his own artistic accomplishment with the self-deprecating phrase "acceptable decoration."
The Drabinsky Gallery (on the north side of Scollard St., just east of Hazelton) will be closed for the next few days before the official public opening on Sunday afternoon. It will be open daily during Luminato.
The Cohen prints will remain on display throughout June, even after Luminato ends, but the gallery will revert to its regular schedule and will be closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Drawn to Cohen's artistry
TheStar.com - entertainment - Drawn to Cohen's artistry
May 30, 2007
Martin Knelman
"When you see it all at once, the emotional resonance of the work is incredible," says Garth Drabinsky. "You have the entire history of Leonard Cohen's life in front of your eyes: the elation, the romanticism, the agony and the anguish."
The showman who once brought you cinemas with espresso bars and Broadway musicals such as Ragtime now invites you to savour pictures on a wall by Leonard Cohen.
You'll recall that Drabinsky ran a movie empire and a live-theatre empire. What is sometimes forgotten is that the Drabinsky Gallery at 122 Scollard St. has been quietly promoting Canadian art for almost 17 years. But it has never been quite the centre of attention it is bound to become this weekend with the opening of "Drawn to Words: Visual Works from 40 Years" as part of Luminato, the new arts festival.
This marks the debut exhibit of an artist who has previously chosen to keep his drawings more or less private, and now after 40 years of doodling for the amusement of himself and his friends, has decided, at age 72, to put his images out there.
Though Cohen has lived mostly in Montreal and Los Angeles, he has a certain affinity for Yorkville, which in the fabled 1960s was the place to hang out if you craved poetry readings and folk music.
As Robert Kory, Cohen's Los Angeles lawyer, explained: "It all came about because of Philip Glass, who had proposed setting Leonard's poems to music."
When it came time to develop the stage set, the designer had the idea of using some of Cohen's images, especially the ones in colour.
"One thing led to another," says Kory. Manchester dealer Richard Goodall had already secured European rights to Cohen's art.
Cohen was in New York working with Glass on the stage show (which will have its world premiere at the Elgin Theatre on Friday), when it occurred to them that the visuals in the show should lead to an art exhibit. The producer, Linda Brumback, brought the idea to Luminato's attention.
"This is a perfect example of what makes festivals so exciting," says Janice Price, CEO of Luminato. "Things just take shape because of the creative energy involved when everyone from different art forms is thrown together."
Price had appointed producer Don Shipley to program a section of the festival known as Illuminations and Shipley loved the idea. Price and her general manager, Clyde Wagner – who had both worked for Drabinsky in his Livent days – said if there was going to be a show, it should be in Yorkville, where Luminato was already planning a Summer of Love street event recreating the late 1960s.
"My immediate reaction was that we would be thrilled," Drabinsky recalls. "But we didn't want to be just swept up in crazy excitement. We had to be sure that we could protect the integrity of the work and the quality of the catalogue. And we felt we could proceed only if Leonard truly believed we were the right people to represent his work."
That's why Wagner and Linda Book, manager of the gallery, flew to L.A. for discussions with Cohen and Kory.
Book asked the artist whether he was excited about these plans. To which Cohen replied: "I am not excited. But I am very happy."
It was a chance for the artist to decide: Deal or no deal. He chose to say yes.
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And some photos of artwork are in slide show at The Star's site,
http://www.thestar.com/photoGallery/219010
"Woman in rays and hand in sand #2".
"F-full woman in rays"
"Watching you think"
"Woman and horse"
"He was kind"
"Back in Montreal"
"It was the hat"
"Just to have been"
"Still looking"
"Vibrant but dead"
"My house in winter"
"Paris again"
"The hat"
"Purity of Dominique - small"
"Dear Heather"
