Geldof: Ronnie Wood is an awful artist (and so’s Dylan)
HIs lively artwork has been exhibited all over the world and attracts such illustrious patrons as Andrew Lloyd Webber and President Clinton.
In fact, so feted have Rolling stones guitarist Ronnie Wood’s paintings become, that one of his works went up for sale at prestigious auction house Christie’s i n 2013 f or a staggering £300,000.
But despite such flattering acclaim, Wood is unlikely to win over one discerning critic.
His old friend Bob Geldof , the millionaire former punk-turned-political activist, who also moonlights as a professional grouch, describes Wood’s brushwork as ‘useless’ and suggests the frazzled old rocker sticks to the day job.
‘Personally, I think Ronnie’s work is terrible,’ he tells me.
‘Rock stars like Ronnie should stick to music, not painting. there are quite a few famous rock stars who do art, but I think Ronnie, Bob Dylan and all the rest — they are all useless.
‘I’m very much into art myself, but I wouldn’t go around saying I’m any good at painting. so why do rock musicians do it?
‘What makes them so convinced they will be any good as painters just because they are successful rock stars? I can’t see it.
‘I have tried painting and drawing myself, but I have no talent for it. I really don’t know a rock musician who has.’
Geldof, who was speaking at the recent launch of art critic Brian sewell’s children’s book the White Umbrella, i s said to be a keen collector of modern Celtic art.
However, f ollowing the tragic death of his 25-year- old daughter Peaches l ast year, he currently prefers to indulge in his passion for literature.
‘Actually, I’m more into books at the moment. I am reading five different things at the same time including the Andrew Roberts one on Napoleon,’ he adds.
‘I’ve got a busy year ahead, but a l ot of it will also be spent in melancholia.’