MILES DAVIS & JO GELBARD - The Artwork
The gallery on this page illustrates the collaborative and solo artwork of Miles Davis and Jo Gelbard.
The story of their relationship can be read in Miles and Jo: Love Story in Blue by Jo Gelbard with full details in our Book Review, and also a conversation with Jo about their relationship and collaboration can also be found in our Interviews.
All the comments about their work have been written by Jo Gelbard.
The story of their relationship can be read in Miles and Jo: Love Story in Blue by Jo Gelbard with full details in our Book Review, and also a conversation with Jo about their relationship and collaboration can also be found in our Interviews.
All the comments about their work have been written by Jo Gelbard.
Collaborative Works
The collaborative process was very much like a conversation. It began with a gesture and continued until there was nothing left to say.
Miles’ musical creativity needed to be transposed into notes, on paper, between lines and bars. Consequently he became most comfortable with geometric shapes and images that were contained within a space. My biggest challenge was to free his mind from thoughts that were on constant rewind in his mind, and show him how to move beyond the confines of a line and references to past emotions and disappointments.
He would all too often draw images of two faced women.
Miles’ musical creativity needed to be transposed into notes, on paper, between lines and bars. Consequently he became most comfortable with geometric shapes and images that were contained within a space. My biggest challenge was to free his mind from thoughts that were on constant rewind in his mind, and show him how to move beyond the confines of a line and references to past emotions and disappointments.
He would all too often draw images of two faced women.
"Overdub in Acrylic” 1987
“Overdub in Acrylic” was one of the few earlier pieces that I have in my collection. Most of the early work has been sold, so the pieces that remain in my possession are from the later years and most have never been seen before.
This piece shows Miles’ love of painting to the point where it was difficult for him to stop. I felt that there was not enough space in his design, nor any movement or light. At this point he also became dissatisfied with the outcome and asked me to intervene and lead him into a new direction. This piece was more play time for him than serious concentration. His use of words came spontaneously; without reason, and after “Overdub” we concentrated on pushing him further into considering composition.
“Overdub in Acrylic” was one of the few earlier pieces that I have in my collection. Most of the early work has been sold, so the pieces that remain in my possession are from the later years and most have never been seen before.
This piece shows Miles’ love of painting to the point where it was difficult for him to stop. I felt that there was not enough space in his design, nor any movement or light. At this point he also became dissatisfied with the outcome and asked me to intervene and lead him into a new direction. This piece was more play time for him than serious concentration. His use of words came spontaneously; without reason, and after “Overdub” we concentrated on pushing him further into considering composition.
"Earth Groove” 1988
“Earth Groove” is a vertical painting 108 x 52 inches high. We rolled the canvas out on the floor and painted from room to room. His signature on multiple corners shows how he circled the work. It amused him to sign our work on different corners as he walked around. He loved the idea of confusing the viewer as to which is up. (Orange is the top).
It coincides with him moving out of the Fifth Avenue home where we met. I decorated a new Condo for him on Central Park South which was new, light and modern with a great view of Central Park. That home was a huge departure from the dark grey environment that he lived in with his wife. After he decided to divorce it was the beginning of an upbeat happy period where all things were possible in life, love, art and music. We called this the “Memphis” period, and many pieces were sold and exhibited in California. This is one of the remaining pieces left from our first art exhibit in L A.
The introduction of bright color into his apartment also colored his life and art. The images remain geometric with references to trumpets and faces and reflects an optimistic mood and spirit.
“Earth Groove” is a vertical painting 108 x 52 inches high. We rolled the canvas out on the floor and painted from room to room. His signature on multiple corners shows how he circled the work. It amused him to sign our work on different corners as he walked around. He loved the idea of confusing the viewer as to which is up. (Orange is the top).
It coincides with him moving out of the Fifth Avenue home where we met. I decorated a new Condo for him on Central Park South which was new, light and modern with a great view of Central Park. That home was a huge departure from the dark grey environment that he lived in with his wife. After he decided to divorce it was the beginning of an upbeat happy period where all things were possible in life, love, art and music. We called this the “Memphis” period, and many pieces were sold and exhibited in California. This is one of the remaining pieces left from our first art exhibit in L A.
The introduction of bright color into his apartment also colored his life and art. The images remain geometric with references to trumpets and faces and reflects an optimistic mood and spirit.
“Interval in Green” 1988
“Interval in Green” is one of the paintings that I wanted to get rid of [mentioned in the book] and oddly enough has been one of the most highly regarded by critics. We were painting in the late afternoon and when I had to leave and go home we had a horrible argument. He continued painting into the night in a bad mood. The work done past midnight begins to get a surreal quality, as in this painting. He loses his literal aspect to design and drifts into an abstract territory which is sometimes disturbing but fascinating.
We laughed a lot while painting this piece because Miles felt that green was an impossible color to deal with.
“You can’t wear green, you look like an idiot and you can’t live with it, it’s disturbing. It only works in nature. Man what a color.” He was right. It’s a strange painting. That’s what makes it good.
“Interval in Green” is one of the paintings that I wanted to get rid of [mentioned in the book] and oddly enough has been one of the most highly regarded by critics. We were painting in the late afternoon and when I had to leave and go home we had a horrible argument. He continued painting into the night in a bad mood. The work done past midnight begins to get a surreal quality, as in this painting. He loses his literal aspect to design and drifts into an abstract territory which is sometimes disturbing but fascinating.
We laughed a lot while painting this piece because Miles felt that green was an impossible color to deal with.
“You can’t wear green, you look like an idiot and you can’t live with it, it’s disturbing. It only works in nature. Man what a color.” He was right. It’s a strange painting. That’s what makes it good.
“Final Cut” 1990 35x25 inches
This piece was part of an exhibit in Germany. I felt that we needed to go beyond the candy colors and take on a more serious approach. Germany’s art scene intimidated me and I felt very insecure about having a show there. We were being given an entire Villa –museum for our work and I wanted it to be as good as possible. Miles was oblivious to my concerns and generally he didn’t care about anyone’s opinion anyway. We used the unprimed side of the canvas and this was the beginning of an afro urban style that can be seen in the book “The Art of Miles Davis”. My brushstroke is much heavier than Miles’, but our style loosened up quite a bit by then. The colors shifted to browns and black and this period reflected the state of mind between of Amandla and Tutu. The German art show had many elements of metal, brown paper and rusty objects collaged into the canvas and this piece is the beginning of an angrier more masculine style.
This piece was part of an exhibit in Germany. I felt that we needed to go beyond the candy colors and take on a more serious approach. Germany’s art scene intimidated me and I felt very insecure about having a show there. We were being given an entire Villa –museum for our work and I wanted it to be as good as possible. Miles was oblivious to my concerns and generally he didn’t care about anyone’s opinion anyway. We used the unprimed side of the canvas and this was the beginning of an afro urban style that can be seen in the book “The Art of Miles Davis”. My brushstroke is much heavier than Miles’, but our style loosened up quite a bit by then. The colors shifted to browns and black and this period reflected the state of mind between of Amandla and Tutu. The German art show had many elements of metal, brown paper and rusty objects collaged into the canvas and this piece is the beginning of an angrier more masculine style.
“Blackboard” 1990 52x 42 inches
I love this piece. We both did. I had already introduced him to the work of Basquiat and his influence changed Miles’ perspective about painting and expression. The images were no longer restricted to the afro female faces that Miles was so comfortable with. By then our styles intermingled and his lines were indistinguishable from mine. Geometric shapes of color formed the base of our work but they were no longer the subject of the piece. There was a graffiti element to our work which came from the end of the East Village art scene in the 80’s. Unfortunately Miles wasn’t exposed to that group of artists while it was at its’ peak, but he learned a great deal from them when I showed him books on that group. My lines had a more circular fluid direction but here Miles and I started to merge, even with our hands.
I love this piece. We both did. I had already introduced him to the work of Basquiat and his influence changed Miles’ perspective about painting and expression. The images were no longer restricted to the afro female faces that Miles was so comfortable with. By then our styles intermingled and his lines were indistinguishable from mine. Geometric shapes of color formed the base of our work but they were no longer the subject of the piece. There was a graffiti element to our work which came from the end of the East Village art scene in the 80’s. Unfortunately Miles wasn’t exposed to that group of artists while it was at its’ peak, but he learned a great deal from them when I showed him books on that group. My lines had a more circular fluid direction but here Miles and I started to merge, even with our hands.
“Why Not”1991 15x24 inches
This is a small piece that we did on the road when we ran out of canvas. That’s why we painted to the edge of many of our canvases. Generally, we painted the canvas unstretched, either on the floor or on a table. We returned to the female imagery as before, and the female form now surfaces regularly as a subject. My training was in nude drawing classes so it was easy to add bodies to Miles’ faces. He quickly got the hang of it though…most men do when it comes to female bodies. The colors are darker, the strokes wilder, and the mood less sweet. Miles was angrier, weaker, and volatile. The work becomes more spontaneous and less intentional. His mood was darker and his health was waning. Our relationship was also on a rollercoaster because of his emotional need which was limitless.
This is a small piece that we did on the road when we ran out of canvas. That’s why we painted to the edge of many of our canvases. Generally, we painted the canvas unstretched, either on the floor or on a table. We returned to the female imagery as before, and the female form now surfaces regularly as a subject. My training was in nude drawing classes so it was easy to add bodies to Miles’ faces. He quickly got the hang of it though…most men do when it comes to female bodies. The colors are darker, the strokes wilder, and the mood less sweet. Miles was angrier, weaker, and volatile. The work becomes more spontaneous and less intentional. His mood was darker and his health was waning. Our relationship was also on a rollercoaster because of his emotional need which was limitless.
“Paris Knight”1991 75x 28 inches each, dyptic
This was painted in our hotel suite in Paris, over the weekend he was knighted by the French Govt. He was very happy and Paris brought back all the happy memories of his youth, his past love and the joy he felt in previous years. We ate out for dinner together which was unusual. Although he was very jealous and wanted to keep me with him at all times Paris was a melancholy trip to the past for us both. This painting is full of Miles’ memories, fantasies and passion for women and life. I think that his knighting was the pinnacle of his life which this work reflects; the lines are fluid, colors intense, as if we bombarded to piece with a lifetime of experiences.
This was painted in our hotel suite in Paris, over the weekend he was knighted by the French Govt. He was very happy and Paris brought back all the happy memories of his youth, his past love and the joy he felt in previous years. We ate out for dinner together which was unusual. Although he was very jealous and wanted to keep me with him at all times Paris was a melancholy trip to the past for us both. This painting is full of Miles’ memories, fantasies and passion for women and life. I think that his knighting was the pinnacle of his life which this work reflects; the lines are fluid, colors intense, as if we bombarded to piece with a lifetime of experiences.
“Untitled” 1991
This is the last painting we completed together. It was done on the last stop of the summer tour before he died; in Rome. A horrible violent incident occurred between us after he played a stadium concert and I left him alone in Europe the next day. You can see the horror of our state of mind concerning his imminent death. The last tour took a toll on him emotionally and physically and playing “Sketches” in Montreux was equally intense.
My feet are painted half on the dark side and half in the light. It is named “Untitled” for obvious reasons. It is Miles’ and my state of mind six weeks before he passed away. Clearly he did not go towards his death willingly or with peace of mind. But we all go, like it or not.
This is the last painting we completed together. It was done on the last stop of the summer tour before he died; in Rome. A horrible violent incident occurred between us after he played a stadium concert and I left him alone in Europe the next day. You can see the horror of our state of mind concerning his imminent death. The last tour took a toll on him emotionally and physically and playing “Sketches” in Montreux was equally intense.
My feet are painted half on the dark side and half in the light. It is named “Untitled” for obvious reasons. It is Miles’ and my state of mind six weeks before he passed away. Clearly he did not go towards his death willingly or with peace of mind. But we all go, like it or not.
Solo Work
My solo work is done from photographs. I distort the image with the aperture setting, and then collage several photos until I get a sense of what I want to say. One photo I have included is an example of my inspiration. It was taken in the summer, sitting under an umbrella. The paintings reflect my belief that there are many perfect moments in time. I find many in nature. It is a moment where fear dissipates and clarity bestows tranquility and peace of mind. They can be found in a kiss or a smile and then are gone. It is those moments that I hope to capture so that I remember that they will come again.
