John Lydon has long carved out his rightful place in music history as the frontman of the Sex Pistols, and, since 1978, the lead vocalist of post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL). While the singer has been painting since he was young, it’s only now that he’s released his art in the form of paintings to the public, having previously only shown them as album art.
The first collection of Lydon’s paintings comprises five original works. Leading the collection is “‘Buffalo of Freedom,” the cover art from PiL’s 2012 comeback album, This is PiL. “What The World Needs Now” was inspired by Native American Hopi characters and served as the album art for PiL’s 2015 album of the same name.
“‘I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right” showcases scenes from Lydon’s home city of London and also serves as the cover for his namesake book. In another work, “Hawaii,” the singer honors his late wife Nora with a vignette from the couple’s vacation in Hawaii. Rounding off the collection is “End Of World,” the cover art for PiL’s most recent album, released earlier this year.
“These are my words, colored in pictures, as I see them. These are pictures of the world, the colors are the words meaning. I hope you understand,” Lydon said in a statement.
The original paintings have each been replicated as prints with 500 copies per painting, available on Lydon’s website.
