ATLANTA — Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M., last year held an art show featuring his own works of art in Milan, Italy, accompanied by a catalog.

Jackson Fine Art owner Anna Walker Skillman, who has known Stipe for three decades, sifted through the book and was impressed.

“The photographs were strong but also complex, vulnerable, poetic and mysterious. Each page led the viewer to intimate portraits of family and friends,” she said. She was even more intrigued by his sculptures: “I knew he had been a photographer all along but had no idea the depth and breadth of media and mediums in his practice.”

So she contacted him via email in May about Stipe doing a book signing at her gallery. A month later he replied “I am the worst on email” and asked if she wanted to see his prints in person. A week later, Skillman visited his studio and they began conceiving an actual exhibition.

Dubbed “Even the birds gave pause,” the exhibit ― which runs through Dec. 20 ― covers two rooms and features a sampling of his recent photography and sculpture work, much of which was featured in Milan.

Stipe was big into visual arts as a student at the University of Georgia before he formed R.E.M. After the band disbanded in 2011, he returned to focusing on his art.

In a brief interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the opening party Oct. 1, Stipe said “we adjusted everything to work with the space here. What I love about working with Jackson Fine Art is their knowledge of photography is encyclopedic. That’s not only rare in the art world but encouraging. It’s nice to talk about art with people that know all the references.”

The backroom includes photographs of male models he took from the past decade as well as sculptures shaped as book covers. The front yellow room features portraits of friends and family, “truly a love letter to the people in Michael’s life,” Skillman said. Some are famous (Bono, Tilda Swinton) but most are unknown to the public.

“I’m really intrigued by the idea portraiture and portraits,” Stipe said. “I’m trying to examine and stretch the idea of what a portrait can be. When you think of a portrait, you think of a bust, a person’s face looking at the camera. I think a portrait can be representative of a moment in time.”

Stipe said this is the first art show he has ever held in Atlanta after holding shows in Milan and New York. “I’m honored to do this,” he said.

The opening reception went smoothly, said Skillman. Stipe patiently spoke with well-wishers, fans and potential buyers.

“At one point during the evening, I looked at Michael and asked if everything was good, thinking I need to protect him from the constant chatter and questions,” Skillman said, “and he looked at me and said, ‘I am here to work. What can I do for you?’ This is what a collaboration is all about between a gallery and artist.”

She said sales for Stipe and two other artists, Angela West and John Chiara, went well. Several of Stipe’s fox sculptures were sold, each going for $22,500. She said there are also plans to place his foxes in different parts of the city.

Stipe, in the meantime, is still plugging away at his solo album and hopes to have it done by early 2025. “It’s not easy to follow R.E.M.,” he acknowledged. “This has dragged on long enough. I’m ready to get it out there.”

_______

Michael Stipe: “Even the birds gave pause”

10 p.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Ending Dec. 20. Free.

Jackson Fine Art, 122 E. Shadowlawn Ave. NE, Atlanta.

jacksonfineart.com.

———

©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.