Tina Turner, 2023
Bernard Pras
She’s “Simply The Best” – the iconic Tina Turner performed at Merriweather Post Pavilion six times throughout her storied career, commanding the crowd with the soulful songs and incomparable voice that earned her the title “Queen of Rock and Roll.”
Born Anna Mae Bullock, Turner first rose to fame as part of the musical duo Ike & Tina Turner in the 1960s. But it was her solo work following her termination of that tumultuous and cruel partnership that earned her global stardom, seamlessly blending rock, soul, and R&B on hits like “Proud Mary” and “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” Tina Turner remains one of the best-selling artists of all time, with 12 Grammy Awards and two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – one for her work in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, and a separate induction of her own.
This sculpture by Bernard Pras was not meant to be presented posthumously, but as she passed in the midst of its making it stands today as a testament to Turner’s talent and tenacity, exhibiting the strength and power she put into every performance.
MEET THE ARTIST:
Here at Merriweather, we love art and all things eco-friendly, so we jumped at the opportunity to feature the work of Bernard Pras at the Pavilion. An anamorphic sculptor whose work is made entirely out of found objects and recycled items, Pras proves that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
For these sculptures of Robert Plant, Miles Davis, Dolly Parton, Jimi Hendrix, Tina Turner, and Willie Nelson, Pras gathered materials from Howard County Alfa Ridge landfill and local thrift stores and included elements donated by Columbia’s music schools. Merriweather’s long standing focus on sustainability meshes beautifully with Pras’ art in these displays.
At the sculpture reveal in 2022, Consul General of France, François Penguilly said, “Each detail of Bernard Pras’s works is an invitation to a poetic exploration where one wonders about the history of the object and its possible connections with the work represented. One could spend hours gazing at each portrait, identifying all the little bits and pieces that make up a portrait subject’s facial features, hair, body, and clothing.”
Born in 1952 in Roumazières, France, Pras trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse where he became inspired by Salvador Dali, Edvard Munch, Hiroshige, and Giuseppe Arcimboldo. A painter, sculptor, and photographer, Pras lives and works in Montreuil, near Paris.
Click here to be amazed.