Ex-Metallica Bassist Jason Newsted to Show Paintings at Art Miami

Jason Newsted, former bassist of the heavy metal band Metallica, will exhibit his paintings at Art Miami, a contemporary art fair taking place from December 5 to 10 at Biscayne Bay. Newsted, who joined Metallica in 1986 after the death of Cliff Burton and played on albums such as Metallica (1991), Load (1996), and ReLoad (1997), left the band in 2001 due to a shoulder injury. He then turned to painting without formal training, drawing inspiration from his travels and artists like Pablo Picasso, Jean Fautrier, Jean Dubuffet, Willem de Kooning, and Jean-Michel Basquiat—the latter two introduced to him by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, an avid art collector who bought a Basquiat at Sotheby's in 2008 for over $13 million. Newsted's art debut was a solo show at Micäela Gallery in San Francisco in 2010. The opportunity to exhibit at Art Miami arose in February when fair director Nick Korniloff, a heavy metal fan, visited Newsted's home and saw his paintings. Newsted will present large-scale canvases at the booth of the Perry J. Cohen Foundation, established by Korniloff and his wife Pamela in memory of their son Perry, who died at sea in 2015. Half of the proceeds from sales will benefit the foundation, which supports the arts and ocean conservation. Newsted's works are valued between $20,000 and $125,000.