Tony Bennett

By Ken Hall

We've been running the Celebrity Artist feature in this magazine for years, but let's face it: most celebrity art is really just autography. You're buying the artist's signature, not the artwork. Most celebrity art sells in commercial galleries, at concerts and in arts and crafts shows.

But that's not the case with Tony Bennett, the legendary crooner who's sold more than 50 million records worldwide and has eleven Grammy Awards to his credit. "Bennett sits atop two worlds," according to Investor's Business Daily. "He's the ranking balladeer and perhaps the best of the celebrity artists. His paintings often command more than his concerts."

That's because Bennett doesn't paint just to pass the time. He's serious about it, has been extensively trained and has had numerous gallery showings around the world. He's been painting longer than he's been singing. He signs his work Anthony Benedetto - his birth name.

As a young boy growing up in Astoria, Queens, in New York, Anthony drew chalk pictures on the sidewalk. As a teenager, he was "discovered" by a local art teacher, James McWhinney, who took the fledgling artist on painting outings and to museums, giving him his first real taste of art.

He began formal training at the School of Industrial Arts in Manhattan (now known as the School of Art and Design). There, he studied the commercial arts, such as photography and etching. But he was also prepping himself for a career in music, even working for awhile as a singing waiter.

In his 20's, Bennett went on to become one of the greatest singers of his day. He continued to paint occasionally on the side, but it wasn't until he was in his 30's that a friend encouraged him to pursue art on a more serious level. Since then, he's been drawing or painting every day and continues to study at the Art Students League of New York and with private instructors.

Bennett paints a wide range of subjects. He's done oils of Monet's garden at Giverny; still lifes with teapots and apples or flowers; landscapes of southern France; watercolors of beaches in Brazil; San Francisco's City Hall; Las Vegas; Pebble Beach; and numerous portraits (including many of his contemporaries in the art and entertainment worlds).

Bennett described watercolor, his preferred medium, as "like jazz," explaining, "It has to be spontaneous. The fresher it is, the better it is. You have to finish it quickly because the light changes. This is how a jazz artist thinks. He thinks about what he is to play, then he attacks it. He plays spontaneously. He doesn't read notes. He does something unpredictable."

With oil paintings, he said, "it's almost symphonic. If you make a mistake, you clean it up and have to redo it." As for drawing, "I'm studying draftsmanship all the time. It takes a lifetime to learn. Practicing drawing from a live model is especially useful. You have to pay attention to the light and shadow and to the edges. This is knowledge you can apply to any subject you're painting."

Bennett takes his art materials wherever he goes. He always has a sketchbook in his pocket so he can continue practicing his drawing skills. For years, he's travelled with watercolors, so he could complete a painting on location when he had some free time.

Lately, he's discovered what he considers an even better alternative for on-site sketching - gouache. "It travels just as well, but I find it easier to work with," he said. "It's water-based and dries fast, so you don't need a lot of materials. But it's also opaque, so you can cover mistakes. Gouache lets you work light over dark, like oils, which lets you put more drama into your painting. It's wonderful."

Regardless of the medium, Bennett typically begins with a loose, basic sketch, often squinting to see how the dark and light shapes are dividing the composition. Then, he gradually builds up the image with color, focusing on getting the values right as he goes.

"Once I've used values and color to create depth and three-dimensional form, I address the finishing details," Bennett said. "I usually hone in on just a few details to capture my impression of what I'm trying to convey." And that, he said, is the point. "My goal is to express the spirit or the essence of my subject.

"With singing," he explained, "the audience can get right into the expression if you're just honest with them and make them feel that you're singing directly to them. But with painting, it's a little more tricky. I ask myself how I can get a viewer to feel the same things I'm feeling. It's more of a two-way street."

A self-described "museum freak," Bennett visits museums and galleries all over the world, especially during his extensive concert tours. For each of the past five years, he has taken a month away from the microphone to paint in Italy, signing each canvas "Benedetto." He also makes arrangements to take private lessons with various artists worldwide, such as John Barneycourt in the U.K., Robert Wade in Australia and Everett Raymond Kinstler in the United States.

Bennett believes that by just being in the company of other artists, one can be inspired. "When I start talking to other artists about art, the work just flows out of me," he said. As for artists of the past who have most inspired him, he named Rembrandt, Sargent, Monet, Sorolla and Velazquez. His favorite modern and contemporary masters are Matisse, Mondrian and Hockney.

Hockney, in fact, is a friend. Bennett 's painting of him, titled "Homage to Hockney," is on permanent display at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. An original oil work, "Boy on Sailboat, Sydney Bay," is part of the permanent collection at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park in New York City. And in 2001, Bennett was named official artist of the Kentucky Derby, creating two original watercolors for the event.

Some celebrities who own an original "Benedetto" include Carol Burnett, Whoopi Goldberg, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Mickey Rooney, Katie Couric and the contemporary artist Robert Rauschenberg. When they were still alive, Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra also owned works by Bennett.

Giclee reproductions of Mr. Bennett's work, hand-signed and numbered by the artist in a limited-edition of 300 prints, have been recently released. The first two in the series are landscapes of the Italian countryside - "Positano, Italia" and "Gondola, Venice." A third giclee, "Chianti, Italy," will be available soon.

For more information on the artwork of Tony Bennett, please visit his
website, www.benedettoarts.com.

 Tony Bennett has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and has won 11 Grammy Awards.
He paints every day, and signs his work Anthony Benedetto (his birth name).

Positano, Italia, 20x16, Italian giclee series.

Still Life, 16x20, original
watercolor painting.

Gondola, Venice, 16x20, Italian Gicleé series