Morgan Howell At 45RPM

SuperSize artist, Morgan Howell, today announces details of a new book featuring 95 of his paintings with written contributions from Lord Lloyd Webber, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Sir David Jason, Kay Mellor OBE and Dermot O’Leary.

Morgan Howell At 45RPM – released in September by Black Dog Press – showcases the artist’s giant 3D interpretations of 7” singles by acts such as The Clash, The Beatles, The Who, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Shirley Bassey and Pink Floyd.

Alongside each paining, a commentator writes evocatively about the power of that particular song and artwork with pieces from the likes of broadcasters Adrian Chiles, Nihal Arthanayake and Jane Moore, authors Tony Parsons, Peter Robinson, John Nichol and Ahdaf Soueif, producers William Orbit and Dave Eringa, radio presenters Mark Radcliffe, Gary Crowley, Gloria de Piero and Stuart Maconie, Associate Editor of The Times Lord Finkelstein OBE and London 2012 gold medallist David Smith MBE.

Others contributors include singer Alfie Boe, Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder, Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp, The Specials’ Horace Panter, Travis frontman Fran Healy, comedian Al Murray, English National Opera CEO Stuart Murphy, GQ Editor Dylan Jones, visual artist Pandemonia, V&A Museum curator Victoria Broackes, as well as a series of collectors of SuperSizeArt.

Morgan said: “I am absolutely delighted to announce a vast array of fascinating contributors from many different worlds.

“We have Lords of the Realm, best-selling authors, actors, top musicians and songwriters, some of our best-known television stars, producers and DJs, as well as those who collect my art.

“It is an incredibly diverse line-up- all united by a passion for music and art. Thanks to each and every one of them for taking time to write for this beautiful book.”

Composer Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber – one of the world’s biggest private art collectors – writes in the volume: “Owning the original ‘Satisfaction’ 7-inch by Morgan feels like owning a small but significant slice of pop history.”

Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder writes on David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars?’ and confesses: “This is the first record I ever owned that I hadn’t stolen – that’s how much it meant to me.”

Neuroscientist Dr. Julia Jones (aka Dr. Rock) explains in an accompanying piece alongside The Shadows’ ‘Wonderful Land’: “Even after just the first few notes I’m transported back to the 1970s... Our music memories last forever and are recalled within a few seconds of hearing a familiar song. This is what makes music such a lifeline for those living with dementia in later life. Music is a magical gift.”

And Lord Finkelstein pens: “The genius of Morgan Howell is that he has somehow caught a moment that I thought irrecoverable. That precious firstness. Before I’d heard every Beatles’ song they made and consumed everything about them.”

When artist Morgan Howell paints classic 7” singles, he takes into account every crease, every tear, every imperfection – producing a one-off, truly unique artwork, almost identical to the owner’s original copy, but blown up, supersize, to 70 x 70 cm, and three-dimensional, with the spindle in the centre, as if the record is ready to play.

This completely original approach has resulted in Howell attracting a cult following amongst art collectors and musicians alike – with paintings commissioned by Neil Diamond, Jude Law, Edgar Wright, Lord Lloyd-Webber and Ian Brown, and major music labels selecting the artist’s work for display in their headquarters.

Howell’s painting of David Bowie’s ‘The Jean Genie’ is displayed at the Sony Music Building in London and ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles has been shown at the Capitol Building in L.A.

Morgan Howell At 45 RPM beautifully documents 95 of Howell’s creations, from ‘Tun Frun’ by Little Richard to ‘Heart Of Glass’ by Blondie, from ‘Gimme Shelter’ by The Rolling Stones to ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by The Kinks.

The book features an in-depth interview with Morgan, exploring his process as an artist and why, for him, music and art are intrinsically linked. With a format perfectly designed to fit on record shelves, this book is a must for vinyl junkies, music heads and art lovers everywhere.

In March 2020 twin exhibitions running simultaneously in London and Austin, Texas, at the legendary South By South West festival, were cancelled due to the global pandemic.

Morgan is about to unveil a huge new exhibition at a pop-up gallery in his birthplace of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, in the UK. After showing his paintings around the world in Russia, Los Angeles, Texas and Ireland, he felt it was important to support his local community and economy during the coronavirus epidemic.

He said: “It is time for a homecoming exhibition. We have all naturally been more local during this horrendous period and I want to support the place where I have lived all my life.”

He will unveil a special piece painted specially for the book – an incredible interpretation of Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry.’

Morgan has previously exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, curated by Grayson Perry and a committee of fellow Royal Academians, and also at the Q Awards, one of the most hedonistic dates on the rock calendar.

Morgan Howell At 45RPM (RRP £39.95) a 240-page hardback book is available for pre-order from Black Dog Press