Rob Prior, one of the world’s prominent and acclaimed contemporary painters will be creating a painted portrait of eight-time GRAMMY® Award winner and 2022 MusiCares® Person of the Year, Joni Mitchell at the 31st annual MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas on April 1, 2022. The painting will be based on photographs taken by Joel Bernstein. The reveal of Prior’s portrait will take place during the tribute concert featuring GRAMMY Award-winning artists such as Beck, Leon Bridges, Brandi Carlile, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Stills and St. Vincent among others. The sale of the portrait will be auctioned in January 2023, benefitting MusiCares, which is the leading music charity that acts as a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community.
“We are excited Prior is joining our evening honoring Joni Mitchell, creating his one-of-a-kind piece of art, with the proceeds going to support the music community in need,” said Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares. “Generous contributions like this Joni portrait will help support music people across a spectrum of needs, including physical and mental health, addiction recovery, preventative clinics, unforeseen personal emergencies and disaster relief.”
Rob Prior will be exhibiting a private gallery show also benefiting MusiCares on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel Penthouse, Las Vegas, presenting a series of his iconic music portraits, which will be minted into NFTs upon sale. During the exhibit, Prior will perform an exclusive live painting of two music icon portraits, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PT. Hosted by Steven Wang and sponsored By SuperDraft and BQT.
When asked about this tribute, Prior said, “I am thrilled to be chosen to capture this incredible moment on canvas. Painting Joni Mitchell’s portrait is an amazing honor, as she is recognized by MusiCares for a lifetime of achievement.”
About Rob Prior
Rob Prior is becoming one of the world’s most esteemed experiential painters for this generation. Using his deft skill and unique stage presence, Rob creates a perfect harmony of art, entertainment and excitement, mesmerizing audiences far and wide. Rob created enormous buzz after his multi-million-dollar art and NFT sale of Louis Vuitton designer, Virgil Abloh and boxing phenom, Canelo Alvarez during last year’s Art Basel, Miami. For the past 20 years, Rob’s paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the world. http://www.robprior.com/
About MusiCares
MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world. Offering preventive, emergency and recovery programs, MusiCares is a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community. Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989 as a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charity, MusiCares safeguards the well-being of all music people through direct financial grant programs, networks of support resources, and tailored crisis relief efforts. For more information, please visit: www.musicares.org.
