{"id":148227,"date":"2025-08-15T16:19:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T16:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/148227\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T16:19:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T16:19:27","slug":"the-paintings-of-newly-minted-kennedy-center-honoree-sly-stallone-l-a-arts-and-culture-this-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/148227\/","title":{"rendered":"The paintings of newly minted Kennedy Center honoree Sly Stallone: L.A. arts and culture this weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There was much ado Wednesday about President Donald Trump\u2019s <\/b>picks to receive<\/a> the coveted Kennedy Center Honors<\/b> in December. Journalists and culture watchers combed through the histories of the president\u2019s nominees\u2014including actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone<\/b>, glam-rock band KISS<\/b>, disco singer Gloria Gaynor<\/b>, country music star George Strait <\/b>and English actor Michael Crawford<\/b>\u2014in order to better understand his choices.<\/p>\n

Gaynor left some scratching their heads, especially because the disco queen\u2019s most iconic song, \u201cI Will Survive\u201d<\/b> is an established anthem on dance floors at LGBTQ+ clubs. But Stallone\u2014fondly known as Sly Stallone<\/b>\u2014seemed an obvious option. He was part of a cohort of tough-guy performers chosen by Trump, including Jon Voight<\/b> and Mel Gibson<\/b>, named as \u201cspecial ambassadors<\/a>\u201d to Hollywood, and he once called Trump<\/a> the \u201csecond George Washington<\/b>\u201d while introducing at a gala in Palm Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n

But the heart of an artist apparently beats beneath \u201cRocky\u201d<\/b> star\u2019s hardened pectorals. His Instagram<\/b> is littered with abstract paintings featuring thick, brash strokes with obvious nods to the work of Jackson Pollock <\/b>and Jean-Michel Basquiat<\/b>. He is exclusively represented by Provident Fine Art <\/b>in Palm Beach, and regularly posts his canvases to social media <\/a>with captions like, \u201cNo hesitation. No overthinking. Just color, motion, guts. Sometimes you don\u2019t wait for the perfect moment\u2014you throw the punch and make it count.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another, of a twisted yellow and red face, reads, \u201cA portrait I did of Rambo\u2019s<\/b> state of mind before he enters a BATTLE, called \u2018\u2026SEEING RED\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not all of Sly\u2019s fans are happy about his affiliation with Trump. A comment on his most recent painting read, \u201cSorry to hear you are taking part in the Kennedy honors. Linking your self to trump is not a good look. I hope you reconsider.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt<\/b>, wondering if the \u201cTulsa King\u2019s\u201d <\/b>oil paintings might now make it into the Smithsonian<\/b>. Here\u2019s your arts news for the week.<\/p>\n

Best bets: On our radar this week <\/p>\n

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Antigone<\/b>
Frederique Michel<\/b> directs Neil Labute\u2019s<\/b> adaptation of the Jean Anouilh<\/b> play exploring the effects of authoritarianism (inspired by Sophocles<\/b>, it was first produced in 1944 Paris during the Nazi occupation).
Friday through Sept. 21. City Garage Theatre, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave. T1, Santa Monica. citygarage.org<\/a> <\/p>\n

Pirates Wanted<\/b>
Last Call Theatre<\/b> presents an immersive adventure experience featuring swashbuckling, knot tying, navigation, liar\u2019s dice, sea shanties, and more. Recommended for landlubbers 13 and over. Younger mateys must be accompanied by an adult.
Aug. 16-17, 22-24. Pine Ave. Pier, Long Beach. ticketleap.events\/tickets\/lastcalltheatre\/lastcallpirateswanted<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"Russian <\/p>\n

Russian pianist performs with the L.A. Phil Tuesday and Thursday at the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n

(L.A. Phil)<\/p>\n

Rachmaninoff Under the Stars<\/b>
Two nights, two different programs of the Russian romanticist\u2019s work featuring Russian pianist Daniil Trifinov<\/b> and the L.A. Phil<\/b> conducted by Daniel Harding<\/b>.
8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Broadway production of \u201cShucked\u201d in 2023; the national tour arrives Tuesday at the Hollywood Pantages.<\/p>\n

(Mathew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)<\/p>\n

Shucked<\/b>
The corn and puns are higher than an elephant\u2019s eye in this Tony-winning musical comedy with a book by Robert Horn<\/b>, music and lyrics by Brandy Clark<\/b> and Shane McAnally<\/b> and directed by Jack O\u2019Brien<\/b>.
Tuesday through Sept. 7. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. broadwayinhollywood.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"Multi-instrumentalist <\/p>\n

Multi-instrumentalist Herbie Hancock performs Wednesday at the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n

(Amy Harris \/ Invision \/ AP)<\/p>\n

Herbie Hancock<\/b>
The versatile performed is joined by trumpeter Terence Blanchard<\/b>, bassist James Genus<\/b>, guitarist-singer Lionel Loueke<\/b> and drummer Jaylen Petinaud<\/b> for a freewheeling night of jazz.
8 p.m. Wednesday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

Culture news \"Perry <\/p>\n

Perry Picasshoe and his father walk through downtown Riverside while looking for a good spot to place another ice block on July 3, 2025.<\/p>\n

(Daniel Hernandez)<\/p>\n

Riverside artist Perry Picasshoe <\/b>found a way to address the pain and upheaval of seeing people in his community pursued and deported by ICE<\/b>. In a symbolic effort, Picasshoe melted 36 ice blocks on sidewalks of the Inland Empire where enforcement raids took place. \u201cI took it as a metaphor of what\u2019s happening,\u201d Picasshoe said in an interview with<\/a> De Los<\/b>. \u201cI was also thinking a lot about having these blocks of ice as almost a stand-in for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Times Theater Critic Charles McNulty<\/b> attended a Black Out matinee performance <\/a>of the two-character play, \u201cBerta, Berta,\u201d <\/b>by Angelica Ch\u00e9ri.<\/b> The show is receiving its West Coast premiere in an Echo Theater Company<\/b> production at Atwater Village Theatre <\/b>directed by Andi Chapman<\/b>. The action, which takes place in 1923 Mississippi, unfolds as the titular character wakes in the middle of the night to find the love of her life covered in the blood of a man he killed. The play\u2019s themes were enhanced by the unique community environment of the performance, McNulty writes. \u201cI was more alert to the through line of history. Although set in the Deep South during the Jim Crow<\/b> era, there appeared to be little distance between the characters and the audience,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n

A new museum is set to open in an historic building <\/a>in Miami, honoring, \u201cthe history of Cuban <\/b>exiles with immersive, state-of-the-art exhibits that explore the meaning of migration, freedom and homeland,\u201d writes Joshua Goodman.<\/b> The building that houses the new enterprise was once the city\u2019s tallest structure and was known as the \u201cEllis Island\u201d<\/b> of Miami.<\/p>\n

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The SoCal scene \"Dancer <\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 6, 2020-Dancer Michael Tomlin III, with the Lula Washington Dance Company, rehearses in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

(Wally Skalij\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Lula Washington Dance Theatre<\/b> is celebrating its 45th anniversary on Aug. 23 at the Ford. Washington has been a seminal figure in the arts world, including in her homebase of South L.A.\u2014guiding and shaping hundreds of young community members and dancers at her studio over the years. The company has toured extensively around America and the world, and in 2021 received a nearly $1 million Mellon Grant<\/b>. \u201cWhere there\u2019s a will there\u2019s a way. We are still here! After all of the trials and tribulations, riots, earthquakes, COVID and Project 2025, we are still dancing! Dance has saved us and it will save us all,\u201d Washington told The Times in advance of the anniversary. The tribute at the Ford will include performances of historic Washington pieces alongside new works by Martha Graham, Donald McKayle <\/b>and more. Contemporary jazz musician Kamasi Washington<\/b> composed music for one of the pieces. For tickets and additional information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Old Globe<\/b> announced that actress Katie Holmes <\/b>will kick off the theater\u2019s 2026 season in a new production of Henrik Ibsen\u2019s \u201cHedda Gabler,\u201d<\/b> directed by the Globe\u2019s Artistic Director Barry Edelstein<\/b>. The classic stage play is being given fresh life in a Globe-commissioned new version by playwright and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson<\/b>. The show marks Holmes\u2019 return to the Globe after Edelstein directed her in a 2023 production of \u201cThe Wanderers.\u201d<\/b> Performances are scheduled to run from Feb. 7 to March 8, 2026, and tickets are currently available by subscription only at TheOldGlobe.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Broad<\/b> is back with its summer concert series. On Aug. 16, guests can attend a show called<\/a>, \u201cPAST + FUTURE = PRESENT, Pt. 1.\u201d <\/b>The after hours event (8 p.m, to 11 p.m.) includes access to the special exhibition, \u201cJeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me,\u201d<\/b> as well as two performance stages on several museum floors. Haisla hip hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids <\/b>will rock out upstairs while indie rockers Black Belt Eagle Scout <\/b>will take to the lobby stage. <\/p>\n

\u2014 Jessica Gelt<\/p>\n

And last but not least<\/p>\n

Wondering what Trump\u2019s Kennedy Center Honors <\/b>announcement felt like to watch? Here are the first 13 minutes<\/a>, although it went on for much (much) longer.<\/p>\n