Beatles Art Show Opens in Square

The Beatles may be bigger than Jesus, but former drummer Ringo Starr recently insisted that he still has his superiors.

With regard to his graphic art, which will be on view in the Square through June 10 as part of The Ringo Starr Fine Art Show, Starr said, “Personally, I would like to paint like Rembrandt, but that’s just not a talent God gave me.”

That hasn’t stopped Starr. Rather than going for realism, his computer-drawn pieces achieve a pop-esque feel, as with “Is It Time,” a work divided into four quadrants, each showing the same man in different colors with the eponymous words next to his head. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that they were created by Ringo Starr.

His isn’t the only art that will be on display. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of the legendary album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the Harvard Square Business Association and Boston-area classic rock radio station WZLX (100.7 FM) have prepared selections of artwork by many of the Beatles, making The Ringo Starr Fine Art Show the largest collection of signed Beatles artwork ever assembled, according to organizers.

Although Neal Glaeser--who works as Starr’s art publisher as well as Paul McCartney’s art distributor--said he finds a common thread running through all the work, he also emphasized the show’s diversity.

“Just as the Beatles had very distinct personalities, just as John was the intellectual, Paul was the suave, good-looking one, George was the mystical one, Ringo was the whimsical one, just as the Beatles had these distinct personalities as human beings, they do as artists. John was an illustrator, Paul is an abstract expressionist, Ringo is a pop artist, and George had the good sense to know he wasn’t an artist,” he said, laughing.

Glaeser explained that George asked a good friend of his to paint pieces that related to his song titles; these works appear in the exhibition.

For Starr, computer art began as nothing more than a way to pass time while touring with his musical act.

“I’m on tour, and there’s a lot of downtime in hotels, so to keep myself occupied I started drawing the first ones with the mouse,” he said, adding that he later got equipment that allowed him to draw by hand.

Visual art also offered the challenge of working alone rather than with collaborators.

“As a musician, anyway, for me the creativity of being a musician is to have other musicians around,” he says. “All the other art, it doesn’t matter what, you’re sort of on your own.”

Although Starr’s artwork appeared as the background of a Discover Card in 1995, he was initially reluctant to publicize it any further, Glaeser said.

“Every year, I would call him and say, ‘You want to do something with your art now?’” he said, adding that he never got an affirmative response.

“Around 4 years ago, I get a call,” Glaeser continued. It was Ringo.

“He said, ‘Now’s the time. You want to do something come to L.A.’” Glaeser added, and began working with Starr to present his art to the public.

Starr explained that he also paints with oil and canvas, but he isn’t sure yet whether he wants to show those paintings to the world.

“I’m still debating with myself about it,” he said.

With regard to the computer art, Starr said that he decided to publicize it and make it available for purchase in order to benefit charity.

“It’s better that we can help somebody than that I keep them locked up,” said Starr. All the proceeds from purchases made at “The Ringo Starr Fine Arts Show” will go to support the Lotus Foundation, which contributes to a wide variety of charitable organizations, with an additional raffle to raise money for the Brattle Film Foundation.

The charitable focus is consistent with Starr’s advice to this year’s Harvard graduates, whom he exhorts not only to live well, but also to do good acts.

“Do your best and do it in the most honest way you can,” Starr said. “And no matter when you get the opportunity to choose, choose love.”

The show is at the Sage Building at the intersection of Brattle and Church Streets. Visitors are welcome each day between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., except on Sunday when the hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

—Staff writer Marianne F. Kaletzky can be reached at kaletzky@fas.harvard.edu.