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By Karrie Gillett
A SMALL Scots art gallery has been picked to showcase an extremely rare collection of graphics from rock legend Bob Dylan.
The exhibition of the star’s paintings – entitled The Drawn Blank Series – is giving fans in the Scottish Borders a unique chance to own some of the singer-songwriter’s visual art.
And the Peebles-based gallery is one of only two in the country to host the exclusive collection made by Dylan while on the road from 1989 to 1992.
Bob Corsie, director of breeze gallery, said the phones were constantly ringing since the announcement that the prestigious works were coming to the small picturesque town.
Mr Corsie said: “The interest that the collection has already attracted is brilliant. I think there will be a lot of people coming here to have a look.
“breeze has been brave enough to feature his work and I think there will be a lot of other galleries kicking themselves when they see just how successful his art is because this isn’t just another singer releasing artwork.
“You can see just how truly special the works are when they are hung in a quality way.”
Each of the 29 watercolour paintings is limited to just 295 editions but the real attraction for collectors keen to own one of the works from the Blowin’ in the Wind singer – who has sold more than 110 million albums worldwide – is the individual signature.
Mr Corsie said: “Each and every single print is hand-signed by Bob Dylan and that in itself is really something quite special because Dylan doesn’t sign things these days. In fact, he has always been quite against it
“So, having these works hanging here with his name on the bottom really is special in itself and has brought Bob Dylan to the Scottish Borders which is fantastic.”
The prints – which are already proving a sell-out before even being seen by the general public – range in price from £1,000 to £35,000 for the full set.
And the gallery’s director is predicting a huge turnout for the week-long show with collectors rushing to get their hands on some of the most popular and vibrant pieces including the portfolio entitled Woman In Red Lion Pub.
Mr Corsie said: “It’s going to be difficult for collectors, to be honest , because they are already in short supply.
“There are only 295 editions of each piece and there are some which have so much interest that we see we could be sold out within days.
“Beyond the weekend I think they will be very, very hard to come by at all. They are all individually signed and it’s just a fantastic piece of art to have in your house.”
The collection will also be on show at Glasgow’s Princes Square gallery.
