LONDON.- Horace Panter first rose to fame as the bassist of one of Britain’s defining bands of the '80s, The Specials, but has since gone on to enjoy a celebrated career as an artist. Combining his music and art heritage he has created ‘Art’, a collection of his best work from across the past five years, ranging from the ‘Blues’ series in 2009 to the renowned ‘Cassette’ series in 2014. His iconographic creations are infused with pop art sensibilities and have featured the biggest stars of the 20th and 21st century, including ‘The King’ himself Elvis Presley, Specials fan Amy Winehouse, ‘90s grunge icon Kurt Cobain and punk rockers The Clash. Horace’s art has earned him high profile fans including Nile Rogers and Cerys Matthews who both own pieces, as well as artist, musician and actor Goldie, who has written the book’s foreword. ‘Art’ from Horace Panter and Foruli Codex is published on 14th November and is available for just £25 from forulicodex.com.

Opening with the ‘Blues’ series, ‘Art’ documents Panter’s journey through musical history starting with the blues and jazz icons of the '50s and '60s, including BB King and Miles Davis. His collage paintings pay tribute to his favourite musicians, reminiscent of the style of Peter Blake and Andy Warhol, with Panter presenting his subjects as a compelling visual narrative.

The Pop Art concept of ‘elevating the mundane’ has a strong influence in Horace’s work and his interest in showing the links between contemporary iconography and propaganda can be seen in his ‘Robot’ collection, which is comprehensively catalogued in ‘Art’.

From here ‘Art’ moves onto Panter’s famous ‘Cassette Tape’ series, an artefact that remains celebrated as a cultural icon in musical history and is synonymous with some of the most seminal albums ever and the recording studios where they were made. As an example, the ‘Night Boat to Cairo’ cassette work is homage to Madness’ iconic first album recorded at Eden Studios in Chiswick.

Much of Horace Panter’s figurative work aims to challenge the narrative of the icon by reproducing and questioning its status in a post-modern setting. This can be seen in the Amy Winehouse portrait placed in a Henri Rousseau fantasy setting.

Horace Panter commented, "I have always been aware of the similarities between what I do in music and what I do in art. I am really thrilled, naturally, to be creating this book with Foruli. The book, simply called 'Art' could be described (with tongue firmly in cheek) as my 'Greatest Hits: Volume 1'. It gives an overview of some of my work to date, albeit that previous works are always being superseded by new ones... wondering aloud whether there could be a Volume 2? Listen up Foruli!"

Horace Panter’s work is beautifully presented in a hardback book and is a must-have for both music and art lovers alike.