Article Contributed by Shore Fire Media
Published on 2026-11-12
In celebration of Miles Davis’ centennial, The Miles Davis Estate and Langham Hospitality Group (LHG) welcomed guests Thursday evening for the official opening of Miles Davis: The Art of Seeing Sound at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena. Now on view through November 30 at The Tap Room, the new exhibition offers a rare public presentation of 26 original works on canvas and paper by Davis, alongside archival photographs and rare ephemera, revealing a lesser-known dimension of the musical trailblazer’s creative life.
While best known for transforming jazz through a lifetime of fearless experimentation, Davis devoted considerable energy to painting, drawing and sketching later in his life. His visual work developed a language all its own — bold color, expressive gesture, abstract form and rhythmic movement — while carrying the same spirit of improvisation, experimentation and reinvention that defined his music.
Larry Earl, the Los Angeles-based curator behind the exhibition, explored Davis’ artistic vision during a special opening-night talkback, placing the works in conversation with his life and career and examining the creative impulses that connected his visual and musical practices. “Miles was a uniquely American artist. He was the essence of American creativity,” Earl said during the celebratory evening. “He gives us a vision to be, and that no matter what you are and what you do, to keep moving ahead.”
The exhibition arrives as the Miles Davis Estate continues a yearlong celebration of the artist’s 100th birthday, introducing new audiences to the many dimensions of his creative legacy while highlighting the restless spirit of innovation that shaped his work across music, visual art, fashion and culture.
