Mysterious Angelyne

This bizarre woman is on billboards around the globe and in her own art show

By RYAN JIMENEZ
Staff Writer

After years of appearing on billboards in suggestive and sometimes shock-ing poses, it appears that Hollywood's "Premier Love Goddess" has finally surpassed the upper echelons of stardom. She has exceeded the status of being merely a Hollywood idol and sex icon, and achieved that position which is, perhaps, even greater than stardom itself:
Angelyne has become art.
Hollywood's self-created actress-singer-dancer-performer-sex symbol, is the only subject of an entire art exhibit, which recently opening in Los Angeles, titled "Angelyne: The Self-Portraits." But the irony of the show is this: just as the Hollywood personality created herself and reached icon status by a self-promoting billboard blitz through Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., England, Germany and Japan, she has likewise created herself as art, having painted nearly all the portraits in the exhibit herself.
Never mind that the 30-plus acrylic-on-canvas pieces are all done in psychedelic neon colors. And never mind that the subject is also the artist. Angelyne's paintings are attracting widespread attention.
"Nearly 1,200 people attended the opening reception," said Richard Cabo, owner of the Artluxe Gallery on Melrose, the site for the Angelyne exhibit. "And we may even extend the show longer than anticipated because of its popularity."
Cabo added that the exhibit was also featured in the Los Angeles Times and L.A. Weekly.
The show seems to attract a wide array of visitors. There are the curious passersby walking on Melrose that are enticed into the gallery by the gigantic, nude painting of Angelyne that sits in the window. Then there are the Hollywood types, the leather-wearing, body-pierced crowd of visitors that exemplify the Hollywood lifestyle. There are also those who go because they appreciate Angelyne, not only as a symbol of the Hollywood glamour, but as a symbol of the American Dream.
But just as Angelyne is the mistress of self-promotion, she's also a brilliant moneymaker. The paintings in the exhibit are not only just for viewing; many are also for sale. The cartoon-like self-portraits command anywhere from $500 to $12,000 depending on the size and detail.
Most of the paintings detail a front, bust view of Angelyne, her eyes often painted with luminous neon blue paint, outlined with shimmering gold glitter. One painting depicts Angelyne as a multi-limbed figure with many legs, reminiscent of Hindu art, as if Angelyne herself was the Hindu God Siva. Another presents Angelyne bent over forward, peering through her own legs. And yet another shows Angelyne in her signature pose, lying on her side, propped up on one arm, staring vacantly and hungrily at the viewer.
According to Cabo, many of the pieces have already sold, some to celebrities. "We sold three (paintings) to Dave Navarro of the Red Hot Chili Peppers," he said.
Angelyne's fame began when her first billboard went up in February 1984. The billboard was promoting her rock band, Angelyne, which she had started in Los Angeles. Her band actually performed at the Whiskey A-Go-Go, the Roxy and the Palladium for several years. However, that billboard, which featured just her, became more famous than her music.
Even more than being an icon and an artform, Angelyne is, in herself, an empire. With a fan club of more than 20,000 people around the globe, Angelyne has appeared not only on billboards all over the world, but also on posters, bus sides and murals.
She has appeared on more than 1,000 television shows, from Access Hollywood to A Current Affair, and has been featured in over 1,000 magazines in Sweden, Germany, Japan, Russia, Israel, Holland, Iceland, China, England and more.
She has recorded four albums of music and has her own video, "My List," which has received airplay worldwide. Her empire has also invaded the internet with a journey through cyberspace called "Angelyne's Hollywood & Sunset Tours," featuring Hollywood hot spots like Tower Records, Sunset Tattoo and the Whiskey A-Go-Go.
The provocative and sometimes outrageous images of her scantily clad, buxom body are also at the heart of a merchandising enterprise, which includes Angelyne paraphernalia such as shirts, posters, videos, postcards and buttons.
Just as there are many fans who appreciate the quintessential love goddess' road to stardom, there are those critics who are less enthusiastic about the Angelyne epidemic.
"It's disrespectful and degrading," said Carol Quest, a resident of Hollywood for more than 40 years. "It's so unseemly to think that a woman would put her almost naked body on a billboard, selling herself like an item. It's a complete loss of morals. I can't bear to look at her. It's so evil."
But the younger generation seems to be more appreciative of Angelyne, and many consider her an entrepreneur of sorts.
"She's brilliant because she's created her own reality," said Angela Stone, a twentysomething waitress who works at a small trendy café on Melrose. "She essentially created herself, coming from nothing to becoming a sensation. She's basically made herself a worldwide celebrity."
And while the differences in opinion may be a generational thing, having an Angelyne sighting, seeing her driving through the streets of Los Angeles in her famous pink Corvette, is an unforgettable experience for anyone.
So while art is in the eye of the beholder, it seems that Angelyne has successfully entered a new realm of celebrity, making herself Hollywood's own self-painted Mona Lisa.
"In a way, she's like Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe," her publicist said. "There's supposed to be some mystery surrounding her, since she is, after all, a star. Part of her charm is the mystery that surrounds her career."

Copyright 1999 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 136, No. 21 (Wednesday, February 17, 1999), beginning on page 7 and ending on page 14.