Ringo Starr/Beatles art exhibit

The so-called "Ringo Starr Art Show'' just came to Harvard Square and it was about as bizarre as one might expect from Ringo. He makes computer drawings and they exude a cartoonish, frantically silly style, notably a piece called "Hat Man'' (an animated-looking head adorned with a hat at a rakish tilt) and the weirdly colorful face of "Krayzee'' and the one-eye-closed look of "Yer Baby.'' Frankly, they didn't add up to much more than hobbyist escapism, though the works sold for the fairly reasonable prices (by Beatles standards) of $400-$600. And, yes, it was a bit strange to see original Ringo Starr solo vinyl albums (still sealed) for $20. I didn't spot anyone jumping for them. Happily, though, all proceeds from Ringo's sales (no, he wasn't there in person) went to the Lotus Foundation. A noble gesture.
Not surprisingly, as happened in the Beatles, Ringo was overshadowed by a relatively small number of pieces from Fab Four mates John, Paul, and George. John was represented by a Bag One lithograph (hand-signed, one of 300 in existence) going for the rather gaudy sum of $12,000. And there were a couple of real highlights from Paul, whose "Big Mountain Face'' (acryllics on canvas) looked like a warmly psychedelic version of the now-fallen Old Man on the Mountain in New Hampshire.
An extraordinary footnote to the event was the handful of Beatles' Apple checks made out to the band for various expenses. The framed reproductions of the checks each sold for $60! Hard to believe, but that's more than the price that Ringo's solo albums fetched.