Sylvester Stallone Is The First American to Exhibit Paintings at The State Russian Museum

Rocky exhibits paintings.

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On October 28, Sylvester Stallone became the first American to show art at The State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. For an exhibit that displays Stallone's works from 1975 to 2013, the movie star has contributed 30 paintings. The exhibit will also appear at Galerie Gmurzynska in Zurich.

While most of us know Stallone from his tough on-screen act, the star of Rocky has been painting for over 40 years. His first showcase was at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2009, and he has gone on to exhibit paintings at various galleries around the world. Art critic Donald Kuspit has called Stallone, an “expressionistic painter making surreally abstract pictures.”

It's unclear why The State Russian Museum decided to welcome the film star as their first American painter, but Stallone's works are surprisingly impressive, a mix of bold abstract canvases and emotive portraits. Who knew Rocky had it in him?

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