Funk legend turned painter George Clinton opens show in Paris

At 84, George Clinton remains a towering figure in funk, a source of countless hip-hop samples, a pioneer of psychedelic Afrofuturism—and now, a painter with his first Paris exhibition. The self-taught American visionary behind Parliament and Funkadelic has never strayed from his guiding principle: “Gotta have that funk.”

Clinton burst onto the scene in the 1960s, starting at Motown before assembling a crew of daring musicians to create P-Funk—a fusion of soul, funk, rock, and disco that reshaped popular music. His genre-bending sound influenced artists from Prince and D’Angelo to Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “We came out of the psychedelic era and everything was permissible,” Clinton told AFP. “I could free my mind, I could do whatever the music turned out to be.”

Known for his wild four-hour performances, outlandish costumes, and iconic slogans like “Free your mind and your ass will follow,” Clinton became a symbol of creative and sexual liberation in the 1970s. The former New Jersey barber later earned a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Grammys. Though age has slowed him, his curiosity and spirit remain undimmed. “As soon as I hear kids making new music that gets on my nerve, that’s the music I want,” he said. “Funk protects you from getting old… Use the funk, Luke.”

Clinton’s visual art journey began modestly—with autograph sketches that evolved into painting during the Covid pandemic. Working in acrylics and spray paint, he held several U.S. exhibitions before bringing his work to Paris’s Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, near the French presidential palace. The show, open through mid-December, features his vivid abstract canvases and a sculpture of the “Mothership,” inspired by his landmark 1975 album Mothership Connection.

“I paint the way I do music,” Clinton said. “I don’t try to intellectualize it—it’s all about the vibe.”

Still, his world isn’t without challenges. Legal disputes over his music catalogue persist, and he remains dismayed by America’s polarised politics. Calling Donald Trump “like a cartoon—not even a good cartoon,” Clinton reflects wistfully on Chocolate City, his 1975 album imagining a funk-powered White House led by Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. That dream may seem far off, but Clinton’s faith in rhythm and resilience endures. “We have to keep up the funk,” he said.