Paul Simon: Words & Music

Paul Simon: Words & Music illustrates how the legendary artist’s music has reflected social and cultural ideals.

Developed based on exclusive interviews with the artist, the show will walk visitors through Paul Simon’s life and music and illuminate his creative process. On view will be instruments, records, sheet music, handwritten lyrics, photography, costumes, and stage maquettes, as well as listening stations and performance footage spanning Simon’s six-decade career. Exclusively for the Los Angeles presentation, Paul Simon: Words & Music will include additional artifacts from Simon’s private archive and a newly created music lab developed by the Skirball in cooperation with Roland Corporation. Details about the exhibition to be announced in the coming months!

Paul Simon (b. 1941) has spent his life making music. From his first compositions as a teen and his celebrated work in Simon & Garfunkel to his transformative collaborations with world musicians up to and including his current work, Simon’s evolution has been grounded in a lifelong quest to find the words, music, and rhythms that connect most deeply with listeners. Through his songs, he has captured the story of generations and the mood of the nation, from disillusionment and fear to hope and compassion. As the exhibition reveals, he stands as a sterling example of the power of music to reflect social and cultural ideals and to communicate them to the rest of the world.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.