Dylan to unveil new paintings in Denmark

American music legend Bob Dylan, who has turned to painting in his later years, will unveil a new set of works in Copenhagen next month, the National Gallery of Denmark announced Monday.

Some 40 acrylic paintings and eight drawings from Dylan's "Brazil Series" created especially for Denmark's largest museum, also known as the Statens Museum for Kunst, will go on display from September 4 to January 30.

"It was an honor to be asked and a thrilling challenge," said the 68-year-old folk music icon better known for his songs such as "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Blowin' in the Wind".

"I chose Brazil as a subject because I have been there many times and I like the atmosphere," Dylan said in a statement published by the museum.

His new paintings "show the scenes from daily life in the cities, the slums and the countryside in Brazil where Bob Dylan has been several times," the museum's curator and director, Kaspar Monrad told AFP.

The collection includes depictions of wine growers, gypsies, politicians, gamblers and gangsters, "underlying the artist's fascination for the diversity of this country," Monrad added.

Dylan's style was "inspired by American realism from the start of the 20th century and deep affinity with painters... such as Matisse in the 1920s," the curator said.

It was the Danish museum that contacted Dylan's agent at the end of 2008 to invite him to paint a new set of works for the gallery, which Dylan worked on between 2009 and the first half of this year.

"I've been to the National Gallery of Denmark and it definitely is an impressive art museum. It was more than a little surprising when I was asked to create works specifically for this museum," Dylan said.

Dylan displayed his last canvas collection "Drawn Blank Series" in Germany in 2007 and in Britain in 2008.