Ayé Aton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ayé Aton
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| Born |
Robert Underwood
January 29, 1940 Versailles, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Died | October 30, 2017 (aged 77) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Nationality |  United States |
| Known for | Painting, musician |
Ayé Aton (born Robert Underwood, January 29, 1940 – October 30, 2017) was an amazing American artist and musician. He was born in Versailles, Kentucky, and passed away in Lexington, Kentucky.
Ayé Aton was a talented painter, designer, and muralist. He also played music and taught art. He was especially known for his cool murals that looked like outer space! He painted these on homes and buildings in Chicago during the 1960s and 1970s.
He also played drums with the famous musician Sun Ra and his band, the Arkestra, in the 1970s. Later in life, he became an art teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He created many beautiful paintings with themes from African, Egyptian, and Native American cultures. He also explored Afrofuturism, which mixes African culture with science fiction.
In 2013, a book called Sun Ra + Ayé Aton: Space, Interiors, and Exteriors was published. It showed photos of Aton's large murals from the 1960s and 70s. It also included pictures from Sun Ra's movie, Space is the Place.
A writer named Glenn Ligon said that Aton's murals were like "album sleeve art" for new ideas. They helped a generation of people imagine a different future. Another writer, Ian Bourland, noted that Aton's art mixed ideas about space and mystery, just like Sun Ra's music.
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Ayé Aton's Early Life and Music Journey
Ayé Aton was born Robert Underwood in Versailles, Kentucky. When he was a teenager, he moved to New York. In 1960, he moved to Chicago. Around this time, his future mentor, Sun Ra, moved from Chicago to New York.
A historian named John Corbett wrote about Underwood's early life. He spent time with a study group in Washington Park in Chicago. He was a curious young man who asked many deep questions. Some members of the group told him about a person who could answer his questions: "Sunny Ray."
Underwood called Sun Ra, who was happy to guide him. For the next eleven years, they talked almost every day. Sun Ra gave him advice on art, philosophy, and religion. During this time, Underwood changed his name to Ayé Aton. The name "Aton" is like "Aten", which was an ancient Egyptian sun god. Sun Ra's band even played for a group called "The Atonites" in the 1950s.
Painting Murals in Chicago
While in Chicago, Ayé Aton started painting amazing murals. He painted them inside homes and on public buildings. Sun Ra often suggested ideas for these murals. They featured Egyptian designs, bright colors, and outer space scenes.
Around 1972, Aton moved to Philadelphia. He lived in Sun Ra’s house in the Germantown area. He joined Sun Ra's famous band, the Arkestra, as a drummer. While living there, Aton painted murals in the rooms of other musicians, like Marshall Allen and John Gilmore. He also painted in Sun Ra's room.
Performing with Sun Ra
Ayé Aton played drums and percussion with Sun Ra & His Arkestra from 1972 to 1976. He played on their albums Space is the Place and Discipline 27-II. He performed at the 1972 Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival. He also played at Sun Ra's concert at Carnegie Hall in 1973. Over the years, Aton also performed with other musicians, including Fred Anderson.
Some of Aton’s murals were shown in Sun Ra’s 1972 poetry book. The original murals were in color, but they were printed in black and white in the book.
Ayé Aton's Later Art Career
In 1976, Ayé Aton left the Arkestra and moved back to Chicago. He played percussion with a group called Infinite Spirit Music. They recorded an album in 1979.
In 1983, Aton moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, he became a community arts advocate. He also played drums in local music groups.
In 2016, he was diagnosed with cancer. He then moved back to Kentucky to live with his son, Ahmosis Aton. In his last 20 years, Ayé Aton created hundreds of artworks. Most of these have not been shown to the public yet.
Exhibitions and Recognition
In 2013, the Studio Museum in Harlem held his first solo art show. It was called Ayé Aton: Space-Time Continuum. His work was also part of a big exhibition in 2016. This show was called The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965–Now. It was organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. It also traveled to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia.
After he passed away, another exhibit of his work was held in 2021. It was called Ayé Aton: Sun Ra and Beyond. It was shown at the Living Arts & Science Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
