As Metallica gear up to celebrate their 30th anniversary with four consecutive intimate club shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco, Calif., this December, artists around the world are working on their own tributes to the band that will be displayed at a Los Angeles gallery in January 2012.

Artist Richard Villa III, the founder of Exhibit A Gallery, and skateboarder Tony Alva have joined forces to honor the band with ‘Obey Your Master – A Visual Salute To Metallica.’ The exhibit will see the likes of artists from all different genres come together to honor the band. While the artists have not yet been revealed, you can expect a broad range of participants from skateboarders to street artists to musicians.

Each artist will choose a song from Metallica’s deep discography to draw inspiration from, whether they were most impacted by the aggressive nature of the band’s debut release ‘Kill 'Em All’ or were more in tune with the political musings in ‘...And Justice for All’, there’s a lot to choose from. Their art pieces will reflect their overall vision of the song based on their particular medium and how Metallica has personally impacted them through not just their music but their personal relationships with the band.

The exhibit is set to be revealed on Jan. 20, 2012, at a private reception for the artists and the band at Exhibit A Gallery.  After the initial showing, the gallery will be open to the public and the pieces will be available for purchase.

Exhibit A has been promoting the rock 'n’ roll spirit that’s so closely connected to art since it opened its doors in 2008. The gallery is a place for creative misfits to come together to celebrate art, music, fashion and skating … and now … Metallica!

This begs the question, which Metallica song would you like to see in art form?

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