Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American
painter
Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
and
filmmaker
Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings"—with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been a proponent of independent arthouse cinema. Schnabel directed ''
Before Night Falls'', which became
Javier Bardem's breakthrough
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated role, and ''
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'', which was nominated for four Academy Awards. For the latter, he won the
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director
The Best Director Award () is an award presented annually at the Cannes Film Festival since 1946. It is given for the best achievement in directing and is chosen by the International Jury from the films in the Competition slate at the festival. ...
and the
Golden Globe Award for Best Director, as well as receiving nominations for the
Academy Award for Best Director
The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...
and the
César Award for Best Director.
Early life and education
Schnabel was born in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, to a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family, the son of Esta (née Greenberg) and Jack Schnabel. He moved with his family to
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...
, in 1965.
He received his
B.F.A. at the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
. After graduating, he sent an application to the Independent Study Program (ISP) at the
Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. His application included slides of his work sandwiched between two pieces of bread. He was admitted into the program and studied there from 1973 to 1975.
In 1975, Schnabel visited Galveston and was introduced to the artist
Joseph Glasco who had his home and studio in Galveston at that time. Schnabel and Glasco became close friends and shared many similar interests in the arts. Later in their relationship, Schnabel influenced Glasco to set up his studio in New York, and in the late 1980s introduced Glasco to Leslie Waddington of Waddington Galleries, London, where he had an exhibition.
Art career
Schnabel returned to Houston in 1975 and rented a studio in the
Heights neighborhood. Jim Harithas, director of the
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, agreed to give him a show after Schnabel reportedly badgered him repeatedly. The eponymously titled exhibit ran from February 20 to March 7, 1976, in the parallelogram building's lower gallery.
On seeing the show, ''ARTnews'' critic Charlotte Moser wrote, "Though still formative, Schnabel's paintings possess a palpable presence," but found the work "clearly influenced by post-minimalist artists whose intellectual ideas he might share but whose technical expertise and clarity of vision he has yet to acquire."
It was with his first solo show, at the
Mary Boone Gallery in 1979 that Schnabel had his breakthrough; all his works were sold in advance. He participated at the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...
in 1980 with
Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan h ...
and
Georg Baselitz
Georg Baselitz (born 23 January 1938) is a German Painting, painter, Sculpture, sculptor and Graphic arts, graphic artist. In the 1960s he became well known for his Figurative art, figurative, expressive paintings. In 1969 he began painting his ...
. By the time he exhibited his work in a show jointly organized by Boone and
Leo Castelli in 1981, he had become firmly established and was the youngest artist in the legendary exhibition 'A New Spirit in Painting' in the
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
. His now famous "plate paintings"—large-scale paintings set on broken ceramic plates—received a boisterous and critical reception from the art world. In 1984, he surprised the art community by moving from working with Mary Boone to exhibit at the
Pace Gallery
The Pace Gallery is a contemporary and modern art gallery with 9 locations worldwide. It was founded in Boston by Arne Glimcher in 1960. His son, Marc Glimcher, is now president and CEO. Pace Gallery operates in New York, London, Hong Kong, ...
.
His works were classed as
neo-expressionism
Neo-expressionism is a style of Late modernism, late modernist or early-Postmodern art, postmodern painting and sculpture that emerged in the late 1970s. Neo-expressionists were sometimes called ''Transavantgarde'', ''Junge Wilde'' or ''Neue Wild ...
by art critics. In the years to follow Schnabel's success on the art market would above all be criticised.
Schnabel's style is characterised by very large scale paintings. He uses diverse materials such as plaster, wax, photographs, antlers, velvet and ceramics. His paintings make use of canvas, wood, muslin and even surfboards. His paintings often combine abstract and figurative elements. Due to the size, weight, and depth of his works, they are often given sculptural properties.
In 2002, Schnabel painted the cover artwork for the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
' eighth studio album, ''
By the Way''. The woman featured on the cover of ''By the Way'' is Julian's daughter, Stella Schnabel, who was band member
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante ( ; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician and the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, having been with the band across three iterations. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic gu ...
's then-girlfriend.
">9/sup> Regarding the artwork, Frusciante noted: "My girlfriend's father offered to do the album art, so we sent him rough mixes of eight songs, and he just got the vibe of the album from that. He said that he wouldn't be offended if we didn't like it, but we loved what he did. He's also given us great covers for all the singles. He's a true artist."
Schnabel had an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...
in Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, which ran from September 1, 2010, to January 2, 2011, and occupied the entirety of the gallery's fifth floor. It examined "the rich interplay between Schnabel's paintings and films". In 2011 Museo Correr exhibited ''Julian Schnabel: Permanently Becoming and the Architecture of Seeing'', a selected survey show of Schnabel's career curated by Norman Rosenthal.
Art critic Robert Hughes was one of the most outspoken critics of his work; he once stated that "Schnabel's work is to painting what Stallone's is to acting: a lurching display of oily pectorals."
In the 2017 Swedish film '' The Square'', set in a museum of modern art
Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...
, Dominic West plays a character modeled on Schnabel.
Art market
The highest price paid for one of his paintings at the art market was for ''Ethnic Type #14'' (1984), sold by $1,452,500 at Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...
, on 15 November 2017.
Film career
Schnabel began his film career in the 1990s with the film '' Basquiat'', a biopic
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...
on the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the neo-expressionism movement.
Basquiat first achieved notoriety in the late 1970s as part of the graffiti ...
(1996), followed by '' Before Night Falls'' (2000), an adaptation of Reinaldo Arenas's autobiographical novel, which he also produced, and which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
. He directed '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' (2007), an adaptation (with a screenplay by Ronald Harwood) of a French memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby. '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' earned him the award for best director at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
for best director, the Independent Spirit Award for best director, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director
The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...
.
Despite the fact that producing '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' might seem like a commission to do someone else's work, Schnabel took on the film. According to Schnabel,
In 2007, Schnabel designed Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
's "Berlin" Tour and released '' Lou Reed's Berlin''. In 2010, Schnabel then directed the film '' Miral''. In May 2017 he announced plans for a film about the painter Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...
's time in Arles
Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...
and Auvers-sur-Oise
Auvers-sur-Oise (, "Auvers-on-Oise (river), Oise") is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Val-d'Oise, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. I ...
, France. The film ''At Eternity's Gate
''Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate)'' is an oil painting by Vincent van Gogh that he made in 1890 in Saint-Rémy de Provence based on an early lithograph. The painting was completed in early May at a time when he was convalescing from a se ...
'' was released in 2018 and the script was written by Schnabel, French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière
Jean-Claude Carrière (; 17 September 1931 – 8 February 2021) was a French novelist, screenwriter and actor. He received an Academy Award for best short film for co-writing '' Heureux Anniversaire'' (1963), and was later conferred an Honorar ...
, and Louise Kugelberg. The film stars Willem Dafoe
William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...
as Van Gogh. Other actors include Mathieu Amalric
Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He has won several César Awards and the Lumière Awards.
He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'', in which he pla ...
, Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...
, Niels Arestrup, Oscar Isaac
Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...
as Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...
and Emmanuelle Seigner as "the woman from Arles" or L'Arlésienne.
In September 2023, Schnabel announced plans to direct an adaptation of '' In the Hand of Dante'', based on the book by Nick Tosches
Nicholas P. Tosches (; October 23, 1949 – October 20, 2019) was an American journalist, novelist, biographer, and poet. His 1982 biography of Jerry Lee Lewis, ''Hellfire (Nick Tosches book), Hellfire'', was praised by ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...
. The movie will shoot October 2023 and is set to star Oscar Isaac
Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...
.
Writing and recording
Schnabel published his autobiography, ''CVJ: Nicknames of Maitre D's & Other Excerpts From Life'' (Random House, New York), in 1987 and released the album '' Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud'' on Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
(Catalog #314-524 111-2) in 1995.
Recorded in Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, in 1993, the album features guest musicians including Bill Laswell
William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...
, Bernie Worrell
George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American Keyboard instrument, keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. In later years, he also worked with ...
, Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing.
Buckethead's extensive solo discography currentl ...
, and Nicky Skopelitis.
Personal life
In 1980, he married Belgian clothing designer Jacqueline Beaurang. They have three children: two daughters – Lola, a painter and filmmaker; and Stella, a poet and actress – and a son, Vito, an art dealer.
He has twin sons, Cy and Olmo, with his second wife, Spanish actress Olatz López Garmendia.
His collaboration with Palestinian
Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine.
*: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...
journalist Rula Jebreal, who wrote the screenplay and original source novel for Schnabel's film '' Miral'', extended beyond the movie. Schnabel was in a relationship with her from 2007 to 2011.
Schnabel dated Danish model May Andersen, from whom he parted ways in 2014. They have a son, who was born in June 2013.
Schnabel lives in New York City with his current wife Louise Kugelberg, a Swedish interior designer. She is also the co-editor and co-writer of ''At Eternity's Gate''. Schnabel maintains studios in New York City and in Montauk at the east end of Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
. Schnabel lives in a former West Village horse stable which he bought and converted for residential use, adding five condominiums in the style of a Northern Italian palazzo. It is named the Palazzo Chupi, and it is easy to spot because it is painted pink.
In 2009, Schnabel signed a petition in support of film director Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...
, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.
Filmography
Awards
* 2019 Paez Medal of Art, New York City (VAEA).
See also
* Bruno Bischofberger
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnabel, Julian
1951 births
20th-century American painters
21st-century American painters
20th-century American Jews
American male painters
Best Director Golden Globe winners
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners
American fantasy film directors
Film directors from New York City
Film directors from Texas
Honorary members of the Royal Academy
Independent Spirit Award for Best Director winners
Living people
Filmmakers from Brooklyn
Artists from Brooklyn
People from Brownsville, Texas
Saint Joseph Academy (Brownsville, Texas) alumni
University of Houston alumni
Neo-expressionist artists
21st-century American Jews
20th-century American male artists