An exhibition in Los Angeles brings together for the first time alone the paintings and drawings of James Bond from the 90s
The actor, who turns 70 today, has stated on more than one occasion that painting was one of his first loves
Brosnan’s surrealist paintings reflect his admiration for Salvador Dalí, but also for the pop art of the 60s
50 paintings, 100 pencil drawings and a documentary in which he explains his beginnings in the world of painting. This is what the first solo exhibition of Pierce Brosnanthe plastic artist (and actor) who today is 70 years old. Why has it taken so long to capture what, according to himself, was his first love in the world of art? The answer is simple: a successful career in Hollywood.
It was a friend who recommended Brosnan to try his luck with acting and so he ended up enrolling in the London Drama Center, where he graduated in 1975. Five years later he would make his film debut, but it was not until 1982 when he got the leading role in the series ‘Remington Steel’, that international fame would come to him. Paradoxically, stardom forced him to leave the canvases or at least not spend as much time on them as he would have liked.
Do actors dream of surreal sheep?
I had barely 16 years old when he dropped out of school to chase your dreams. But contrary to what anyone might think, the man who would be Remington Steel and James Bond did not yet dream of being an actor. He had a handful of drawings under the arm and sought to train as a professional illustrator and painter. In fact, Brosnan himself has said that he had an epiphanic moment when he picked up a book from the library (which turned out to be ‘La Nausea’, by Jean Paul Sartre) because of the illustration on its cover: it was a painting by Dalí. “Surrealism and Dada have produced…this,” says the actor.
As is known, since 1995 the actor got into the role of James Bond and that changed his life forever. Five films that led him to become, for many, ‘the best Bond since Sean Connery’ (with forgiveness from Daniel Craig) thanks to his remarkable ability to summarize all those characteristics that made the character unique: seduction, cynicism, humor... and a pinch of vulnerability, harvested by Brosnan, which meant the rescue of a franchise that seemed extinct in those years. What never
And now, ‘So many dreams’
It really all has to do with sleep. Brosnan assures in the documentary that accompanies the exhibition (and that can also be seen in the website of the actor) who has had surreal dreams all his life. “I always wondered where these shapes came from that I now see myself reflecting in my art, and I’ve realized that they are the shapes of my childhood, like pieces of a puzzle floating in the air,” says Brosnan. A childhood that he himself has described as “solitary” in Ireland, but that made him grow “in imagination”.
‘So many dreams’ can be seen in a Los Angeles gallery Until May 21. Prices for Brosnan’s paintings and drawings range from $3,500 to $5,000 and the profits from the sale will go to the different causes that the actor supports through his foundation, the Brosnan Trust.
2023-05-16 11:42:46
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