Gary Hume in Flashbacks Of a Fool

I rented the movie Flashbacks Of a Fool a couple of days ago. In the first scenes of the film, you are in this rich actor (played by Daniel Craig) beautiful Malibu house, very design and very artsy. Obviously, I'm looking at the paintings on the wall and one of them really caught my attention. It is a huge painting of a blackbird. Disappointed, I'm thinking that there is no way I can find out who the artist of that painting is. Well today people, by pure chance, I found THE artist and THE painting I was looking for: Gary Hume's Blackbird!

Here is the movie trailor. You can see the painting at 0:19/2:14. It is very very fast... I couldn't find the real movie scene, sorry.



There is an interesting article at Last Broascast with Baillie Walsh, the movie director, an Award winning music video director making his film debut. He discusses his visual/color/art choices for Flashbacks of a Fool.

Now, about this Gary Hume. As White Cube reports, Gary Hume is renowned for paintings distinguished by a bright palette, reduced imagery and flat areas of seductive colour. While Hume's paintings have always emphasised their luscious surfaces and simplified forms, many are infused with a melancholic beauty. He was born in Kent in 1962 and lives and works in London and upstate New York.

Hume graduated from Goldsmiths College of Art in 1988. His most recognisable early work, life size representations of hospital doors, were included in the now infamous ‘Freeze’ exhibition organised by Damien Hirst. Bought by Charles Saatchi they were included in the Royal Academy’s 1997 ‘Sensation’ exhibition. Moving away from the door motif, Hume has created paintings using gloss paint on aluminium, often using images of celebrities, animals, or images from childhood.

He has been nominated for the Turner Prize (1996), won the Jerwood Prize (1997) and become one of the youngest artists to be made a Royal Academician (2001). His recent solo exhibitions include ‘Door Paintings’ at Modern Art Oxford in 2008, ‘American Tan’ at White Cube Mason’s Yard in 2007 and ‘Angels, Flowers & Icons’ at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Hastings in 2007. (BOP)

Here are some more of his works.