Julian Schnabel is famous for is vibrantly beautiful biographical films Basquiat, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and the one of my most favorite films Before Night Falls.
His skill is in capturing the creative energy of his subjects and then building captivating and vivid visual imagery. His masterful cinematography is enhanced by engrossing narratives recounting the stories of these artist-heros.

This survey of his life works, as an artist, Schnabel seems to have only one persistent theme… BIG canvases.

Highlights of the show are Big Girl series, the printed Bertolucci film stills, and the groundbreaking broken plate paintings that launched his career.

An interesting side note about the AGO – instead of traditional audioguides, key artworks have a phone number that you call to listen to Schnabel himself speaking about the painting. Listening to the anecdotes felt like you were having an intimate conversation with him.