Schnabel, Julian (1951—)

The emergence of artist Julian Schnabel as a mythical figure was a phenomenon of the modern art world in the 1980s. Once considered the bad boy of the New York art scene, Schnabel seemed to rise to prominence from nowhere. After earning a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Houston, Schnabel toured Europe before returning to his home of New York City. On his journeys both stateside and abroad, while living a bohemian lifestyle, Schnabel tackled many occupations, including cab driver and cook. Once he began painting as a profession, Schnabel's ability for self-promotion propelled him into the limelight.

Enormous canvases filled with vibrant colors and bold strokes typify Schnabel's paintings. With his first exhibition at Mary Boone Gallery in 1980, which launched him into the New York art scene, he gathered a following for his emotion-filled unusual works. 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 a clamoring for his neo-expressionist paintings created on and with remarkable surfaces ensued. Schnabel's signature works, both abstract and figurative, have as a base surface either black velvet or broken crockery. Filled with raw emotion, the paintings contain an underlying edge of brutality while still being suffused with energy. Schnabel claims that he's "aiming at an emotional state, a state that people can literally walk into and be engulfed by." The monstrous canvases have elements of collage, yet his arrival as an artist signified the return of painting to an art scene that previously revolved around conceptual and minimalist art.

Schnabel's quick rise to popularity became representative of the money-driven 1980s. His notoriety exemplified the commercialization of the art world that related to the economic boom. Considered heroic, with his charismatic and somewhat eccentric personality—the artist worked in pajamas, slippers, and robe—Schnabel became a superstar in art. Controversially, his persona, carefully hyped, often outshone the artwork itself, which inspired debate by critics as to whether it actually held any artistic merit. To the art-buying public, Schnabel's work was the work to own, and his exhibitions often sold out. A proficient artist who worked quickly, Schnabel once claimed to have sold more than sixty canvases in one year. Typifying the era, many critics judged Schnabel's success as an artist based on the incredible demand for his work. With the recession of the late 1980s and the stabilization of the economy in the 1990s, Schnabel's star faded somewhat.

While Schnabel continued to paint successfully through the 1990s, he explored other art forms. In 1996, he wrote and directed the movie Basquiat. The $3.3 million independent film related to the life and struggles of his friend and fellow artist Jean-Michael Basquiat. This proved to be a fairly triumphant endeavor, realizing some commercial and critical recognition and success. Schnabel's foray into the cinematic arena again proved his mastery at adapting to the current trends, and this addition of filmmaker to his persona further solidified his reputation as modern artist.

—Jennifer Jankauskas

Further Reading:

McEvilley, Thomas, with Lisa Phillips. Julian Schnabel: Paintings 1975-1987. London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1987.

Schnabel, Julian. C. V. J.: Nicknames of Maitre D's and Other Excerpts from Life. New York, Random House, 1987.