Monumental in scale, Julian Schnabel's 'Portrait of José Luis Ferrer' demonstrates the technical finesse and artistic vision that has made Schnabel a major figure in American art since the 1980s.

Schnabel had his first major breakthrough with an exhibition at the then newly launched Mary Boone Gallery in New York City in 1979. He subsequently won significant critical acclaim for his ‘plate paintings’ – large works that incorporated broken ceramic plates into the structure and composition. Known as a key figure of neo-expressionist painting, Schnabel has remained a force in international art to the present day.

Along with his distinguished international career as a painter, Schnabel is a highly accomplished filmmaker. He garnered critical acclaim for his 1996 directorial debut, Basquiat, a biographical film about the life of fellow New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. His subsequent films have included Before Night Falls in 2000 – which featured a breakout leading role for Spanish actor Javier Bardem – and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly from 2007.

Schnabel created Portrait of José Luis Ferrer in 1997. The work combines oil and enamel paint with acrylic resin. The artist has used detailed paintwork to articulate the figure’s face, while employing gestural mark making to generate the surrounding environment. This approach recurs throughout Schnabel’s substantial body of portraiture, which has been a central aspect of his painting practice throughout his career. His use of scale elevates the subjects of his portraits and invokes a sense of gravitas, as is the case with this painting.

The subject – José Luis Ferrer – is an actor and personal friend of the artist. The sharply defined face of Ferrer sits in powerful contrast to the gestural to the loosely defined background. The painting has been overlayed with resin, which the artist has allowed to run down the canvas, setting up a dynamic friction between painterly control and expressive chaos. Combined with the imposing scale of the work, this epitomises the audacious approach to painting that Schnabel has a reputation for.
In 1998, the artist reproduced this work as a silkscreen print. Released in an edition of 90, the print has proved highly popular, commanding strong prices at leading international auction houses. This fact makes the original painting all the more compelling. Portrait of José Luis Ferrer is a prime example by one of the world’s leading painters of the past 40 years.

Throughout his career, Schnabel has exhibited at prestigious galleries and museums around the world, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Beyond his artistic pursuits, Schnabel is also known for his distinctive personal style and larger-than-life personality. He has been a prominent figure in New York's cultural scene for decades, influencing and inspiring countless artists and creatives around the world.