fine arts “Honestly, it was like discovering some secret about Batman. I love that he is willing to share it with all of us here in Sun Valley, his hometown.” —L’Anne Gilman, owner, Gilman Contemporary
Best known for his role as Batman in the beloved 1966-68 television series based on the DC comic strip character, Adam West was awarded a medal from Sheffield Farms Dairy long before the caped crusader ever stepped foot on a set in front of a camera, bringing his unique humor and unique style to a role that has forever tied Adam West to Batman and vice versa. While the show actually ran for only three seasons, and there would be other “batman” actors on film and TV, West soon discovered that the public was unwilling to let him be anyone else. Typecast, West had a nearly impossible time capturing a decent role. “You can only be shot out of cannons for so long,” he says. “It was getting pretty rough.” For years after the Batman series ended, the Dark Knight was more than a fictional character. The humor and playfulness that West brought to the character had diminished in the man who created him. West struggled with the typecasting that cursed his ability to get other meaningful roles as an actor. But an unlikely turning point came during a trip halfway around the world. “I walked into a hotel room in Hong Kong and they had Batman on the screen. Here I was speaking in Chinese, but they had the voices reversed so I had Robin’s voice and vice versa! While I was thinking how strange and funny that was, the houseman began to point out the show and say how much he loved it. I suddenly had this epiphany: People all over
LOVE Batman, why don’t I love Batman? My god, I should be embracing this.” After leads in five TV series and over 50 movies, West made the decision to enhance and enjoy the popularity of the character, and his enduring identity, with Batman. “You know I don’t mind going out and doing Comic-cons and things. You really expand your fan base…and you can make a living.” West has continued to rekindle passion for his iconic role in a wide range of public appearances and, as of recently, in a new animated film. To meet Adam West is to know not just anyone can put on a Batman suit and be Batman. West brings a special magic to the role, an energy and genuine appreciation
for the character. He wins all the “Favorite Batman” polls. In fact, one can easily argue that the long-lasting enthusiasm for the television series was largely because of the special quality that West infused into it. “I read Batman comic books as a kid and then I read Lorenzo Semple, Jr.’s wonderful first script. He had a lovely sense of humor and we were in agreement immediately from the words we saw and our homage to the old comic books about the way it should be played. There was a small cadre of us who really shared the same tongue-in-cheek humor and after the first week of seeing the dailies, I got memos. All kinds of admonitions saying: ‘What is that kid doing? It’s just terrible! We want someone who just stands there and is solid—like the Lone Ranger.’ And I kept reading them, hearing it, and getting pressured, but I said no and kept true to my vision for the role. Then they saw the dailies two to three weeks later and they began to say, ‘Well, whatever he’s doing, it’s working. Leave him alone, leave the kid alone!’” But, acting is not like other forms of creative expression. An actor needs meaningful work to continue honing his craft. He needs to perform in the context of others: a production, a script, camera, and an audience. It’s not like sculpture, photography, music, and writing, where the artist toils in near isolation for long hours.
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“I’m the Bright Knight, I’m not the Dark Knight with all the violence and the explosions. No, my work conveys laughter, curiosity, and good feelings.” —Adam West
Without meaningful and regular acting gigs, many actors seek other outlets for their creativity. Adam West began to paint. “The genesis of my painting was out of a sense of restlessness, curiosity, and the need to explore a range of creative outlets. So, I started doing other things. It took me five to six years of going out and doing regional theater. I did the Mark Taper Forum in L.A. for God’s sake, and doing all kinds of turkey movies, terrible pictures and things, but just to keep the instrument working. I decided to take a figure painting class, sketching, at UCLA and I went and did that.” His first work has a place of honor in his home. “My first piece? It’s still hanging in the house,” he reveals. “It was a collage and a painting together. Darn, I did that probably 40 years ago. I asked my wife if I should bring it to the show. She said, ‘No, don’t touch it!’” With Cubist and pop-culture expressionist influences, Adam West’s “The Batman Series” includes paintings titled “Bat Dog” and “The Joker” that simultaneously poke fun, explore, and celebrate the phenomenon that is Batman. The work brings to mind the Outsider Art
style of artists such as Aurie Ramirez and Gaston Chaissac. When the staff at Gilman Contemporary discovered West’s art, they were intrigued. “We had no idea that Adam West was a painter,” says owner L’Anne Gilman. “After seeing the works in person, we knew they had to be available for the public to see. Not only are the paintings an insight into Adam’s creative mind, but they bring back memories of the Batman characters with whom we grew up. We’re thrilled to show them during the busy holidays so that locals and visitors can have an opportunity to see the work, and also meet the man behind the mask (or the art if you will).” As Sun Valley has been Adam West’s home for over two decades, his exhibit at Gilman Contemporary is a special opportunity for this community to see what their highly talented neighbor has been up to when he’s not being Batman. In a stroke of sheer coincidence, West’s art exhibit happens to nearly coincide with the release of Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, a full-length feature from Warner Brothers Animation and DC Entertainment that reunites Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar as the voices of their famous TV characters Batman, Robin, and Catwoman. Although met
by rave reviews, West is down to earth about the flurry of attention he is getting from the film (indeed, tracking him down for an interview was quite difficult). He is equally humble about his upcoming exhibit, saying, “The shows in Vegas, Santa Barbara, and New York were all really great. But, here…. You know, I’m a little nervous about this. Hometowns are tough on their homeboys!” After experiencing the artwork and the artist in person, I don’t think Adam West has anything to worry about. After all, it takes a special kind of person to win a medal as a milkman.
"Criminals on Canvas and Other Works by Adam West" Launching at Gilman Contemporary on Dec 18, 19 & 20 Artist Reception December 21, 5-7pm Gilman Contemporary 661 Sun Valley Rd | Ketchum 208.726.7585 gilmancontemporary.com
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