This film, made by Brad Hall, husband of supremely talented and likable actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen.
It is a love story between Julia's father, who was art collector Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, (aka William Dreyfus), and the artists he was a patron for and collector of -- especially Outsider Art by self-taught Brut artists who are removed from conventions of the art world. William reveres what he calls "pure ass talent," and in turn, the artists value his opinions.
In his own words, French-American billionaire Dreyfus, (Louis-Dreyfus Group is one of the four "ABCD" companies that dominate world agricultural commodity trading), was opinionated, extremely critical of the art world today, and responded emotionally to the pieces he bought, and built an idiosyncratic, contrarian collection. He liked to be right, especially about art.
A big time risk taker, Dreyfus is interviewed in the film along with artists and art critics. He began his collection with some Kandinsky watercolors after receiving his first bonus as a young man. He developed his eye for art, he explains, as a child in Paris who used to like to go to the Louvre and look at Peasant Girl, by Frans Hals, 1628, because of the cleavage depicted on the painting.
I found the panoply of art chosen with William's impeccable eye for art that is "worked" extremely uplifting and inspiring.
After fifty years as a collector, (who corresponded with such masters as Jean Dubuffet), Dreyfus followed his heart rather than being market driven. Near the end of his life, he met with Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children's Zone to discuss selling off his collection and endowing the proceeds to fund children in Harlem from birth through college to break the cycle of poverty.
Before making his fortune in business, William entered law school the year of Brown vs Board of Education. He feels the way America treated the black man has been a huge blemish for hundreds of years. He believes the system of paying to educate citizens is the way to eradicate this injustice.
Stories of individual artists are also deeply moving. James Castle was born deaf in a rural Idaho in farming community in early 20 century. He never learned to sign, but he drew.
Bill Traylor, homeless, drew for three years sitting on the sidewalk. A young white artist recognized his talent. Traylor has now been recognized as a master.
Artist Graham Nickson says William has a generosity of eye. "How he sees and how he chooses the work suggests that he's looking at the work in a way that is quite unique way and he's generous toward what the artist is trying to do and he registers that. And that takes a great deal of open mindedness."
William's story is one of the true patron who collected artists as friends, buoyed them with his vote of confidence, and was part of creating art even if the brush isn't in his hand.
Julia seems to learn about her father's art life and passion for justice right along with the audience.
I watched the film a second time to write down the artists featured in the film because each one is worthy of being studied. I hope I got all of their names here, and without too many misspellings:
Artists interviewed in the film: Catherine Murphy, Tara Geer, Graham Nickson, Stone Roberts, George Boorujy, Thornton Dial, John Newman, Hester Simpson.
Other artists: Leonard Cremonini. Peter Schmersal. Paul Gauguin. Gideon Bok. Eileen Doman. John Moore. Pierre Edouard. Claus Oldenburg. Matthew Daub. Acharya Vykul. Eduard Schteinberg. Sangram Majumdar. Jean Dubuffet. Henry Inman. E. M. Saniga. Stanley Lewis. Dee Shapiro. Nellie Mae Rowe. Bill Traylor. Raymond Mason. Sam Szafran. Jean Baptiste Secheret. Rackstraw Downes. Edouard Saciallan. Robert Bermilin. George Grosz. Gaylen Morgan. Justin Canha. Ken Grimes. Willie Young. Clemintine Hunter. Robald Lockett. Dwight Mackintosh. Kurt Knobelsdorf. Chuck Bowdish. Celia Paul.
Sculptors: Laura Craig McNellis. Hester Simpson. Red Grooms. John Newman. Alison (missed her last name), and Nichola Hicks, Judith Carlen. Albert Giacometti, and Charles Wells.
The art collection resides in a factory in Mount Kisco, New York.
