Pierce Brosnan recently unveiled a more intimate side of himself in an exhibition of his own work in Los Angeles. It is through his works that he feels he can truly express himself fully. Brosnan, in an interview, said, “I tried to write memoirs, and it’s so boring. It’s just having to dig into the head and the heart and the memory of life. So these paintings definitely have a story of who I was, where I was, when I was. The work is biographical”.
Brosnan is best known as an actor and as James Bond’s agent in popular James Bond films. He played James Bond in four of the films between 1995 and 2002.
The art exhibition lasted 21st May 2023
This exposure for Brosnan is probably the most vulnerable role he has ever “played”. This is the first solo art exhibition he has ever had. The exhibit, titled “So Many Dreams,” is on view in Los Angeles and ran through May 21.st. The collection consists of 50 paintings and drawings, including portraits and landscapes that Brosnan made from the 1980s to the present.
Brosnan’s past
Originally from Ireland, Brosnan began his love of art while living there. Over the years, painting became more important to him. He left for America where he got his first big break when he landed the role of NBC’s Remington Steele which thrust Brosnan into the limelight and made him a household name not only in America but also internationally.
He says about that time “I found myself living here and was heavily influenced by the LA artists of the early 80’s. I had a certain desire and urge and an urge to paint. I had the money to pay for the art supplies, the canvas, the brushes I bought all these wonderful, wonderful art supplies, and they ended up in a closet.
Brosnan was married to the late Australian actress Cassandra Harris. It was in 1987, when she was sadly diagnosed with ovarian cancer, that Brosnan picked up her brushes and turned to art to deal with all the emotional trauma that he and his late wife had been facing. were faced. He says: “One night, I got up and started painting. I started painting with my fingers. He said he would do it while his late wife went through her chemotherapy sessions. Sadly, she passed away in 1991.
The collection on display includes the piece titled “One Dark Night”, the painting he created that night. The black canvas overlaid with an array of mixed primary colors is said to be an expression of the emotional frustration he felt at the time and the possibility of releasing some of that energy. He says: “I went to the canvas to explore this black rage, this kind of fractured pain that I had. But the color came out. And so, the color balance of what that inner life was.
His collection includes lots of bright colors, but Brosnan says he doesn’t want to categorize his works. He says, “Someone else can categorize it. It’s not for me to define. It’s the audience. They are the ones who want to criticize or celebrate the work.
Brosnan is married to Keely Shaye Brosnan who is a journalist and documentary filmmaker. He says it was his wife who encouraged and eventually persuaded him to put together the collection and exhibit it. Brosnan maintains that many of his paintings began life as sketches and drawings he created while talking with people on the phone. He says: ‘My wife, Keely, bought these notepads that sit by the phone with her initials, my initials. And as soon as I’m on the phone, or doing business, and I get a call in the morning, the notebook is there and the drawings happen. They just show up, so they have a mystery.
In the exhibition, there is a wall that has many drawings, some of which are portraits, faces. Brosnan reflects “I look at this, and I think, who is this person. Who is this man? What is the meaning of these images?
The decision to exhibit his work, to which he credits his wife, Keely, coincides with his 70th birthdaye anniversary. “It’s my own birthday present to have the courage to say, come and see my works. I still have so many dreams. I filled out coming to America. Creating a career for myself was a big dream and a gamble, and it paid off. “So Many Dreams” is a love story. It’s a love story of women who have influenced my life and my children and the art form that I do as an actor. This exhibition is a way to commemorate his life so far.
Seeing the collection of all his work allowed him, as he puts it, to “work to get out of the weeds and try to define it and try to grow as an artist, as a painter”. He also expressed his desire to try other art forms like sculpture, ceramics and even woodcarving. He says, “This is definitely a transitional moment in my life as an actor, as an artist…and it fills me with an elation of expectations, longings and desires. And we’ll see where the wind takes us.
As previously mentioned, Brosnan found writing a memoir boring and never got to finish it. He says, “I think a book of paintings would be good. It would be a coffee table book with a painting and then 500 or more words about that time period, that person. This kind of thing attracts me. We all have ways of checking in with our inner selves. For some it’s painting, for others it’s writing, for others it’s a meditative walk on the beach, and for others it’s being the superhero in games. video or online, such as when you use your Fairgo Casino login. So get started and maybe our next article will be about you!
