Rockets Redglare in Paradise
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
The buildup of pigment and modeling clay on the velvet surface of Rockets Redglare in Paradise exemplifies the intense materiality of Julian Schnabel’s paintings from the early 1980s, a decade that saw a revived interest in the medium of painting and in expressionist brushwork. Reminiscing in 1996, Schnabel recalled that he had encountered Michael Morra, a well-known downtown actor and standup comedian whose stage name was Rockets Redglare (taken from “The Star-Spangled Banner”), on his way to see the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. When Schnabel heard that Basquiat planned to make a painting of Rockets, Schnabel invited the performer to his studio instead and subsequently created this likeness.
Caption
Julian Schnabel American, born 1951. Rockets Redglare in Paradise, 1984. Oil, modeling paste on velvet, 108 x 102 in. (274.3 x 259.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Lindenbaum, 2000.54. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2000.54_transp3637.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Rockets Redglare in Paradise
Date
1984
Medium
Oil, modeling paste on velvet
Classification
Dimensions
108 x 102 in. (274.3 x 259.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Lindenbaum
Accession Number
2000.54
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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