Icarus Films: With Peter Bradley

With Peter Bradley

Directed by Alex Rappoport

86 minutes / Color
Closed Captioned
Release: 2024
Copyright: 2023

Documentary - Expository

When filmmaker Alex Rappoport met then-79-year-old abstract artist Peter Bradley in early 2020, Bradley hadn't sold many paintings or had a major show in over four decades - yet he still painted every day in a shipping-container studio heated by a wood stove, no matter what the weather. Over time, Rappoport recorded Bradley's fascinating life story, which occupies a unique and seemingly overlooked place in art history.

film poster

At once an intimate portrait and a study of the creative process, WITH PETER BRADLEY is situated entirely at the artist’s rural home and studio, unfolding over changing seasons. The sole figure on screen, Bradley narrates his life in a series of unscripted conversations: often provocative, sometimes bitter, and full of surprises. Adopted as an infant, for years Bradley thought musician Miles Davis was his father, which adds dimension to a lifelong passion for jazz, inextricably linked to his creative process: Bradley paints to music, seeing sound as color and translating the sensation to canvas. Jazz tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson’s classy score seamlessly fuses with Bradley’s witty repartee throughout. Bradley’s confidence and insistence on what makes a picture a complete picture speaks to the mysterious yet intuitive nature of his creativity.

Despite the systemic racism of society in general and the art world in particular, Bradley built an incredible resumé before the age of 35: the first Black art dealer on Madison Avenue (at the prestigious Perls Galleries); likely the first Black abstract artist represented by a major New York gallery (André Emmerich); and curator of what is considered the first integrated modern art show in America (The DeLuxe Show).

WITH PETER BRADLEY is a celebration of artmaking, resilience, and the creative contributions of Black artists to American life. It focuses a long-overdue lens on Bradley and shines a light on his rightful place in the ongoing movement toward racial equity in the arts and our society.

“A brilliantly filmed/told attempt to bring back to light this multifaceted painter, curator and art activist now in his early 80's. It fills a hiatus in the history of contemporary American art that largely has been avoided. I highly recommend this film.” —George Nelson Preston, PhD

“Peter Bradley's life and work embody the painful contradictions of being a talented Black man, in this case one who faced both white racism and a lack of acceptance among some of his Black peers for his non-figurative paintings and for working at an elite European art gallery in NYC in the highly politicized 1960s. With Peter Bradley reveals that being an outsider is also the foundation of the artist’s vision and discipline, reflected in his love of nature and solitude. The film’s serene cinematography and editorial pacing capture all of this with eloquent understatement and warmth.” —Charles Burnett, film director/producer/writer

“Enlightening and engaging, revealing the deep layers of the artist's struggles and triumphs.” —Overly Honest Movie Reviews

“A quiet, contemplative piece about the currently overlooked and often quietly subversive abstract color artist… Discussions on race and racism’s impact on the art world and Mr. Bradley’s life add even more depth to his experiences and his views on life and art.” —Educational Media Reviews Online