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The Bridgehampton Museum is pleased to present an exhibition of works by artist John El Manahi. These paintings comprise a special body of work, embodying the melded styles of two fictional characters whose art needed to occupy a credible place in art history. They were created for and included in Tom Dolby’s movie The Artist’s Wife (2020) which was filmed in the Hamptons and starred Bruce Dern and Lena Olin as the lead characters. The paintings will be on view at the newly inaugurated Barn Gallery located at the Corwith Homestead The Opening Reception will take place on November 7th from 5-7pm.
The Bridgehampton Museum is committed to promoting causes affecting all of our communities. Alzheimer's Disease treatment and research is one that we stand firmly behind. The works in this exhibition are all for sale and a percentage of all sales are going to Alzheimer's Research. Join us and John El Manahi at the exhibition and help to support this most important cause.
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As Production Designer of The Artist’s Wife, John was tasked with creating the film’s entire visual style. Director Tom Dolby brought him on after their initial meeting revealed not only his production design experience but also his artistic background and knowledge of art history. The film’s main characters were both artists of the later American Abstract Expressionist period, requiring artwork that expressed their specific styles while maintaining the legitimacy of the artistic tradition from which they emerged.
Confronted with seemingly insurmountable time and budget limitations, it was decided they would create the paintings themselves. In addition to designing the film and all that it entails, John created the 18 large-scale original artworks included in this exhibition.
The paintings were titled to correspond with the story, allowing the set decoration department to place them accordingly on set. I consider these paintings serious works within my own artistic practice, despite having created them under parameters necessary to give the film’s narrative validity and depth.
"These paintings carry an intended emotional depth that I hope communicates to all who view them”
(John El Manahi)
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A MESSAGE FROM TOM DOLBY:
On the fifth anniversary of the release of The Artist’s Wife, I’m thrilled about this show of John El Manahi’s beautiful, dynamic paintings that he created for the film. As John and I worked together to develop a visual language for Claire and Richard, we were inspired by the Abstract Expressionists, many of whom lived and worked on the East End. It felt right that Claire and Richard’s paintings would grow out of the world surrounding them, from its artistic traditions but also the landscape, the light, the water. John took these directions and inspirations and ran with them, creating a body of work that is original and entirely his own.
It’s not often that artwork created for films can live as artistic expressions in their own right. John’s paintings do exactly that. He took Claire and Richard’s hopes anddreams as well as their fears and anxieties and put them on canvas in paint andmixed media. The Artist’s Wife tells a story, but these paintings contain stories oftheir own.
On behalf of the entire team behind The Artist’s Wife, I’m grateful for this generous show and its support of these paintings, of Alzheimer’s research, and of the film. It’s wonderful to think of Claire and Richard’s story living on.
Tom Dolby
Director, The Artist’s Wife
EXHIBITED WORKS
The Accusation
City of Gold
The Garden
The Bareback Rider
Bridge 1
Bridge 2
The Storm
Broken Chains
Change is Inevitable
Walking The Depths
Bleeding Heart
Family Squabble
Estranged
Minotaur
