The David Beck Project (untitled)

David Beck (www.davidbeckartworks.com) is an artist whose work inspires wonder, delight, and awe. Because his work is so singular and unique, it defies categorization. He combines sculpture, painting, textiles, and mechanics on a minute level creating animals, people and scenes that are humorous and profound.

The purpose of this feature-length documentary will be to give audiences a view into the truly marvelous art that David creates--to get a glimpse both inside and outside of his studio; to see how he works, to understand the sources of his inspiration, and to learn about his many interests and influences. This is a story about obsession, about the stamina it takes to make great art, and an effort to understand the mind behind these spectacular creations.

We will visit David’s work in the homes of different collectors who have supported him and bought art from him over the years. The collectors we have identified are in California, New York, and Washington, DC. Beginning with collectors who bought early work, the film will follow David's career chronologically, culminating with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which has recently bought and commissioned two major artworks from David and has been one of his major supporters. At each collector's home, we will visit a different artwork. Each stop will offer viewers (and David) a chance to see the piece in its home and talk about it with the collector: why it was purchased, how it affects and enhances their daily life, and the experience of living with it over time. These visits, stitched throughout the film, will offer an opportunity to delve further into different periods in David's work, and will give the audience the opportunity to see the key themes in his work and how they have developed over time.

Alongside these montages of David’s art will be interviews with friends and early supporters of his, who will help to fill in the personal side of this private artist. We will learn about the encyclopedic nature of David’s thinking and how that influences his
work. Art critics and dealers will help provide further context and understanding of his artwork. Among other questions, we will explore the question of why David Beck’s work has remained relatively obscure.

This is also an important moment to document David’s life: he has recently left his long-time gallery and moved out of his studio of over twenty years. There has been a painful rift in my family that has directly affected David and his ability to work. The rift has culminated in a legal dispute over the ownership of a number of his works, and the film will follow this unfortunate episode as it continues to unfold. We will look at the toll this has taken on David, but also, importantly, at the opportunity for renewal that has come about in the wake of these changes.

photo: Marie Chao