Richard Hambleton was the legendary street artist of the 1980s, provocateur, intellectual experimenter, who influenced several generations of artists, including Banksy himself.
The artist disappeared from the art scene as suddenly as he had emerged. When the works of his deceased contemporaries Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring were sold for millions, Hambleton could barely cover the cost of a meal with his paintings. Hambleton outlived his famous contemporaries, dealt with drug addiction, became homeless and terminally ill, and was rediscovered by art critics and collectors some twenty years later. Despite his struggles, he remained true to himself: his power and his tragedy lie in the constant strive to work and self-denial that was close to self-destruction. It seems that Hambleton has merged with his characters: the name of the famous series Shadowman has mysteriously defined the artist’s destiny.
Shadowman
Director: Oren Jacoby
USA, 2017, 81 min.
16+
