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Great, just what we need: more reasons to love Brad Pitt
Hero image courtesy of Jussi Koivenun/Sara Hildén Art Museum.
If it were possible, it seems like Brad Pitt is blossoming in his 50s, near 60s. I remember that it was about a decade ago when the actor first mentioned his plans for retiring from films. Though it hasn’t happened yet, around the same time, Pitt also randomly brought up his interest in making furniture, which he did indeed debut in 2012 via an eccentric collection of chairs, tables, and other home pieces made in collaboration with renowned furniture designer Frank Pollaro. So technically, we know that Mr. Pitt has been long smitten by the 3D arts, and yet we act like we’re shocked when it’s revealed that someone this incredibly good-looking and one of the most versatile actors of our time can actually mould a pretty sick scene on plaster.
Two weeks ago, Brad debuted his sculptural art with buddies Nick Cave and Thomas Houseago at Finland’s Sara Hildén Art Museum. Houseago, who’s actually more of the headliner of this group exhibition, is a British-American artist known for his sculptures in plaster, rebar, bronze and wood. For this exhibition, the sculptor is also presenting large-scale paintings—a relatively newfound romance apparently—focusing on the subjects of nature, landscape, cosmic unity, and the cycle of life.
Australian musician and long-time friend of Pitt’s, Nick Cave contributes to the exhibition a series of 17 glazed ceramic figurines depicting the life of the Devil in 17 phases. Like Brad, Cave is debuting his talents in this field for the first time.
Lastly, Brad Pitt is showcasing nine sculptures, one of which is titled Aiming At You I Saw Me But It Was Too Late This Time, a frieze of life-sized men shooting at each other at close range. “To me, it’s about self-reflection. It’s about where I have gotten it wrong in my relationship, where have I misstepped, where am I complicit,” said Pitt at the opening of the show.
Unlike most eye-rolling news of celebrities trying to be taken more seriously by dabbling in arts, Pitt’s pursuit of fine arts has been well received by serious critics as genuine. In addition to the large panel, the Hollywood actor also presents various sculptures shaped like houses, including clear silicone houses that have been gunned, ammunition suspended inside their blocks, as well as Brad’s first sculpture from five years ago, House A Go Go, a house made of timber off-cuts.
The group exhibition is titled “WE”, alluding to the “interconnected nature of all things”, from the creative process to life in general and beyond.
— PlanBEntertainment (@BradPittPlanB) September 18, 2022
If you’re lucky enough to be in Finland anytime between now and January 15, 2023, catch Pitt’s sculptures, alongside the works of Thomas Houseago and Nick Cave, at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere. For more information on the exhibition here.
