LA painter's 'bank on fire' work heats up art world

[Dover]

Source: AP




Alex Schaefer is the hot Los Angeles artist of the
moment, thanks to a couple of oil-on-canvas works
showing banks burning down.

Although his work has been displayed at several
galleries over the years, Schaefer was mostly an
obscure figure in the art world whose pieces rarely
fetched more than $1,000.

That was until he painted a picture of a nondescript
bank on a run-of-the-mill San Fernando Valley street.

With flames leaping through the bank's roof, the work
began to take on a look similar to Ed Ruscha's
acclaimed 1966 "Burning Gas Station." Schaefer says
several passers-by stopped to give him a thumb's up.

Some, however, called police after their suspicions
were aroused....


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=14512725

---

liar, liar banks on fire! :^)

[tuvor]

1. Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Paint

Schaefer's choice of subjects first drew police attention on July 30, when he set up his easel in front of the Chase branch at Van Nuys Boulevard and Sylvan Street.

"They told me that somebody had called and said they felt threatened by my painting," said Schaefer, 41, of Eagle Rock.

"They said they had to find out my intention. They asked if I was a terrorist and was I going to follow through and do what I was painting."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bankburn-painting-20110913,0,6866438.story

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. "Don't suspect your neighbor, turn him in!" -poster seen in the film "Brazil".

Hey, nice Boojiboy avatar! Clearly on-topic :)

[99th_Monkey]

3. Absolutely LOVE that movie, so artfully and utterly prophetic, produced in 1985.

and the producer/director, Terry Gilliam, walks on water in my world.

I must have watched this flick 15-16 times by now, because I keep telling friends & lovers about it, then they
want to watch it with me, which keeps me watching it; but I'm not complaining. LOVE that movie.

[Devil_Fish]

9. That is Fuckiing lame. like aresting kids for drawing a gun...Oh wait, that happened..NT

[No Elephants]

4. We didn't start the fire.

Itwas always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it.

(The defense rests.)

[Javaman]

5. who called the police? probably a rich bailed out banker.

"that man is painting terrorism!!!!"

[Blue_Tires]

6. Never heard of him, but I like him already

[Steerpike]

7. all surrealists should be heated up

till they wilt like a melted clock on the edge of a starkly naked table...damn them all...

[Vidar]

8. I'd buy it, if I could afford it.