With Peter Bradley

Alex Rappoport in person for Q&A

When filmmaker Alex Rappoport met then-79-year-old abstract artist Peter Bradley in the winter of 2020, Bradley hadn’t sold many paintings nor had a major show in over four decades – yet he still painted every day in a shipping container studio heated by a wood stove. Over time, the pair recorded Peter’s fascinating story, seemingly overlooked in art history. Bradley was the first Black haute art dealer in New York; likely the first Black abstract artist represented by a major New York gallery; and curator of what is considered the first integrated modern art show in America. Talented, willful, and arrogant, Bradley lived life to its fullest – until he fell upon hard times in the 1980s that nearly ended his career.

At once an intimate portrait and a deep study of the creative process, With Peter Bradley is situated entirely at the artist’s rural home and studio and unfolds over the course of changing seasons. The sole figure on screen, Bradley narrates his life in a series of conversations: often provocative, sometimes bitter, and full of surprises.  We meet the artist at a critical juncture – deeply committed to the expressive power of color, painting gorgeous pictures at a prolific pace, but without an audience to appreciate them. Despite this lack of recognition, the film is buoyed by Peter’s exuberant spirit and warm sense of humor.

This screening of With Peter Bradley is co-presented by Karma Gallery.