The Cool School

“A story that deserves to be told often and as loudly as possible.” The New York Times

THE COOL SCHOOL is an object lesson in how to build an art scene from scratch and what to avoid in the process. Featuring Academy Award nominee Dennis Hopper and narrated by Academy Award nominee Jeff Bridges, the film focuses on the seminal Ferus Gallery. Its proprietors, Walter Hopps and Irving Blum, groomed the LA art scene from a loose band of idealistic beatniks into a coterie of competitive, often brilliant artists, including Ed Kienholz, Ed Ruscha, Craig Kauffman, Wallace Berman, Ed Moses and Robert Irwin. The Ferus also served as launching point for New York imports Andy Warhol (hosting his first Soup Can show), Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein as well as leading to the first Pop Art show and Marcel Duchamp’s first retrospective. What was lost and gained is tied up in a complex web of egos, passions, money and art. This is how LA came of age.

Bonus Features: Walter Hopps on “Walter Hopps, Hopps, Hopps” by Ed Kienholz; The World of Ed Kienholz; Ferus Artists Reunion

Awards

Woodstock International Film Festival: Best Documentary;

Reviews

Woodstock International Film Festival: Best Documentary;

© 2007 The American Arts Documentary Foundation. All rights reserved. Art and Design © 2009 New Video Group, Inc. ACADEMY AWARD® is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Posted in Arthouse Films | Tagged Andy Warhol, art, art scene, beatnik, dennis hopper, ferus, gallery, genre: documentary, irving blum, jasper johns, jeff bridges, Los Angeles, pop art, roy lichtenstein, soup can, walter hopps