After the success of the 2008 HBO Emmy award-winning documentary, “The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not for Sale”, (which documented his slow and shaky rise back to the top of the art world) Connelly is being honored with a retrospective of his work.

Dressed in the requisite black, Connelly entered the crowded gallery with “Entourage” actor Kevin Dillon at his side. A low-key but appropriately highly visible entrance. An eclectic crowd of young hipsters, bi-coastal gallery owners, art patrons, filmmakers and and Los Angeles scensters filled the Trigg Ison Gallery on Robertson Blvd. on a recent Thursday evening to view a 30 year retrospective of Connelly’s paintings. A carefully-crafted classy (but with a downtown edge) vibe gave the evening a relaxed energy that was presided over by PR pro, Rachel Weil.

Anyone involved in the New York art scene in the early 80’s would be very familiar with Chuck Connelly’s art and his reputation. His work has been compared to Van Gogh and his name mentioned in the same sphere as Schnabel and Basquiat. Connelly’s work is in the permanent collection of the New York Metropolitan Museum and in a number of impressive private collections. Connelly’s stature as an artist culminated as the subject of the Martin Scorcese trilogy “Love Stories”, in which Nick Nolte portrayed the artist. Shortly after this, his Mickey Rourke-like self-sabotaging lifestyle and behavior caused his career to spiral downward and Connelly was finally reduced to living a reclusive and financially devastated existence. All this changed in 2002, after a chance meeting with filmmaker Jeff Stimmel, who later created the documentary that has but Connelly back on the map.

I was able to squeeze in a few questions between the demands of the celeb
photographers and Connelly’s art patrons and fans.

Q: You consider yourself a painter and not an artist. How would you define the
difference?

CC: Well, artist is an over-used term and confusing. Painter is simple, basic, it
cuts me out of the group. A painter is separate from the group of artists.

Q: In a 1991 interview you said “I used to be cynical about America -now I think it
would be great to help America.’’ Do you still feel that way?

CC: Well, yeah, I definitely think that America needs help with the arts. I’m more
positive now. I think the economy will bring people back to what is important. My
art is a bargain, recession-friendly prices as compared to Jeff Koons work.

Connelly speaks in a refreshingly unguarded manner bordering on uncensored
(whoa, did he just say that?) candor. He has a vulnerable charm, rough around
the edges, like a 17 year old kid from Philly (which he once was).

Q: In the same interview you said that you have had a bad attitude as far back as
grade school, when it was mentioned in your report card. Do you still have a bad
attitude? Is it inescapably in your DNA?

CC: I’m more mature now and can’t hide. I’ve come full circle, like the dot.
(Connelly’s reference to the signature black dot on his work). I’ve had to go
through hard times to get to this point.

His alter ego Fred Scaboda (he sometimes signed his work with this signature) is “not as strong.” Documentary filmmaker Jeff Stimmel was graciously and justifiably proud, taking a supporting role during the evening. The sequel to the “Art of Failure” documentary was being shown in a side room of the gallery. I spoke to Jeff about the experience. It turns out he and Chuck are both from Pittsburgh, but remained unaware of each other until Jeff met Chuck’s sister who mentioned that “No one had done a movie about her crazy brother.” The meeting took place and Chuck was determined to convince him by his bravado and larger-than-life persona that he would be a great subject for the filmmaker. Jeff was so impressed with the artist and his work that he agreed. The documentary covers a five and a half year period during which his wife leaves him, his gallery drops him and his bird dies, all captured in the film. Jeff revealed that “the film has resurrected Chuck’s career and doubled and tripled the value of his paintings. Chuck is now in a much more comfortable place financially.”

Jeff expressed his feeling that since Chuck is not a networking schmoozer and comes from a working-class background, this probably has had an adverse impact on his career. The diversity of his work and style makes his art more difficult to recognize and to become a “brand.” Connelly’s previous “loose cannon” reputation also has been detrimental to his success. There was little evidence of the manic “out of control” anger and explosiveness captured in the documentary, in this new “mellowed” Chuck.

Gallery owner Trigg Ison was surrounded by art patrons and congratulatory friends at the event. Trigg spoke about the intense visceral impact Stimmel’s documentary had on him. He spent a full year trying to track down the illusive and reclusive Connelly. He finally was able to send him a two page email conveying his sincerity and confidence and Connelly responded. Trigg’s faith in Connelly won him over and he and Jeff met at Connelly’s studio to select the art from his 30 year collection for his first west coast retrospective. Trigg mentioned that although Connelly has been criticized for the diversity of his work, he believed that if you look closely and carefully, you can identify the artist in all his work.

Connelly spent the evening relaxed and receptive to art fans and enjoying the attention of gallery owners, art aficionados and a number of pretty young women. As I was leaving the event, Connelly mentioned, “Aside from my work, don’t forget to mention that I’m single.”

Chuck Connelly’s west coast retrospective can be seen at the Trigg Ison Gallery,
511 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood through December 31, 2009