by Dov Kornits
What was the entry point/inspiration/backstory for you to make the film?
Brian [left]: I’m a Juilliard trained actor, but over the years I’ve been in positions where I’ve struggled to get work. When acting, I enjoy sketching the characters I play. This has led to an appreciation for art. I’m particularly inspired by NYC in the ‘80s because this generation of artists created their own scene. Storefront galleries and clubs could be rented cheap. Because of this, a massive amount of artists formed their own communities where they would perform for each other. They pushed each other’s boundaries, demanding more and more creativity from each other. Brilliant artists, performers and filmmakers came out of this era like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Madonna, Ann Magnuson and Amos Poe.
So, one night I was working at a restaurant, when a fellow waiter, Lenny Kisko, told me he had collected a painter throughout the ‘80s, Edward Brezinski. Ed used to complain, “My main benefactor is a waiter.” I thought that was hilarious! I was intrigued to see the art. Lenny’s apartment turned out to be covered wall to wall with Brezinski paintings. I was floored by the quality. Yet, on the internet, Brezinski barely existed. I became obsessed with investigating why an artist of this caliber didn’t become famous.
As an actor who struggles, I’ve often wondered, if I fail to get enough work, what will all of my striving have been worth to the world? As I took on the years-long investigation into Brezinski’s career, it became clear that Brezinski had made a significant impression on his era and his many contemporaries. Brezinski’s success however, was obscured by the way we all tend to measure achievement.
How long did it take to make the film and how was it financed?
Heather [left]: We started shooting the film in 2015. Documentaries are a long haul. It’s funny because when we started we thought, “Let’s make a documentary! How hard could it be?” Fast forward to 2022! We were lucky to get a grant from the NY State Council on the Arts and had several individual donors through our fiscal sponsor, the Gotham, as well as a few early investors. Otherwise, I was working on Broadway in Wicked, and we were able to finance this passion project mostly ourselves. It kind of lined up with how the Lower East Side artists did their creations, very DIY.
What do you think it is that made that time and place so fruitful for artists?
Brian: NYC was broke in the early ‘80s. No one had money and there wasn’t hope of making any. Most importantly, rent was cheap so artists could live out their bohemian fantasies. They performed for each other in cheap clubs. They might combine a night of painting, music, theater and film. As actor Eric Bogosian says in the film “It didn’t matter if it was raw, as long as it was something we hadn’t seen before.”
Another major aspect of the ‘80s was AIDS. Every artwork might be their last. This made for a manic era and an explosion of artwork the likes of which the United States hasn’t seen since.
Were most people happy to discuss Edward and that time, or did you have people with reservations, major or otherwise, and can you expand on that?
Brian: Mostly, we found that people were delighted to talk about Brezinski. They were used to being bombarded with questions about famous artists. There was a lot of surprise at our interest in a little-known artist. However, they understood it might offer a fresh perspective to look at the era through the career of a striving artist.
How did you pitch the possibility of people speaking with you for the film?
Brian: Annina Nosei, who was Basquiat’s first major art dealer, asked me to first read a number of books before I could interview her. Annina used to teach art history and expected detailed knowledge. These people are not like actors. With actors, if you ask them to be in a project, they will likely show up on your doorstep the next day. Artists won’t do that. They need lots of convincing to gain their trust. We attended lots of their art shows and events, which helped us get to know the community better and was always a fascinating adventure. Most importantly, this generation likes phone calls. So, we did a lot of that.
Heather: Brian and I approached this project much like the artists did things in the ‘80s. This is our first film and we just figured it out and did it. Some of the most successful gallerists in the East Village started like that. A dream and some chutzpah! I think most of the people we pitched, recognised that about us and wanted to help either by an interview or by opening up their archives.
There wasn’t much air given to any of his lovers, any particular reason for that?
Brian: Brezinski didn’t nurture lasting romantic relationships because he was a difficult loner who was manically devoted to his artwork. Of course, I heard of some short-term lovers, I think he felt partners got in the way of his artistic goals. Throughout his life he lived alone, showing up at events by himself and in his final chapter he was nomadic, living in the shadows all over the world.
Is that time in NY something that you would have loved to be a part of, or after making the film, maybe not so much?
Brian: Since we are actors, we would have loved to have been involved because we could have performed along with them. On the negative side, the city was a holy terror then. There were no video cameras for police to figure out who committed a crime. Muggings, stabbings and drug deals went on in the open. So that part, hell no!
It was the artists who changed the atmosphere of the city. Keith Haring and Richard Hambleton, for example, found a way to turn urban decay into art. And that revolution now happens everywhere where cities fail. The artists have an opportunity to make the crumbling environment livable through art. Richard Hambleton, who is often called the Godfather of Street Art, used to say to me that he never wanted to be associated with graffiti. In other words, he wasn’t known as the Godfather of Street Graffiti. “The emphasis was on ART”, as he used to say. So, that kind of artistic revolution, Heather and I would have loved to have been involved with in some way.
Heather: After making the film, you kind of realise these are literally the coolest people to hang out with. I mean, if I was stuck at a dinner party next to one of them I would be in hog heaven. And boy, do they have some stories to tell. So many stories are on the cutting room floor. Truly, it was an honour to be able to document their stories. So, although it would’ve been tough living in New York at that time, these are the people you would want to be around. Just uber creative and inspiring people all working together… really is something the world needs right now.
How much do Edward’s paintings sell for now, and do you own any?
Brian: When we first started this project, we heard stories of people who had thrown away Brezinski works to clear out more room for their storage. All artwork made by someone who isn’t famous is in danger of being thrown out. Now, however, no one would do that!
I recently fielded questions from a major auction house that wanted to know where all the Brezinski paintings are, so things are happening that way.
Brezinski collector Lenny Kisko and his husband Marcus surprised Heather and I with a gift of a Brezinski artwork on the night of our world premiere in NYC. Needless to say, we were thrilled.
Do you have any theories as to why he went to Berlin?
Brian: In 1989, Brezinski’s Neo-expressionist style went out of fashion in New York. The art world suddenly decided they loved artists like Jeff Koons and Robert Gober who made conceptual works that were hard to understand. Brezinski despised this kind of art.
It was that very moment world history’s focus was centered on East and West Germany. When the Berlin Wall fell, citizens of Germany were free to cross the country’s border. Famous artists like Keith Haring and Richard Hambleton flew there to paint the wall to show solidarity with unification. Brezinski wanted to be where the action was too. And most importantly, Berlin offered cheap housing (squatting was free) and that is what he needed to afford his art supplies. Living in crumbled buildings with rats didn’t bother Brezinski. Not having paint supplies did. And Berlin was also where expressionism originated.
Any further discoveries since completing the film, eg. any work that he did outside the US?
Brian: We got an email from a Frenchman who bought a few paintings from a disheveled American artist in the Cote D’Azur. He said this artist talked passionately about art history but looked like a ragamuffin. He sent us photos of the paintings and they were by Brezinski.
Also, we found two paintings by Brezinski at a gallery in Europe. When we inquired about the cost, the gallery owner said, “These are not for sale. There is a documentary about this artist and we will see how it does first before we sell them.” They didn’t realise they were talking with the filmmakers!
Heather: We have been so lucky to utilise our Instagram page @makemefamousmovie to find out more unfolding of the story. One gal reached out to me and said that she found a Brezinski in the trash while she was waiting for her friends at a pizza shop. Something about the painting spoke to her and so she grabbed it and has cherished it ever since. She was delighted to hear about our documentary about this artist that she saved his artwork from the trash heap. One thing that is true about this process for us is that we have harnessed the good of social media. I don’t think that we could have finished our film without Facebook and our presence on Instagram has continued to inform us. We have a real community on our Instagram page of artists telling their stories in the comments. It really truly is magical, despite social media’s many bad qualities.
Do you think that Edward may have found more success/fame these days due to social media, as opposed to relying on some of the gatekeepers that existed back then?
Brian: Absolutely! Brezinski eating the artwork of another artist would have exploded on social media. Also, having his own gallery in his 5th floor walk up apartment, across from a men’s shelter, shows his determination to make himself famous in any way possible. I think he would have been very adept at social media.
Heather: Edward was literally out there at every art event handing out flyers. He would’ve been a master at social media. It would’ve saved a lot of time going back-and-forth to everyone’s art openings! But then again, the fact that he went to everyone’s openings really meant something to the artists. Whether or not they liked Edward or hated him, they always had mad respect that he would be the one that would always show up.
When the film switches gears towards the end, were you seriously contemplating that Edward may have faked his own death to become famous?
Heather: Honestly, this was a nail biter until the very end. We knew we had to find an ending to the film. And finding him was a natural end. We assumed he had died because of the obituary, but when we investigated, we found his name was not on the US Death Master File. France had no proof that he entered the country. Brian had a friend in law enforcement who told us tracking someone by first, middle and last names is the best way to narrow it down. We found another Edward James Brzezinski (Ed’s name before he changed it professionally), same height, same eye colour who seemed to be in the different towns when our artist was there. We found him in JAIL and thought wow, we are going to find Ed alive but in a prison! After requesting a mug photo, we were right back to square one. We DO find out in the film what happened to Edward, but that all happened in real time and we kind of got sucked into the story.
Are you making any more films? If so, what?
Brian: We have begun researching, in earnest, a possible next documentary about performative photographer Tseng Kwong Chi. You could say he was the first to have perfected the selfie but he was so much more than that! His photography is mesmerising and mysterious. Kwong Chi, who is deceased, was also a tireless documentarian of the ‘80s art scene that included Keith Haring, Madonna and Bill T. Jones. Interviews we hope to feature would include Ann Magnuson, Kenny Scharf, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and another deceased, under-appreciated genius, designer Dan Friedman, to name just a few.
Heather: Also, we actually have some great ideas that stemmed from our research on the Lower East Side artists for a narrative project. Maybe it will be a series. Brian is also writing a horror movie. It’s amazing, when you get the bug it really does stick! This time, we will do it differently though. We will make sure to find the funding BEFORE we start. It’s amazing what you learn through the process. Getting a film out there to the world is another whole machine that we are learning. But, just like the Lower East Side artists taught us… we’ll just figure it out!
Make Me Famous screens at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival, July 7 – 17, 2022
