artists BIO

Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis (1925-2010)

One of the most popular actors Hollywood has ever known, Tony Curtis appeared in over 150 films. Though throughout his life, Curtis enjoyed painting and often painted during downtime on the sets of his movies. Starting in the early 1980s, he painted as a second career.

The glamour of the movies had impacted his visual sensibilities for his paintings are, too, larger-than-life. Tony Curtis’ work is bold and explosive, with powerful colors and pulsing rhythms.

During the last years of his life, Tony focused more on painting than he did on movies. “I still make movies but I'm not that interested in them any more. But I paint all the time,” Tony stated. 

Curtis, a surrealist, claimed Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso and Magritte as influences. He once told the Los Angeles Times, "I wear my Picasso hat and Matisse shorts and my Arnold Schwarzenegger tank top and I paint!”

In 2005, the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired one of [his] original, acrylic paintings. The Red Table was brought in by the Study Program for the Film and Media Collection of MOMA, a part of their permanent collection; a rare and impressive honor.

Tony Curtis passed away on September 30, 2010 at his home in Henderson, Nevada. He was 85 years old.