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gallery
June 26, 2016

Gus Van Sant’s Young Hollywood Icons, Revisited

By Danielle Cohen

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American filmmaker Gus Van Sant is best known as a director: His oeuvre includes Good Will Hunting and the iconic 2008 biopic Milk, not to mention a 1998 remake of Psycho starring Vince Vaughn. But his skill set extends beyond the silver screen: a painter, photographer, musician, and writer, the multifaceted filmmaker has produced works of art in a wide array of media over the course of his 30-year career.

Gus Van Sant: Icons, out June 28 from Actes Sud, examines Van Sant’s diverse work in film as filtered through his visual art, all anchored by a never-before-published 2015 interview with Matthieu Orléans, in which Van Sant cites his influences, recalls personal anecdotes, and exposes the production processes of his films.

The book is being published in conjunction with an exhibition at La Cinémathèque Française in Paris, curated by Orléans and on view until July 31, which displays a collection of artwork as varied as Van Sant’s films: entire rooms dedicated to large-scale painting, ethereal photography, and even watercolors, plus a selection of Polaroids taken in the ’80s and ’90s. Both the exhibit and the book are a refreshing take on an accomplished but somewhat mysterious artist.

Click ahead for retro shots of Hollywood stars, including Nicole Kidman in a ’90s patterned skirt-suit, a young Drew Barrymore in black and white, Keanu Reeves, and River Phoenix.

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1 / 15 Photos
Mala Noche (1986).
Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix in My Own Private Idaho (1991).
River Phoenix in My Own Private Idaho (1991).
Nicole Kidman in To Die For (1995).
Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in Gerry (2002).
John Robinson in Elephant (2003).
Michael Pitt in Last Days (2005).
Michael Pitt in Last Days (2005).
Untitled (Man with Hat), a 2011 watercolor by Van Sant.
Untitled, a 2010 watercolor by Van Sant.
Cut-Ups, a 2010 collage created by Van Sant from Polaroids.
Drew Barrymore.
Nicole Kidman.
Matt Damon.
Alicia Miles and John Robinson in Elephant (2003), as featured on the cover.
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