The Art of Failure - Chuck Connelly Not For Sale

HBO's documentary, The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not For Sale, premieres this Monday. Chuck Connelly is described in the HBO synopsis as a major talent from the 1980's, similar to Julian Schnabel or Jean-Michel Basquiat; a brilliant yet enigmatic painter, who ended up alienating every collector and gallery owner he worked with, and who now sees his career fading. The film chronicles his rise and fall.

Two questions come to mind: Is he a failure? And was he ever destined to be another art star, like Schnabel, Basquiat, or Francesco Clemente? Aside from his problematical personality, his work seems to lack the requisite nouveauté and sophistication to be an art star. Not such a bad thing. In the end, Chuck Connelly will be another Chuck Connelly, for better or worse.

I wasn't able to post any of the YouTube video clips from the film directly to the blog. The film's official site, The Art of Failure, has a number of interesting videos.