Pierce Brosnan has been entertaining audiences for four decades. You know him as James Bond. You know him from the Mamma Mia! films and from Mrs. Doubtfire. You may not know the storied Irish actor is a highly talented—and prolific—painter. He has produced about 300 pieces of art, and now, he’s sharing his work with the public by hosting his first solo art exhibition titled “So Many Dreams.”

“I have been painting since ’87 and it’s very therapeutic,” Brosnan told Vanity Fair Saturday during the exhibition’s opening night reception in Los Angeles. “Painting has helped me find my way in life. Whenever I feel angst, I’ll go to the canvas. It brings me comfort and it’s just so joyful.”
 

Curated by Brosnan and his wife, Keely Shaye Brosnan, “So Many Dreams” is open through May 21 at 434 N. La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. The exhibition showcases 50 paintings consisting of portraits, sweeping outdoor landscapes, and wildly imaginative abstract figures. Also on display are Brosnan’s scripts that are filled with sketches; silkscreen and lithograph prints and 100 free-flowing drawings that blanket an entire wall of the gallery. The extensive collection is accompanied by a poignant short film produced by Brosnan’s 26-year-old son, Dylan, that provides background information about his father’s artistic process as a painter. “I never thought about having my paintings going out into the world, but Keely documented it all and said, ‘Let’s try for a show,’” Brosnan explained. “She has a strong hand in the work, in the celebration of the work and the love that she has for the work.”

“Pierce’s work is deeply personal so that’s why I thought we should show it,” said Keely, a documentary filmmaker and journalist. “Many of these paintings have been in storage…and it occurred to me that we should share them and host an exhibition where people could see a different facet of Pierce. I think for many of his fans, they will appreciate the opportunity to see this other creative side of him. Everywhere he goes and every movie set he’s on, he always sets up a studio and paints. What you see at the exhibition is the result.”

Many of Brosnan’s works start with drawings. He’s frequently on business calls and while talking on the phone, he fills his notebooks with sketches, and many serve as starting points for future paintings. His subjects range from purely abstract to imaginary human portraits to exotic landscapes. “I want to create things that make me happy,” he said. “To make something that is magical and has its own story that has balance, and color and beauty. That’s it."

Brosnan cites Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Pierre Bonnard, and surrealism as influences. He modestly downplays his skills as a painter, “I just paint. I’m a self-taught painter,” he said, but his wide-ranging work proves he’s a gifted artist who is innovative, experimental, and fearless. All of his paintings are characterized by expressive and emotive use of color. And his keen sensibilities and compositional technique are filled with energetic application of abstract shapes, appealing repetition of patterns, and bold imagery—strong artistic methods that immediately draw in the viewer.

His love of art first began as a young child in Ireland. He left school at 16 to pursue a career as a painter with nothing but a cardboard folder of drawings and paintings. “I had no academic credentials and no qualifications, but I had this burning passion to be an artist,” said Brosnan. He said he managed to find a job as a commercial artist trainee at Ravenna Studios, a small art studio in South London in 1969. His goal was to be an illustrator who created music album covers (Brosnan would later paint a Bob Dylan portrait in 2017). But, he soon discovered another form of art—acting—and put his painting on hold. Bronsan went on to star in the popular 1982 TV series Remington Steele for five seasons. His passion for painting was reignited in 1987 when his first wife, Australian actor Cassandra Harris, was battling ovarian cancer.

“It was a time of great introspection and fear of what could happen to a person that I loved,” he said. “One dark night I got the paints out to try to physically deal with the pain and what was going on in my head and my heart. I put the canvasses up and I started painting with my fingers. It was pure gut and intuition. I thought I was going to put darkness and out came color. It ended up as ‘One Dark Night.’ It was therapeutic and remains so to this day. That was the start of it. From that night I began to formulate my thoughts and my practice at drawing and painting. It invigorated me.”

Harris died in 1991 at the age of 43, but Brosnan continued to paint with renewed commitment. He has done so throughout his acting career and much of his free time. “There’s a nourishment of the soul with painting,” said Brosnan. “It’s become a go-to—a comfort.”

The exhibition in many ways acts as a thoughtful retrospective of Brosnan’s life. His work is candid and he documents some of his most tragic and intimate moments. In addition to “One Dark Night,” Brosnan created the 66 x 96 acrylic artwork titled “Cancer” in 1989 that beautifully captures the fragility of the grim subject matter. The painting is a colorful abstract arrangement of interweaving shapes that evokes movement and life. The disease also took the life of his daughter, Charlotte, who died in 2013 from the same disease that claimed her mother. She was 41. His painting “So Many Dreams” (2010) also came about a challenging period. It began as a drawing made during a difficult personal phone call with an old friend. Brosnan funneled his emotions by creating multicolor emblems above a landscape of his home in Kauai.

“There’s so much life and pain and joy in his paintings—it’s very emotional and so moving to see his art,” said Rene Russo, Brosnan’s costar from the 1999 art-heist film The Thomas Crown Affair, who attended the reception. “I can feel it in the room. It’s powerful. I came in and burst into tears. He’s been through so much in his life and he’s not bitter. He’s giving and he’s loving. He’s my favorite person in the business.”

Brosnan’s passion for art has influenced his family. His 22-year-old son, Paris, is an avid painter whose works can be seen on his Instagram account. The two often paint together in the family’s garage and give each other feedback. “Our painting sessions are different. Mine is a little bit more chaotic, and Dad is calm, cool and collected,” said Paris, a recent graduate from Loyola Marymount University. “I'm like blasting music and throwing paint around, but when we are together, we rub off on each other. He inspires me to be more thoughtful and be more meditative while I inspire him to be more spontaneous and free flowing. He paints best when he’s not overthinking it and just putting the emotion down. He’s my biggest art inspiration, honestly.”

Many of Brosnan’s friends and costars gathered at the opening night party. Among the distinguished guests were Russo and her husband, Oscar-nominated writer-director Dan Gilroy; Greg Kinnear, Brosnan’s costar in The Matador; Kelly Clarkson; former Bond girl Jane Seymour; saxophonist Kenny G; Sugar Ray Leonard and his wife Bernadette Robi; and Adam Devine and Nina Dobrev, Brosnan’s latest costars from Netflix’s upcoming comedy feature, The Out-Laws. Devine was thrilled to see the paintings for the first time after hearing about it from Brosnan. “As an actor of his stature, you don’t know if he’s open to meeting new people, and he truly was one of the nicest, coolest, and kindest guys,” said Devine. “On top of that, he’s an amazing actor and artist. His reputation in my mind just gets higher and higher.”

As the public visits the exhibition, Brosnan hopes people will be inspired. “I hope they come away with joy and a sense of fun and for it to be an unexpected surprise,” he said. “At this time in life as I adventure to my 70th year in a few days, I feel joy, happiness, and creation. Art and my family have played a big part and I want to share that really beautiful experience.”