Press
Box Office Poison.
On the 30th May 1937, the independent Theatre Owners of America took out ads in all the movie trade papers to this effect: “The following stars are BOX OFFICE POISON: Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Katherine Hepburn”. This announcement came after a few financial duds courtesy of the aforesaid, which had left studio-tied picture houses well in debt. Dietrich was effectively sacked instantly, and the others suffered the indignities of riding out contracts through completing disgracefully unsuitable vehicles (Garbo never looked back). It seemed that the public taste had turned against extensively stylised, mannered, camp divas, and it was time to give our girls the elbow. Bu all, one way or another, ultimately triumphed; all have survived the infamous star slur with reputations divinely intact. Please, Madonna, if you’re reading this in your “latty” over a “latte” from Starbucks, take heart and take hope. You might be Box Office Poison TODAY, but tomorrow you might be one of the ultimate camp DIVAS! We’re ALL waiting ….
The now trivial incident was in its day a ‘cause scandal’, and caused a “hoo-hah” that was talked about for decades in Hollywood circles and their gay imitations worldwide. Seldom referred to now, this little “blip” in the careers of some of Hollywood’s finest certainly took its toll on the lives and careers of the ladies concerned. Their survival of it is important as an inspiration, and a proof that good always wins over rubbish.
TIM PERKINS has just completed a series of portraits of the accused, and the results are on display at FIRST OUT from Monday (24th June). Perkins’ paintings seem at first like Warholisations; colourised movie stills of the stars, full-face on square canvases. They are much better. Warhol’s screen-prints often look hastily done, streaky, and half-finished; these are skilfully hand-painted in smooth acrylic using a palette of oil-slick black with rich jewel colours, and warm flesh tones.
In the soft diffused afternoon light of his glass-roofed Clerkenwell studio. Tim puts finishing touches to a 39” square study of Marlene, her hair glows golden apricot, and her eyes flash deep emerald green beneath royal purple lids. The studio is amazingly neat, considering this is also where he makes costumes with designer Dean Bright.
“You have to be really organised or nothing gets done”, he says as he cleans his brush, “and time can’t be wasted.” Tim has worked in fashion for the last decade; he started with menswear, and has branched out designing stage costumes, styling pop videos and commercials, and works as a stylist to photographer Annie Liebowitz for Vanity Fair. He has a strong sense of colour, and recently he has been commissioned to refurbish interiors, and create soft furnishings. “PVC sofa covers with piping EVERYWHERE. Painting is much more relaxing work. It feels like a luxury compared to running yards of material through a machine all day. That’s more like being in Mike Baldwin’s sweatshop at times”.
He has already designed a series of cards (you can get them in American Retro and Prowler, or through www.bigtwistcards.co.uk), featuring various movie stars: Liz Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Paul Newman, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Elvis … “I was surprised at how much more I preferred painting the men to the women. I’m definitely going to be working on more of those,” he says, “… and I’d like to do some paintings of people with extreme plastic surgery.” A massive photo of Jocelyn Wildenstein dominates the room. “What about her? I ask, “Oh definitely. And I might even try doing Pete Burns.” Tim has often made costumes for the exotic Mr Burns in the past, and it is perhaps rather daunting to paint a portrait of someone you had first-hand experience of. “Pete changes his appearance so often you’d never get the painting finished.”
QX Feature by Donald.