Julian Schnabel

Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American artist and film director whose career bridges contemporary painting and auteur cinema. He first rose to wide international notice in the 1980s for his signature “plate paintings,” monumental canvases built on fractured ceramic plates that helped define a bold, tactile style.

As a director, Schnabel is celebrated for character-driven, visually expressive films. He helmed Before Night Falls, which brought Javier Bardem a breakthrough Academy Award nomination, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a critically acclaimed work that went on to earn four Oscar nominations.

Across his filmmaking career, Schnabel has collected major honors, including a Golden Globe, and recognition from BAFTA and the César Awards. His work has also been acknowledged at top international festivals, underscoring his reputation as a distinctive voice in modern cinema.

In addition to directing, he has appeared as himself in numerous documentaries and film projects—among them Heckler, Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, and Sketches of Frank Gehry—reflecting his influential presence across the arts.