Marla Olmstead, as a 4 year old child painted some abstract pieces on canvas, and indirectly started a scandal whcih involved herself, her parents, some gallery owners and their buyers. Luckily for us, the whole drama has been video-taped and turned into what looks to be like a seriously interesting documentary entitled "My Kid Could Paint That" premiering October 7th. Eva Kokopeli from WIRED had the following to say about it;
"After a gallery in Marla’s home of Binghamton, NY started displaying her work – and selling it for thousands of dollars – a local reporter picked up the story and within swift succession, the New York Times, 60 Minutes, and Oprah came calling. But all Marla wanted to do was eat jelly beans, play with her bro, and (depending on who you ask) paint with abandon. In fact, she remained virtually mute around reporters – as it turned out, she cared but little about her method, message, or, really, even the medium.
At the height of the frenzy, director Amir Bar-Lev entered the picture, stayed for a year, and taped the subsequent fall-out. Though intending to raise the thorny issues at the center of abstract art, Bar-Lev instead began monitoring and questioning a dark but growing subtext: whether Marla painted all the pieces herself, unassisted.
After the film received good reviews at Sundance, Sony Pictures Classic picked it up for wide release."
by Eva Kokopeli
I'm thinking: Can a 4 year old know what colour harmony and balance is all about? Could she paint them without a little help? Are her parents just using her as a sick marketing tool? I can't wait to find out in October!
Watch the Trailer HERE. It's well worth it.
Original Post on WIRED