‘Last Call at Bar Marmont’ Artist Patrick Finley Captures the Grandeur of a Classic Landmark

Los Angeles Artist Patrick Finley unveils his provocative new painting entitled “Last Call at Bar Marmont”, a painting centered around the famous Bar Marmont on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. The unveiling will be held at Bar Marmont on Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA on Wednesday July 8, 2009. Reception will take place from 7-10pm and the unveiling is at 8:30 pm.
“If you must get into trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont.” — Harry Cohn, Founder of Columbia Pictures, 1939.

Bar Marmont, an extension of the legendary hotel and a Hollywood hot spot in its own right, is the buzzing scene of more than a few scandals and celebrity sightings. Tony Curtis, in his mid-80s, has been spotted at the bar with two 20-something models draped on his arms, as has a pair of wild women having sex in a bathroom stall. Nothing shocks at this A-list establishment.

“I wanted to capture my own provocative story in progress at this legendary bar,” says Patrick Finley, creator of the painting, “Last Call at Bar Marmont,” which will be unveiled at Bar Marmont on July 8 at 8:30 p.m.

“The interior of the Chateau is very distinct,” Finley continues. “There’s the beautiful art deco bar. It is unmistakably the Chateau.” When Philadelphia attorney Thomas Kline asked Finley to recreate a bar scene to hang on his wall, Finley knew Bar Marmont was the ideal backdrop.

“We went to a lot of bars,” Finley says of his location-scouting adventures. Having served up drinks in Philadelphia for five years, the fine artist has a lasting familiarity with late-night life. “All the bars were brand new,” he relays. “They looked nice, pretty crowd, but the bars lacked soul, history, meaning, its own sort of energy. Bar Marmont had a great history and story and aura.” When you step through the doors of Bar Marmont you are transported to another time and place. It is a realm where the outside rules of the world no longer apply.

Next, Finley enlisted actors/models Vincent De Paul (Hairspray, Riding in Cars with Boys, Poseidon, Raven), Laura Niles (Californication, Prince of Swine, Dire Wolf), Chad Christopher and Cherie Carlson to pose for his snapshot in time. Vincent De Paul had nothing but high praise for Finley during the entire process. “He captured the essence like Michelangelo or da Vinci did for the Medici family,” De Paul points out. “Like them, he was commissioned to capture society and paint it and comment on it.”

What is interesting about the painting is that it features modern day actors participating in the centuries-old medium of painting.”I try to steal a moment in time,” states Finley, “capture a snapshot or brief moment that maybe nobody else saw. It’s like running around at an event with a Polaroid and recording when people aren’t looking, like a quick glance.” Much like in “Last Call at Bar Marmont,” there is a story to be inferred in all of Finley’s paintings, which is left to the viewer to determine.

Finley spends his days in a digital jungle of pixels and command lines working as a Senior Technical Director for leading visual effects company Sony Pictures Imageworks in their new offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributing to films such as G-Force, Speed Racer, I Am Legend and Superman Returns. He holds a degree in Architecture and Fine Art and has been a professor at several colleges, including New York University.

For years Finley has been active in the Los Angeles art community and has participated in gallery shows throughout the area, including the Downtown Art Walk, NoHo Arts District and just last October at Bergamot Station. His work can be seen in various locations across Southern California (and at almost any movie theater across the country), and is currently on display at a Saints and Sinners-themed show through July at 105 Studios in Albuquerque.

After the unveiling of “Last Call at Bar Marmont” on July 8, a canvas print will be on display at Bar Marmont for an ongoing basis.

Event details:
“Last Call at Bar Marmont” Unveiling
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
7 p.m.-10 p.m. with Official Unveiling at 8:30 p.m.

Location:
Bar Marmont
8171 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046

Sponsored Open Bar by Roberto Cavalli Vodka, Partida Tequila Partida Tequila and Light Fare by the chefs of Bar Marmont