Unstoppable. Sean Scully & The Art of Everything

A year in the life of the extraordinary abstract painter Sean Scully, [3]one of Britain’s richest artists,[4] who is little known at home, but a superstar abroad, as he flies around the world from Washington to St. Petersburg, to Mexico City, to Berlin to open 12 different exhibitions of his work in the world’s most prestigious museums - a journey that culminates in a major show at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

Unstoppable, Sean Scully & The Art of Everything
Directed byNick Willing
Produced byMichele Carmarda
Music byMadison Willing
CinematographyJuvenal de Figueiroa
Edited byNick Willing
Production
company
Kismet Films for the BBC
Distributed byMetFilm Sales[1]
Release date
6 April 2019 BBC2 9pm
(United Kingdom)[2]
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom

Now, at the age of 73, Scully opens up about his unique experiences spanning 55 years in an often hostile Art World, how he built a reputation from nothing, having grown up on the streets of Dublin and London, penniless and often homeless as a child to become one of the world's wealthiest painters.

Sean Scully with 'Ghost'

'Unstoppable' screened on BBC 2 at 9pm on Saturday 6th April 2019, marking the return of the BBC's prestigious Arena (British TV series)


Critical reception

Chris Bennion in The Times (April 6,2019)described the film as "excellent"[5] and said that "Scully is an absolute knockout of a documentary subject, always ready with a quotable line or a self-mythologising story. You might not know much about abstract art, but you'll like Scully".

On the 6th April 2019 Vicki Power in the Telegraph wrote that 'Nick Willing treats his subject with a light touch and beautifully captures the artist and his work'[6] whilst on 'the 7th April 2019 Chris Harvey, also in The Telegraph, described the film as 'superb'[7]

Suzi Feay in the Financial Times (April 5,2019) gave the film 4 stars:: "By the end of Unstoppable: Sean Scully and the Art of Everything (Saturday, BBC2, 9pm), there has been much to absorb about showmanship, self-belief and selling." [8]

The Guardian chose Unstoppable for its Pick of the Day and Gwilym Mumford [9] wrote: "As one admirer puts it in this documentary portrait, the Irish abstract painter Sean Scully’s striking striped and chequered works act as “sounding boards for the soul”. On top of their aesthetic qualities, they have made Scully one of the world’s most saleable artists, one whose works are hung everywhere from New York to Shanghai."

David Crawford in the Radio Times [10]wrote: "Scully is a fascinating character, a bullish self-promoter whose mantra of “I don’t care” masks a thoughtful, tender personality. Nick Willing’s film explores those contradictions in lively style, much as Scully slaps paint on to his bold, vivid works."

In his lengthy review Kenny Schachter in ArtNet News [11](May 6,2019) said: "The program is as much about Scully as it is symptomatic of a media- and celebrity-saturated world, and of our proclivity to stuff a foot (or two) into our collective mouths whenever a camera (or recorder) is switched on."

References
  1. https://www.metfilmsales.com/?s=Unstoppable
  2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2019/15/unstoppable-sean-scully
  3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2019/15/unstoppable-sean-scully
  4. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/artists/artist-sean-scully-trying-beat-matisse-cant-stand-warhol-hate/
  5. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/whats-on-tv-and-radio-this-weekend-6-7-april-2019-kzj56ftpj
  6. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-daily-telegraph-review/.../282428465558728
  7. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/artists/artist-sean-scully-trying-beat-matisse-cant-stand-warhol-hate/
  8. https://www.ft.com/content/e41df252-5528-11e9-91f9-b6515a54c5b1
  9. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/apr/06/tv-tonight-ant-and-dec-are-back-together-on-britains-got-talent
  10. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/ht29xt/unstoppable-sean-scully-and-the-art-of-everything/
  11. https://news.artnet.com/opinion/im-the-donald-trump-of-the-art-world-1533733
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