Julian Schanbel (’73)
Artist, Director, Screenwriter

He’s Julian Schnabel (’73), artist, director, screenwriter, and Academy Award nominee.

Schnabel was born in New York City in 1951 and moved with his family to Brownsville, Texas, in 1965. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston in 1973. Schnabel’s first solo show was held at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston and his solo show at the Mary Boone Gallery in 1979 made the art world take notice of his amazing talent.

In addition to his life as an artist, Schnabel is also a successful screenwriter and director. His third and latest film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which he directed, recently garnered him the 2007 Director’s Award at Cannes Film Festival, two Golden Globe Awards for Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film, and his first Oscar nomination for Directing.

His philosophy: "Art is a utilitarian thing, not a decorative thing," Schnabel says. “But when I'm making a movie, it's like painting."