1937 Academy Players Directory 1981

Robert Peak created this Academy Players Directory artwork, and in its visual language I see a celebration of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The colour palette here is all about glitz and glam – golds, reds, and blacks. Looking at the artwork, it's easy to see how Peak layered various portraits and figures, one almost fading into the next, with hard and soft edges. This gives it this dream-like quality, like flipping through channels on an old television, always in motion. Notice the ghostly figures in the background, their features dissolving into clouds of paint or light. Peak has this poster quality, and it brings to mind another artist, James Rosenquist, who explored similar ideas about image culture and representation through collage and montage. Ultimately, this artwork celebrates the enduring allure and transformative potential of movies.