Docu-comedy 'Con Artist' scheduled for March 20
The Rehoboth Beach Film Society, Rehoboth Art League, and The Inn at Canal Square will screen the docu-comedy “Con Artist” at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 20, at The Inn at Canal Square, 122 Market St. in Lewes.
“Con Artist” profiles the controversial business-artist Mark Kostabi. Is modern art nothing but a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder? Can a true artist also crave big bucks? This clear-eyed portrait of Warhol protégé Kostabi asks these provocative questions and more. The answers, from friends, foes, colleagues, critics and collectors, range from a triumphant “yes” to a bitter “no.”
Kostabi emulated Warhol by creating a veritable factory called Kostabi World, churning out hundreds of works, assisted by employees who at times seem to be doing all the work. His success was in part because he saw the postmodern art world for what it had become: a marketplace for the wealthy. However, his philosophy of mass production took a dark turn when he was accused of fraud. Ostracized by the art world, the outrageous provocateur, as the New York Times dubbed him, reinvented himself once again.
Documentarian Michael Sladek “captures the compelling oddness of his subject,” says the Los Angeles Times, along with the boom and bust of the art world of the past two decades.
The evening will begin with prescreening refreshments at 6:30 p.m. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at www.rehobothfilm.com or by calling 302-645-9095, Ext 1. Note that tickets are nonrefundable.
The mission of the RBFS is to promote the art of film and, through outreach initiatives, to entertain, educate and enrich the cultural life of local and extended communities. The Rehoboth Beach Film Society is funded, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
