At the age of 90, British art historian Sir John Richardson is a figure so venerable that the Queen has virtually run out of honors to bestow on him. A close friend of Picasso for many years, he has been working on a definitive four-part biography of the artist since 1980, with three acclaimed volumes published to date. In today's film by Porfirio Munoz for Gagosian Gallery, Richardson takes some time off from his opus to celebrate the output of the divisive New York art world figure and director Julian Schnabel. Richardson is dwarfed by Schnabel's monster canvases, and indeed by the imposing figure of the artist himself. As we listen to the sound of “Peace Piece” by jazz pianist Bill Evans, Richardson argues that Schnabel has similarly impressive improvisational skills: “He just seizes it out of the air, and makes it work.”

Tom Horan is Culture Editor-at-Large at NOWNESS

View of Dawn in the Tropics: Paintings, 1989 - 1990 by Julian Schnabel at Gagosian Gallery, New York