The Bright Knight: Adam West at Gilman Contemporary

In December, 2016 Gilman Contemporary exhibited a special collection of paintings by actor and artist, Adam West. The show provided a rare glimpse of West’s work as a visual artist.

It was a stormy morning near Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and a young Adam West  (recently discharged from the army, and trying to raise money to get to Europe) was dutifully fulfilling his responsibilities as a milkman— delivering dairy products to all the families on his route. Only, this was no ordinary storm. This was a full- blown hurricane. Windows boarded, schools and businesses closed, and no one was going anywhere. No one, that is, except, your friendly milkman, determined that the populace did not go hungry. Undeterred by the high winds and driving rain, Adam made his way to each home, until he was literally blown off  of  one of  the porches. Did this stop him? No. Adam forged on in his milk truck, foiled only when a gale force wind blew his truck over in an intersection. For his heroic efforts, he was awarded a medal from the dairy company.

That’s right. Before he was internationally recognized as the comic book hero Batman, Adam West was a real hero in the eyes of the rain-soaked, milk-starved denizens of central New Jersey.

These are the moments that define a person. The moments when the man and the superhero he will become merge.

“Honestly it was like discovering some secret about Batman,” says L’Anne, “I love that he is willing to share it with all of us here in Sun Valley, his home town.”
– L’Anne Gilman, Owner Gilman Contemporary

Best known for his role as Batman in the beloved 1966-68 television series based on the DC comic strip character, Adam West was awarded a medal from Sheffield Farms Dairy long before the caped cru- sader ever stepped foot on a set in front of a camera, bringing his unique humor and unique style to a role that has forever tied Adam West to Batman and vice versa. While the show actually ran for only three seasons, and there would be other “bat- man” actors on film and TV,  West soon discovered that the public was unwilling to let him be anyone else. Typecast, West had a nearly impossible time capturing a decent role. “You can only be shot out of cannons for so long,” he says, “It was getting pretty rough.” For years after the Batman series had ended, the Dark Knight was more than a fictional character. The humor and playfulness that West brought to the character was clouded in the man who created him.

West struggled with the typecasting that cursed his ability to get meaningful roles as an actor. But an unlikely turning point came during a trip halfway around the world. “I walked into a hotel room in Hong Kong and they had Batman on the screen. Here I was speaking in Chinese, but they had the voices reversed so I had Robin’s voice and vice versa! While I was thinking how strange and funny that was, the houseman began to point out the show and say how much he loved it. I suddenly had this epiphany: People all over LOVE Batman, why don’t I love Batman? My god, I should be embracing this.”

After leads in 5 TV series and over 50 movies, West made the decision to enhance and enjoy the popularity of the character, and his enduring identity, with Batman. “You know I don’t mind going out and doing Comic-cons and things. You really expand your fan base….and you can make a living.” West has contin- ued to rekindle passion for his iconic role in a wide range of public appearances and, as of  recently, in a new animated film.

To meet Adam West is to know not just anyone can put on a Batman suit and be Batman. West brings a special magic to the role, an energy and genuine appreciation for the character. He wins all the “Favorite Batman” polls. In fact, one can easily argue that the long-lasting enthusiasm for the television series was largely because of the special quality that West infused into it. “I read Batman comic books as a kid and then I read Lorenzo Semple, Jr.’s wonder- ful first script. He had a lovely sense of humor and we were in agreement imme- diately from the words we saw and our homage to the old comic books about the way it should be played. There was a small cadre of us who really shared the same tongue in cheek humor and after the first week of  seeing the dailies, I got memos.

All kinds of admonitions saying: ‘What is that kid doing? It’s just terrible! We want someone who just stands there and is solid – like the Lone Ranger.’ And, I kept read- ing them, hearing it, and getting pressured, but I said no and kept true to my vision for the role. Then they saw the dailies 2-3 weeks later and they began to say, ‘Well, whatever he’s doing, it’s working. Leave him alone, leave the kid alone!’”

But, acting is not like other forms of creative expression. An actor needs mean- ingful work to continue honing his craft. He needs to do perform in the context of others: a production, a script, camera, and an audience. It’s not like sculpture, pho- tography, music, and writing, where the artist toils in near isolation for long hours. Without meaningful and regular acting gigs, many actors seek other outlets for their creativity. Adam West began to paint.

“I’m the Bright Knight, I’m not the Dark Knight with all the violence and the explosions. No, my work conveys laughter, curiosity, and good feelings.” – Adam West, Artist and Actor

“The genesis of my painting was out of a sense of  restlessness, curiosity, and the need to explore a range of creative outlets. So, I started doing other things. It took me 5-6 years of going out and doing regional theater. I did the Mark Taper Forum in L.A. for God’s sake, and doing all kinds of turkey movies, terrible pictures and things, but just to keep the instrument working. I decided to take a figure painting class, sketching, at UCLA and I went and did that.” His first work has a place of honor in his home. “My first piece? It’s still hanging in the house,” he reveals. “It was a collage and a painting together. Darn, I did that probably 40 years ago. I asked my wife if  I should bring it to the show. She said, ‘No, don’t touch it!’”

With Cubist and pop-culture expression- ist influences, Adam West’s “The Batman Series” includes paintings titled “Bat Dog” and “The Joker” that simultane- ously poke fun, explore, and celebrate the phenomenon that is Batman. The work brings to mind the Outsider Art style of artists such as Aurie Ramirez and Gaston Chaissac. When Gilman Contemporary discovered West’s art, they were intrigued. “We had no idea that Adam West was a painter,” say’s owner L’Anne Gilman. “After seeing the work in person, we knew they had to be available for the public to see. Not only are the paintings an insight into Adam’s creative mind, but they bring back memories of the Batman characters with whom we grew up. We’re thrilled to show them during the busy holidays so that locals and visitors can have an op- portunity to see the work, and also meet the man behind the mask (or the art if you will).”

As Sun Valley has been Adam West’s home for over two decades, his exhibit at Gilman Contemporary is a special opportunity for this community to see what their highly talented neighbor has been  up to when he’s not being Batman. In a stroke of sheer coincidence West’s art ex- hibit happens to nearly coincide with the release of Batman: Return of the Caped Cru- saders, a full-length feature from Warner Brothers Animation and DC Entertain- ment that reunites Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar as the voices of their famous TV characters Batman, Robin, and Catwoman. Although met by rave reviews, West is down to earth about the flurry of attention he is getting from the film (indeed, tracking him down for an in- terview was quite difficult). He is equally humble about his upcoming exhibit. “The shows in Vegas, Santa Barbara, and New York were all really great. But, here…. You know, I’m a little nervous about this. Hometowns are tough on their homeboys!” After experiencing the artwork and the artist in person, I don’t think Adam West has anything to worry about. After all, it takes a special kind of person to win a medal as a milkman.