USA / 2023 / 86mins / Documentary / English

When filmmaker Alex Rappoport met then-79 year old abstract artist Peter Bradley in the winter of 2020, Bradley hadn't sold many paintings nor had a major show in over four decades - yet he still painted every day in a shipping container studio heated by a wood stove. Over time, the pair recorded Peter's fascinating story, seemingly overlooked in art history. Bradley was the first Black haute art dealer in New York; likely the first Black abstract artist represented by a major New York gallery; and curator of what is considered the first integrated modern art show in America. Talented, willful and arrogant, Bradley lived life to its fullest - until he fell upon hard times in the 1980s that nearly ended his career.

At once an intimate portrait and a deep study of creative process, With Peter Bradley is situated entirely at the artist’s rural home and studio, and unfolds over the course of changing seasons. The sole figure on screen, Bradley narrates his life in a series of conversations: often provocative, sometimes bitter, and full of surprises. We meet the artist at a critical juncture - deeply committed to the expressive power of color, painting gorgeous pictures at a prolific pace, but without an audience to appreciate them. Despite this lack of recognition, the film is buoyed by Peter’s exuberant spirit and warm sense of humor.

Alex Rappoport

Alex Rappoport is an award-winning cinematographer, editor, and producer specializing in documentary filmmaking. His camera credits include work for National Geographic, The History Channel, PBS, MTV, Food Network, and several Emmy Award-winning programs for HBO.

In the early 1990’s Alex shot and/or edited promos for MTV, VH1, USA Network, Nickelodeon, and The Sci-Fi Channel. From 1996-2001 he shot and produced numerous segments for WNET’s City Arts and PBS’s Egg: The Arts Show. His 1996 independent video documentary, Standpipe Siamese and the Adventures of Frost, was screened at film festivals. From 2004-2009 Alex produced the interstitial series, Scenes from the Sundance Lab, for the Sundance Channel. He was Director of Photography for the first four seasons of The History Channel series, Swamp People. More recent credits include producing several shorts for Etsy.com’s Handmade Portraits series; series DP for HBO’s Saving My Tomorrow; co-DP on the documentary feature films, Larry Kramer: In Love and Anger and Lemon; and D.P./Editor of the 2015 narrative feature film, I Dream too Much.

Alex Rappoport holds a BA from the University of Kansas and MA from the University of Texas at Austin. He resides in the Hudson Valley with his family. Learn More