Val Kilmer - Doc, 2014

Val Kilmer / Val Edward Kilmer

Pop Art, Abstract Art

June 18, 2013

Best known as a brilliant actor, Val Kilmer, for his many talents, is a true renaissance man. A painter, sculptor, and poet, he has produced a prolific body of work as diverse as many characters he has played on screen. He has been honored with a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree by William Woods University for his contribution to art and theater. Author of two books of poetry, Kilmer has received world recognition for his writing abilities and received a Grammy nomination for the Best Spoken Word. As an actor, he has delivered some of the most memorable and eclectic characters in movies such as Top Gun, Batman Forever, Tombstone, and Doors. Kilmer has masterfully channeled his acting sensibility into the world of fine visual art.

Val Kilmer - Iceman, 2021
Val Kilmer - Iceman, 2021. Enamel and stencil on metal; 30.5 x 30.5 cm

Valholla

Val Kilmer (born in 1959 in Los Angeles) began his acting career in theater. After several decades working in cinema, he has played over 100 roles and directed, produced, and written several movies. Unfortunately, in 2015 he was forced to temporarily retire because he was diagnosed with cancer. After several years of successful battle, he emerged with his first solo and debut exhibition titled Valholla, hosted by Woodward Gallery in New York. Inspired by the Viking belief in Valhalla, the mythical heaven, the artist contemplates death and the afterlife. Kilmer said:

I’ve been in a transition and focusing in on this moment of moving through a period of my life as the concept of a black hole—ones third act or for an actor, from lead to character parts.

The diverse works, which range from colorful Pop Art and gestural Abstractions, examine life, our inability to grasp the infinite, death, black holes, and God.

Val Kilmer - Untitled, 2017
Val Kilmer - Untitled, 2017. Enamel on metal poured acrylic resin surface; 52.1 x 30.5 x 4.4 cm

Val Kilmer’s Art

Kilmer’s creative process is instinctual, emerging from the current emotion that can be triggered by various external stimuli, including music, birds, news, or a prayer. In his most notable abstract series, he examines the illusion of matter which is, in essence, only energy. Their “black hole” nature gives an impression of falling into the infinite shoreline edges.

In the series GOD, the artist questions the meaning of spirituality by writing in caps the word G-O-D on canvas. In his Christian Science faith, God is the source of infinite love. His work questions the word, concept, and cultural impact, while suggesting the existence of multiple gods.

Series of his most recognizable characters are depicted as colorful silhouettes, including the Doc Holliday from Tombstone, Batman, Jim Morrison from Doors, Mark Twain, and Iceman from Top Gun.

Val Kilmer - Doc Holliday/ I'm Your Huckleberry, 2021
Val Kilmer - Doc Holliday/ I'm Your Huckleberry, 2021. Enamel and stencil on metal; 30.5 x 30.5 cm

The Versatile Artist

While filming Wonderland in 2003, Kilmer started a photography project that evolved into a published pictorial book. The collages and photographs went on a tour across the United States. In 1988 Val released a volume of poetries, My Edens After Burns, which received critical acclaim. His work has been exhibited in Studio 360 in Tokyo, James Kelly Gallery New Mexico. The second exhibition, titled From Nature, was at The Art Gallery at Rockefeller State Park Preserve in 2018.

Val Kilmer lives and works in Los Angeles.

Featured image: Val Kilmer - Doc, 2014. Enamel on metal with Poured Acrylic Resin. 20.5 x 12 inches; 52.1 x 30.5 cm. Courtesy Woodward Gallery


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