Pictures of Susan

Pictures of Susan poster

Pictures of Susan is a 2012 feature documentary by Dan Salmon. The film examines the artist’s upbringing and earliest works, her twenty-year dormant period and the recent resurgence in interest from the art world for her idiosyncratic drawings since resuming in 2008. Auckland ‘outsider artist’ Susan King stopped talking when she was four. Her grandmother recognised the little girl’s talent for drawing and kept her supplied with coloured pencils and paper. For 20 years Susan expressed herself in thousands of artworks filled with playfulness, curiosity and terror. Then one day she suddenly stopped drawing. Her pictures were carefully packed away into boxes, under the bed and in the attic. There were two decades of silence, before she drew again. Today, the dealer world has discovered Susan’s art brut. A series of exhibitions, have garnered international demand for Susan’s art, but leaves an ethical quandary for the family who can only guess at Susan's wishes.

Director: Dan Salmon
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 1 min
Country: New Zealand
Original Language: en
More Films by Director: Dan Salmon
More Films in Genre: Documentary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pictures of Susan about?
Pictures of Susan is a 2012 feature documentary by Dan Salmon. The film examines the artist’s upbringing and earliest works, her twenty-year dormant period and the recent resurgence in interest from the art world for her idiosyncratic drawings since resuming in 2008. Auckland ‘outsider artist’ Susan King stopped talking when she was four. Her grandmother recognised the little girl’s talent for drawing and kept her supplied with coloured pencils and paper. For 20 years Susan expressed herself in thousands of artworks filled with playfulness, curiosity and terror. Then one day she suddenly stopped drawing. Her pictures were carefully packed away into boxes, under the bed and in the attic. There were two decades of silence, before she drew again. Today, the dealer world has discovered Susan’s art brut. A series of exhibitions, have garnered international demand for Susan’s art, but leaves an ethical quandary for the family who can only guess at Susan's wishes.
Who directed Pictures of Susan?
Pictures of Susan was directed by Dan Salmon.
How long is Pictures of Susan?
Pictures of Susan has a runtime of 1m (1 minutes).
What genre is Pictures of Susan?
Pictures of Susan is a Documentary film.
Where was Pictures of Susan produced?
Pictures of Susan was produced in New Zealand.