Artist Drew Friedman documentary LA premiere, March 29, 2025

Nobody captures the reality of showbiz like Drew Friedman, whose hyperdetailed portraits immortalize nearly-forgotten celebrities, aging comedians, and Hollywood burnouts.

On March 29th, I'll be at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica to watch Drew Friedman: Vermeer of the Borscht Belt, a documentary about this master illustrator's fascinating career, directed by Kevin Dougherty. Get tickets here.

I've been following Drew's work for decades, from his early underground comics to his remarkable portraits that capture the essence of entertainment's most oddball characters.

His art has evolved from his early mind-boggling stipple technique — where he created photorealistic images using thousands of tiny pen marks — to his later painting work that makes use of color washes. His ability to capture not just likeness but essence has made him one of today's most sought-after portrait artists.

The documentary features conversations with comedy legends and artists, including Gilbert Gottfried, Patton Oswalt, Richard Kind, Mike Judge, and R. Crumb (one of Drew's key influences alongside Al Hirschfeld).

After the screening, there's a panel discussion featuring Drew himself, director Dougherty, screenwriter Scott Alexander, comedian Dana Gould, cartoonist KAZ, film historian Leonard Maltin, and others.

The screening starts at 7:30 PM at the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. Hope to see some Boing Boing readers there!