UPDATED My Kid Could Paint That trailer
In the span of only a few months, 4-year-old Marla Olmstead rocketed from total obscurity into international renown — and sold over 0000 dollars worth of paintings. She was compared to Kandinsky and Pollock, and called “a budding Picasso.” Inside Edition, The Jane Pauley Show, and NPR did pieces, and The Today Show and Good Morning America got in a bidding war over an appearance by the bashful toddler. There was talk of corporate sponsorship, with the family fielding calls from The Gap and Crayola. But not all of the attention was positive. From the beginning, many faulted her parents for exposing Marla to the glare of the media and accused the couple of exploiting their daughter for financial gain. Others felt her work was, in fact, comparable to the great Abstract Expressionists — but saw this as emblematic of the meaninglessness of Modern Art. “She is painting exactly as all the adult paintings have been in the past 50 years, but painting like a child, too. That is what everybody things but they don’t dare to say it,” said Oggi, the leading Italian weekly. Through no intention of her own, Marla revived the age-old question, ‘what is art?’ And then, five months into Marla’s new life as a celebrity and just short of her fifth birthday, a bombshell dropped. CBS’ 60 Minutes aired an exposé suggesting strongly that the paintings were painted by her father, himself an amateur painter. As quickly as the public built Marla up, they tore her down. The New York Post asked …
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Tags: Art, Could, documentary, fraud, hoax, kid, modern, My, Paint, scheme, That, trailer, truth, updated, World
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
What would the great renaissance artists make of Marla and the whole modern art scene? They would be alarmed and appalled.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
“Little arrogant girl”?? She’s 4 years old in that film.
And don’t you realise that at 4 years old, all any child can do is reflect her environment? A child isn’t even legally regarded as knowing right from wrong until they’re 10 years old.
Marla also said Zane painted one of them. That’s innocence, and honesty – the complete opposite of arrogance.
What IS arrogant is a nasty little ass hole adult making ugly, cruel, ignorant statements like this.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
@ChaoticBFly Yes, I did watch the movie. Even though the parents may have been worse, the little girl was still arrogant. I remember she was holding up one of her paintings and saying something like, “Hmmm, I think this will sell for like $20,000.” With a smirk on her face. Her brother was trying to get attention, and she said something to her parents, “Why are you paying him any attention? He’s not the one who paints!” May not be exact words, but you get the idea. That’s arrogance.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
@yeahtheman How was the little girl arrogant? Lol I mean if you really saw the movie you’d know that the parents and everyone were over-empahsizing themselves while the two kids, Marla and her brother, were left on the side lines.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Yeah I remember watching this. Little arrogant girl scribbles on paper and thinks she is good. I think too many dumb people don’t know what to do with their money.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
in my opinion modern art was born,the moment that ”artists” forgot how to paint…it’s much easyer to take a piss on a peace of paper and call it art…luckily Michelangelo didn’t think that when he painted the sealings of sistine chapel
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
oh watch out!! she just poo herself…let’s call it art!!!
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Tiger Woods was coached by his dad.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
It’s very good art it looks cool, but its not really a picture of anything specific, it’s all abstract and random so why what’s the big deal?
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
if she could paint like that without her dad coaching her, she’d be a genious.
since her dad has been coaching, she didn’t grew up like a born genious, she just got it from her dad that he learned in his years of art
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Yeah, I mean, if people want to buy the paintings, let them buy the paintings. What difference does it make if it’s as great a work as the world-renowned guys? It’s still art. People on this documentary actually wanted their money back (some of them) after watching that 60 Minutes show, and I’m thinking, why? If your own perception of good or bad art can be swayed by something as trivial as a news station’s bias, you really should be investing in art to begin with.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Her work mesmerizes me!!! A true real and honest talent!
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Modern art has been plagued by the same people who claim that space aliens exist and complain that those who don’t see them are close-minded. Or, perhaps its full of people who believe yet say that the faithless can’t see the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast. That is, modern art reflects a century of irrationality, two world wars and segregation. Its time the world grows up and stops believing in scribbles, boxes, blank canvases, elephant dung and polka dots and starts dealing with reality.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
modern art has been plagued by an ignorant society, that, even though without any knowledge, feels like being able to judge. its like discussing a colour of a tree that you have never actually seen.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
daikataro
thats one of the finest ridiculus bullshits i have ever read on youtube. sir, if you dont understand what abstract art means, then just do me and the world a favour and stfu about stuff you just dont understand, have a nice day
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Modern art has been plagued by its apparent lack of skill. Most people do believe that any child or hack can create an abstract painting. This film brings this idea to the forefront and this is why it’s so entertaining. Furthermore, it poses an interesting question: is Marla a genius or does this prove that modern art is a scam? Either way, if Marla’s work bears comparison to DeKooning, then whether her father helped her should be irrelevant. (What if they painted like Vermeer? )
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
This is a great documentary. Up there with “Spellbound” and “Supersize Me.” Watched it twice in the same day. Awesome.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
thats just a kid throwing paint up on a canvas
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
totally agree, saw it last night. dad was just ignoring her when Marla is blurting out that her brother did one of them in the gallery, and she didnt even touch it! then begging Dad that it was his turn to finish it, what a bunch of baloney. anyone who buys this “art” is a fool, and has too much money to burn.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
You’re missing the point of the movie, which is proving modern art was (as many things thru history) part of a cover-up, a conspiracy if you prefer to call it like that, to abolish that time’s leading art, which had a socialist tendence, and replace it with a capitalist tought, modern art can be painted by ANYONE with enough cash to buy art supplies, and sold with profit if you know the right people, some “modern artists” don’t even paint their own pictures anymore, they just give their name
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
I simply don’t care whether she, or her dad did the paintings, they’re about as ugly and uninspired as it gets! To compare her to Pollack or Renoir is about as insulting as insulting can be.
Let her have fun but don’t tout her as a genius because…she’s not!
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
i just watched the movie. what a bunch of BS if anyone believes she actually painted those paintings. its like night and day the way her paintings look on camera and the ones nobody filmed. you can tell the dad is lying threw his teeth. i would sue them if i bought on of those paintings. i collect sports memorabilia and if someone sold me a fake autograph I’d be raising hell to get my money back
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
I just watched the film. What I think happens is that the dad holds her and uses her hand to paint the painting so she feels she does it. That is why she can say that she did it yet asks him for help on camera like you will see.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
I just saw the movie and is great.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Marla and her Dad OBVIOUSLY did the paintings. It’s too bad that mom and dad are scamming. They could have marketed the paintings honestly as dad and daughter as I find the ones in question very pleasing. But they’re lying and scamming. They screwed up and it’s a shame.