Julian Schnabel (New York, 1951) is a renowned American painter and sculptor who has also embarked on a significant career as a film director.

He made his directorial debut with *Basquiat* (1996), a biopic about his friend and artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, highlighting his keen eye for stories of creative figures. He followed up with *Before Night Falls* (2000), a portrait of the Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas, which earned Javier Bardem an Academy Award nomination.

His most acclaimed film is *The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* (2007), winner of the Best Director Award (Prix de la Mise en Scène) at Cannes and two Golden Globe Awards. The film, based on the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, is a visual masterpiece that reflects his painterly sensibility, exploring interiority and perception. Among his subsequent works, *At Eternity's Gate* (2018) stands out, an intimate interpretation of the life of Vincent van Gogh.

Schnabel's style is characterized by an often impressionistic narrative, a powerful use of imagery, and a profound exploration of the lives of artists and complex characters, seen through the lens of a deeply visual and introspective sensibility.