Chuck Connelly

Chuck Connelly (born January 7, 1955, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American painter.

Connelly graduated from the Tyler School of Art in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania in 1977.

Afterward, he moved from the Philadelphia area to New York City, where Robert C. Atkins became one of his first patrons.

Connelly went on to spend two years in Germany, where he continued to develop his art work under the patronage of Atkins.

Upon his return to New York in the early 1980s, the Annina Nosei Gallery began to show his work.

During this time, Connelly began to rise to fame along with Julian Schnabel and Jean-Michel Basquiat in the New York City art world.

A movie (the "Life Lessons" segment of New York Stories), directed by Martin Scorsese featured Nick Nolte as a Soho painter.

Chuck's hands, painting and paintings were featured as Nolte's. Not long after the film's release, Page Six asked Connelly what he thought of the film, and he replied "well, it wasn't Raging Bull".

which angered Scorsese so much so that he never spoke to Chuck again.

The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not for Sale, an Emmy award-winning documentary directed by Jeff Stimmel, premiered at the L.A. Film Festival in June 2008 and was shown on HBO in July.

The documentary chronicles Connelly as he struggles with his temperament, alcoholism, and disillusionment with reality.

These factors culminate in the alienation of gallery owners, collectors, and his wife; serving to depress Connelly further.

The documentary details the tragedy of the fallen artist as he fights to maintain his dignity and integrity.

On June 15, 2010, Connelly started a new web show called Stream of Thought.

A second full-length documentary celebrating the life of the artist, Chuck Connelly: Into the Light, had its U.S. premiere on Oct. 29, 2020 at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival and has been winning first place in documentaries at film festivals across the country ever since.