Lawrence Brose: A tribute to his creative work and contribution to Western New York. Over the month of February 2025 VASA and CEPA Gallery in Buffalo New York, USA, will publish interviews and four films of Lawrence Brose.

About Lawrence Brose

Interview part 5

Interview part 6

 

Film 3: "Everbest Virgil (1990)

From the FILMS for MUSIC for FILM series
16mm Black and White / Color
8 min

Piano Sonata No. 2 (1930) by Virgil Thomson
Transcribed for the film by Yvar Mikhashoff – 1990
Performed by Buffalo New Music Ensemble
Conductor: Ferruccio Germani
Flute: Rosemary Vecere
Oboe: Paul Schlossman
Clarinet: James Perone
Percussion: Robert Schulz
Piano: Michael McCandless
Violin: Kunda Magenau
Cello: Marsha Hassett

Restoration funded in part by Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music

Digital transfer by The George Eastman Museum, Rochester NY, USA

FILM DESCRIPTION

Everbest Virgil follows in this tradition by setting a film portrait of the composer to his self-portrait composition. In his book, On Musical Portraiture, Virgil writes, “The Second Piano Sonata is curious…Not me thinking about myself, but being myself. That’s why I couldn’t identify it as a self-portrait for many years.” I filmed Virgil in his apartment at the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan shortly before his passing. These are the final images abstracted from the life of a most treasured American composer.

​Virgil Thomson composed musical portraits of many people as he viewed them from across a table. Just as an artist uses the various elements of a visual medium, Virgil would sketch personal images employing the palette of musical expression.

Everbest Virgil follows this tradition by setting a film portrait of the composer to his self-portrait composition. In his book, On Musical Portraiture, Virgil writes, “The Second Piano Sonata is curious…Not me thinking about myself, but being myself. That’s why I couldn’t identify it as a self-portrait for many years.” Shortly before his passing, I filmed Virgil in his apartment at the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. These are the final images abstracted from the life of a most treasured American composer.

Each film in this series was created for a music score, either pre-existing or composed specifically for this project. By way of explanation, music is usually applied to films after their completion. Still, in this case, the filmic images and rhythms have been derived from the music, allowing the music to become a kind of script for the film. This project is envisioned as a lifelong endeavor in collaboration with contemporary composers.

FILM FOR MUSIC FOR FILM was premiered on April 3, 1990, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, where all the scores were performed live with the films. This event was part of the North American New Music Festival.

Lawrence Brose VASA Introduction, January 24, 2025

Lawrence Brose is a filmmaker whose life and work are rooted in resilience, creativity, and defiance of societal norms. His groundbreaking film DE PROFUNDIS, inspired by Oscar Wilde’s prison letter of the same name, premiered in 1997 at the Public Theater in New York. The film is not a traditional narrative—it’s an artistic exploration of suffering, self-discovery, and liberation, blending vintage gay porn, family films, and music into a mesmerizing hand-manipulated, color visual collage.

Brose’s art draws from Wilde’s bold refusal to conform to heteronormative expectations and his own experiences growing up in scrappy, rough and tumble South Buffalo, under the heavy influence of the Catholic Church. A rebellious spirit, Lawrence even endured blindness in one eye—a challenge that shaped his life and unique perspective as an artist.

Starting as a piano tuner, Lawrence became so skilled at restoring Steinways that his business
flourished and was eventually bought out by Steinway itself. This allowed him to pursue his passion for filmmaking. His projects, such as An Individual Desires Solution (1986), a poignant story about his lover’s struggle with AIDS, making this the first personal film about AIDS.

In DE PROFUNDIS, Lawrence worked with a collective of Radical Faeries—daring individuals who celebrate alternative queer identities. From Keith Gemerek, Ken Cooper, and Mark Miller sharing stories of public sex to Agnes de Garron’s intense performances of repression and freedom, their contributions highlight the richness of gay subculture. The film is layered with contemporary music, rituals, and even a haunting reading of Wilde’s text set to piano by respected American composer Frederick Rzewski. Together, these elements reject simple resolutions, questioning masculinity, gender, and the very idea of normalcy.

Brose drew on all these experiences during his tenure as a CEPA Gallery executive director and curator who oversaw several groundbreaking projects.

Lawrence’s life has not been without struggle. In 2006, he was falsely accused by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of possessing illegal images. He was targeted because of his art work that included 80 images from DE PROFUNDIS, which had been screened at venues such as the George Eastman Museum. Despite no evidence, Brose endured a six-year battle that drained his reputation and resources. Ultimately, he took a plea deal for the possession of a single obscene image. However, Brose was widely supported by a global community that recognized his integrity.

Today, Lawrence continues to fight—this time against cancer. He’s preparing for a major exhibition at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo New York in 2025, celebrating his collaborations with composer and dear friend Douglas Cohen on his film about the avant-garde music theorist John Cage. His enduring artistry, strength, and the unwavering support of his community stand as a testament to his incredible life journey.

For more information visit: www.lawrencebrose.com & www.cepagallery.org
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About CEPA Gallery
Located in Buffalo New York’s historic Market Arcade Complex, CEPA is a contemporary photography and visual arts center with impact in both local and national communities. With three galleries of changing exhibits and events, multimedia public art installations, arts education programs, and an open-access darkroom and digital photo lab, CEPA creates a vibrant presence in the heart of downtown Buffalo, New York (USA).

About Light Research
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About VASA
VASA Exhibitions provides a online viewing and research environment by archiving all of the exhibitions in their entirety. VASA supports photography exhibitions, film/video screenings, the Jounral on Images and Culture (VJIC) and interviews with artist.