LIFEFORMS: The Makeup Art of Michael Westmore & WESTMORE: Making Faces for Film

Through sketches, masks and prosthetics, LIFEFORMS: The Makeup Art of Michael Westmore, explores this legendary makeup artist’s process of creating singular film and television characters and creatures. This is the first exhibition to display the designs of Westmore (BA 1961, Art History) through the development of some of science fiction’s most iconic characters, including Data, Worf and the Borg species. This Oscar and Emmy award-winner visually explodes the boundaries of the human form with designs for a diverse, multicultural, multispecies universe, providing an entertaining and meaningful exploration of the intricacies of human nature. Currently, Westmore encourages the next generation of makeup artists as a featured guest star on the popular television show, Face Off. Curated by Jessica Archer, Doctoral Candidate and Rebecca Harlow, Assistant Curator.

Now on view! WESTMORE: Making Faces for Film, showcasing Westmore’s groundbreaking work on Rocky, Raging Bull and Mask.

April 20 @ 5pm reception with Michael Westmore at AD&A Museum,

Raging Bull film screening at 7pm at Pollock Theater.

April 22 @ 12pm: Book-signing with Michael Westmore

For complete information, please visit the Programs & Events page.

THE WESTMORE FAMILY

George Westmore was Winston Churchill’s barber. He came to the United States and eventually settled in Chicago to found the makeup department at Selig Studios in 1917. George Westmore’s sons, Montague “Monte,” the twins Percival “Perc” and Ernest “Ern,” Walter “Wally,” George “Bud,” and Frank followed in his footsteps. His sons became the heads of makeup at RKO, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Brothers. They also worked as personal makeup artists who created the looks for famous actors such as Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton, Rudolph Valentino, Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman, to name a few. Even Barbie’s makeup was designed by a Westmore; Mattel hired Bud to conceive the doll’s face in 1957. This family of artists invented the industry standards for the makeups that followed, developing a catalog of basic forms and techniques to either flatter or disfigure. The Westmores were so prolific that few films from the 1900s through the 1960s were made without their direct participation. In total, four generations of Westmores have worked on over 1,500 film and television projects. In 2008, the family was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Organized by the Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara in conjunction with LIFEFORMS: The Makeup Art of Michael Westmore; generous support provided by Christiana Benson. Curatorial Intern: Robert Perez (B.A. Arts ’17).