Remembering Hillman Curtis Through His Work

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Earlier this week New York-based designer, author, and filmmaker Hillman Curtis passed away following a three year battle with cancer. He was only 51. If you’re not already familiar with his creative output — which includes 2010’s Ride, Rise, Road, an excellent feature-length concert documentary about David Byrne — then we suggest getting to know him through his Artist Series of short films.

These beautifully-shot, intimate interviews with cultural icons like Milton Glaser, Daniel Libeskind, Malcolm Gladwell, and Stefan Sagmeister are not only fascinating, they’re also noticeably different from anything else out there. As director Gary Hustwit (Helvetica, Objectified, Urbanized) writes in a post remembering his colleague, “His filmmaking style was unique, and he often put the guts of the film production process (boom microphones, lighting stands, backdrops, dolly tracks, etc.) on-screen as visual elements. In a way, his films simultaneously exposed his subject’s creative process, and his own.” Visit Curtis’ website to check out a few of these incredibly inspiring, bite-sized gems now.