Haute 100 LA: Tom Hanks’ Roles Get Their Own Exhibition

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks should feel very flattered right now. An LA art gallery is showcasing paintings that are replicas of past Hanks roles.

According to the Huffington Post, Gallery1988 has arranged an exhibit of artwork centered on his earlier roles.

Jensen Karp, who is the gallery’s co-owner, said, “I assume if you went up to him on the set of ‘Turner & Hooch’ and told him he would later win an Oscar for playing a man dying of AIDS, he probably wouldn’t have seen that coming. There’s something very beautiful in Tom Hanks’ journey and it’s so motivational.”

For the exhibit, Karp and his partner, Katie Cromwell, chose pieces that were inspired based on Hanks’ roles from 1984 and 1994 such as the romantic-comedy-drama film Forrest Gump, which went to garner a number of awards including  Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis, Best Actor for Tom Hanks, and much more.

The most support came from the movie Big. “It seemed like Big got the best response, which makes sense because it’s basically a perfect movie,” Karp said. “And everyone has a wish they want granted.”

Hanks, who recently celebrated a birthday yesterday, July 9^th, has a new movie coming out in the fall. Directed by Steven Spielberg, in Bridge of Spies Hanks will play James B. Donovan, a lawyer called to defend a Soviet spy caught in the U.S. Hanks’ character will have to negotiate his exchange for an American U-2 pilot shot down over the Soviet Union. The real-life story is based off Rudolf Abel and American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers.

The script was written by Joel and Ethan Coen, and was based on an original script by Matt Charman. The movie is slated to hit theaters Oct. 16^th.

In addition to acting, Hanks is also currently penning a new book. The book will be a collection of short stories about typewriters. The book will see release from Alfred A. Knopf. A title or release date has not been announced yet.

See the No Sad Stuff exhibit here.

Watch the trailer for Bride of Spies below:

(Photo via Gallery1988)