FEATURE

from MR BRAINWASH, Los Angeles, December 2022 / January 2023

COVER STORY

“The only thing I think of when I hear the rain is I’m happy. But others who hear the rain will complain, but if we didn’t know bad, we wouldn’t know what good is.”

based on the iconic jewelry of Harry Winston at the brand’s Rodeo Drive boutique, or when he collaborated with Mercedes-Benz by painting several cars during their Evolution Tour. But at least now, he’ll always know that he created something special — something that no one can ever take away from him. At the end of day, how many living artists have their very own museum (even one that will one day be torn down)?

“It doesn’t happen,” he says proudly. “It doesn’t exist! But I always break walls. I change walls. And this is a museum that is going to be alive. I can come back here in the night and change a few things, add a few things. The room you see today might be different from the room you see tomorrow. It’s going to be a museum that travels — hopefully to Miami, New York, and Toronto to start — and it will be open at night because I’m going to do a lot of things with a projection so that people can and will want to come here after dinner. I want to change history, and do things differently than what has been done for the past 100 years.”

I tell him he’s ambitious, and he nods and thoughtfully strokes his salt-and-pepper beard. “I’m never satisfied, you know,” he admits. “I always want to do more. And I know that this will be alive for a little while, and then it will disappear … but then it will go somewhere else and be alive somewhere else. The story will continue.”

In the meantime, the real story is inside these eclectic and vibrant walls. Every piece of art here tells the story of the evolution of Thierry Guetta, used-clothing-store proprietor and amateur videographer, to Mr Brainwash, world-renowned street artist and pop culture icon.

The one takeaway for others from the museum, in his opinion, is that no matter what your personal dream is, you should work your hardest until it comes true, like he did here. “[I want to share that] people should believe in themselves, and really do what they want in life. It doesn’t matter what you do, but you should do it well, and do it with your heart, because at the end of the day, everyone is an artist. A janitor, he’s an artist, the way he holds his broom — that’s art. A businessman, a computer guy — we are all artists. But it’s very important to be real, because being a real artist is not just about what you do, but who you are.”

He references van Gogh, a personal hero, saying, “He painted all his life, but he never sold one painting, and he killed himself. But how is it that after all this, this man is in every museum in the world and nobody can afford his paintings? How? Time tells about who he is: his life, his truth, that he was passionate about something he loved.”

And that is Mr Brainwash to a “T,” and for that matter, Thierry Guetta too. Passion, energy, vibrancy — they are all in there in every mannerism, every expression. Because to Guetta, life has always been beautiful. It is his signature phrase, yes, but also his first show, his emblematic art, his very way of being.

“I never get tired of saying ‘life is beautiful.’ I never get tired of writing it. I have written it almost every day of my life,” he admits. “When you accept that, your life will change. Take today, for example. We are here in Los Angeles, and it’s raining. The only thing I think of when I hear the rain is I’m happy. But others who hear the rain will complain, but if we didn’t know bad, we wouldn’t know what good is.”

I goggle at him for a moment, openly. He is right. (And I had been about to complain about the rain. Is he psychic?)

Maybe not, because he doesn’t know — and he readily admits that he has no idea what the future holds — and that’s OK. He wasn’t ready for the end last year, and he isn’t ready for it now, but when that day does come, he knows that he will have zero regrets.

“I don’t know everything but I do know this,” he begins. “We are here today. Life, for me, is one day at a time. Live today and worry tomorrow. People always tell me that life is too short. And for me, life is very long, because every day is a new life. So imagine this: I live 365 new days a year. I’m 57. Do you know how many lives that is? It’s a lot, and I’m still going to live a little bit longer. But it’s important to remember that every day can be different. Every moment you go out, something can happen. So you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. The only thing you know in life is that you’re living it.”

He smiles — at the empty theater beyond, at the painting of Spielberg, at the Simpsons, at me — a big, goofy, quintessentially Mr Brainwash smile; a Thierry Guetta smile. And he says, “What I’ve learned in life is to be thankful for everything; to be grateful for your life, to be grateful for what you do, and for who you are. I know you can have more, know you can do more, but [you should] be content with what your life is. Because the true gold and the true diamond is inside of you, and it’s your health. The rest of it, it’s nothing. Money doesn’t buy health. You cannot be a billionaire and say, ‘Oh, I want to buy my sickness to be fixed.’ It’s not going to happen. So enjoy your life every day. Try to do something that you love. Try to see the positive side of everything. Remember that life is beautiful, and beauty is all around you.” Here is his proof —not that he needs it.

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