The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists (1995) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

1995 · 54 mins · English

Loading streaming availability…

Directed by

Les Blank

Starring

Gerald Gaxiola, Nadine Starbuck, Peter William Brown, Alice Gaxiola, Peter Mollica, Kent Cabral

“Why do art at all? For the sake of the work. Alone.” When a devoted husband and father abandons his job to become a Western‑movie singing cowboy, he takes on the art world’s giants—from Christo to Andy Warhol—and refuses any payment. Gerry Gaxiola, known as The Maestro, is an ex‑wage‑slave who surrendered everything to create art purely for its own sake, a story that might spark a new generation of Van Goghs.