Blending abstract and expressionist style, Robert De Niro, Sr. was one of the renowned New York School artists during the '40s and '50s in New York City. Even though his work had been shown in respected galleries and reviewed in many esteemed art publications, his success proved to be fleeting once the pop-art movement came along.

Undaunted, De Niro traveled to Paris to study the world’s greatest artists and get inspiration for his own work. However, he soon returned to the US to quietly work and wait for the day when his work would be re-discovered and given proper acclaim. His life and career are recounted through his own words and those of his peers and his son, Robert De Niro, in Remembering The Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr.

The film premieres this Sunday, January 19, at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. If you happen to be in Park City, head over to the Julie Nester Gallery to see a special exhibition of De Niro’s paintings from now until January 26. If not, take the opportunity to view two of the elder De Niro’s paintings shown below. 

Robert De Niro, Sr., Autumn Landscape, 1968, copyright Estate of Robert De Niro, Sr., courtesy DC Moore Gallery, New York/ARSNY

Robert De Niro, Sr., Flowers in a Blue Vase, 1966, copyright Estate of Robert De Niro, Sr., courtesy DC Moore Gallery, New York/ARSNY
 

Remembering The Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr. will air this June on HBO.