As an agitator and leader of the gay, labor, and avantgarde film communities in Great Britain, artist Derek Jarman exposed the hypocrisy of his country’s class structure and attacked the conservative policies of Margaret Thatcher’s reign as prime minister. Fearlessly “out” in life and in his work, he was unapologetic in addressing and embracing gay culture. In 1986, the Walker organized one of the first touring retrospectives of his oeuvre—Of Angels and Apocalypse—and Jarman became a supporter by donating personal prints of his films to the Ruben/Bentson Film and Video Study Collection. A new documentary about his life, Derek, provides an opportunity to revisit the work of this celebrated innovator.

As an agitator and leader of the gay, labor, and avantgarde film communities in Great Britain, artist Derek Jarman exposed the hypocrisy of his country’s class structure and attacked the conservative policies of Margaret Thatcher’s reign as prime minister. Fearlessly “out” in life and in his work, he was unapologetic in addressing and embracing gay culture. In 1986, the Walker organized one of the first touring retrospectives of his oeuvre—Of Angels and Apocalypse—and Jarman became a supporter by donating personal prints of his films to the Ruben/Bentson Film and Video Study Collection. A new documentary about his life, Derek, provides an opportunity to revisit the work of this celebrated innovator.