The portrait of Niclas is a recent commission by Michael Huffington in 2015. Niclas is a Swedish filmmaker who is currently working in Los Angeles and New York. He directed video content for companies like the New York Times, The Line Hotel, and Native Son. He is a contributing writer on film for The Last Magazine, and a story analyst for Universal Pictures International and starred in films such as The Ape, directed by Jesper Ganslandt (an official selection of the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals).
Gottlieb painted Niclas in the artist’s studio and remembers the filmmaker enjoyed taking an active role in the staging of the composition of his painting. Portraits being personal collaboration between the artist and the subject can be adaptive to the creativity and confidence of the client, making the process even more dynamic. The book that Niclas holds in his hand is his idea notebook with his very own handwriting which Gottlieb realized from the original.
