It is verging on half a century since Adam West first donned that iconic suit and garnered international fame for his role as Batman in the eponymous 1960s television series and film. Yet, in the ensuing years, it seems the caped crusader has never been far from his mind.
The actor has for many years now, been privately working on a collection of paintings and drawings with Bruce Wayne and his alter ego as the muse. This much-anticipated work is now on public display at an art gallery in Beverly Hills. He has long been credited with bringing the comic book character to life, but now West, who is pretty spritely for his 82 years, is being heralded as a "cultural pop art expressionist" by the gallery owner David W Streets.
The exhibition is certainly generating a level of audible buzz, particularly among die-hard Batman aficionados. The art on show is said to depict West's various visions of Batman and the dystopian Gotham City. Among other pieces, it includes The Birth of Batman, a surrealist painting charting Bruce Wayne's metamorphosis from young orphan to self-styled crime avenger. While it remains to be seen what sort of prices these paintings will fetch, one thing is for sure: Adam West is a content man. Not only is he revelling in this new career direction, he also arrived at the gallery opening in style. After all, not many people can claim to have driven the original Batmobile.