JR and Robert De Niro collaborate on documentary about De Niro's father

French street artist JR and actor Robert De Niro have teamed up for a documentary titled 'The Past Goes Fast,' focusing on the life and career of De Niro's father, painter Robert De Niro Sr. The project was previewed at the Tribeca Festival, which De Niro co-founded and which moved to Miami Beach during Art Basel. JR described the documentary as an ongoing evolution that could continue for years. Robert De Niro Sr. (1922–1993) was a painter, poet, and sculptor who studied under German expressionist Hans Hofmann at Black Mountain College. He was married to painter Virginia Admiral, and the couple separated shortly after Robert De Niro Jr.'s birth. De Niro Sr. later came out as gay. The documentary traces his artistic career through his work and private diaries, aiming to shed light on a career overlooked by critics. During the Tribeca Festival, JR and De Niro held an intimate conversation and screened fragments of the short film, showing De Niro Sr.'s studio left untouched since his death. JR commented on the diaries' depth, noting the artist's struggle with self-esteem and lack of recognition. De Niro shared that he left the studio exactly as it was, wanting his children to know his father as a true great artist. JR involved De Niro in performances, such as carrying a large print of his father and lying on it in a field, which De Niro found moving.