Adrian Bol
Adrian Bol is a Dutch-born director, screenwriter, and visual artist whose work spans film and painting, united by a deep commitment to emotional truth, authenticity, and human transformation.
An alumnus of the prestigious Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Art in Amsterdam, Adrian began his creative journey as a painter, developing a strong visual language rooted in composition, atmosphere, and inner life—foundations that would later define his cinematic voice.
As a visual artist, his paintings have been exhibited internationally, including at Casa de l’Arte in Barcelona, the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, and Casina Pompeiana in Naples, a historic landmark overlooking the Gulf of Naples.
Parallel to his work as a painter, Adrian has built an internationally acclaimed career in film over more than two decades. His journey has taken him across Europe and beyond, living and working in Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Rome, and collaborating with Oscar-winning producers, renowned actors, and bestselling authors.
His films are known for their emotionally charged, character-driven storytelling, often exploring themes of espionage, betrayal, redemption, and the long shadow of past choices.
His most notable feature, Legacy of Lies (2020), became a global success, reaching No. 2 on Netflix U.S. and No. 4 on Netflix UK. The film received widespread acclaim and earned Adrian multiple international awards, including Best Director and Best Feature Film at the Ferrara Film Festival, Best Director at the London Independent Film Awards, and Best Feature Film at both the Hollywood Art and Movie Awards and the New York International Film Festival.
Whether through film or paint, Adrian Bol’s work seeks the same goal: to illuminate the inner struggle of the human soul and create stories—and images—that linger long after they are experienced.
Adrian’s art has taken on new spiritual life. His paintings are an expression of faith and redemption—a visual ministry meant to inspire hope and light. Each piece he creates contributes to charitable causes, transforming art into an act of giving.
Adrian Bol is a Dutch-born director, screenwriter, and visual artist whose work spans film and painting, united by a deep commitment to emotional truth, authenticity, and human transformation.
An alumnus of the prestigious Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Art in Amsterdam, Adrian began his creative journey as a painter, developing a strong visual language rooted in composition, atmosphere, and inner life—foundations that would later define his cinematic voice.
As a visual artist, his paintings have been exhibited internationally, including at Casa de l’Arte in Barcelona, the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, and Casina Pompeiana in Naples, a historic landmark overlooking the Gulf of Naples.
Adrian’s art has taken on new spiritual life. His paintings are an expression of faith and redemption—a visual ministry meant to inspire hope and light. Each piece he creates contributes to charitable causes, transforming art into an act of giving.
Parallel to his work as a painter, Adrian has built an internationally acclaimed career in film over more than two decades. His journey has taken him across Europe and beyond, living and working in Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Rome, and collaborating with Oscar-winning producers, renowned actors, and bestselling authors.
His films are known for their emotionally charged, character-driven storytelling, often exploring themes of espionage, betrayal, redemption, and the long shadow of past choices.
His most notable feature, Legacy of Lies (2020), became a global success, reaching No. 2 on Netflix U.S. and No. 4 on Netflix UK. The film received widespread acclaim and earned Adrian multiple international awards, including Best Director and Best Feature Film at the Ferrara Film Festival, Best Director at the London Independent Film Awards, and Best Feature Film at both the Hollywood Art and Movie Awards and the New York International Film Festival.
Whether through film or paint, Adrian Bol’s work seeks the same goal: to illuminate the inner struggle of the human soul and create stories—and images—that linger long after they are experienced.
Adrian’s art has taken on new spiritual life. His paintings are an expression of faith and redemption—a visual ministry meant to inspire hope and light. Each piece he creates contributes to charitable causes, transforming art into an act of giving.
Directing Breaking Cover with Andrzej Sekuła, cinematographer of Pulp Fiction
"Breaking Cover is not just a survival thriller; it’s an intense, visceral experience that plunges you into a world of primal instincts, broken bonds, and redemption. Set against the brutal beauty of nature, my goal is to take you on an emotional and harrowing journey — one that grips your heart, ignites your senses, and leaves you breathless in the
fire and water that define this unforgettable story.”
Adrian Bol - Director
Directing Breaking Cover with Andrzej Sekuła, cinematographer of Pulp Fiction
"Breaking Cover is not just a survival thriller; it’s an intense, visceral experience that plunges you into a world of primal instincts, broken bonds, and redemption. Set against the brutal beauty of nature, my goal is to take you on an emotional and harrowing journey — one that grips your heart, ignites your senses, and leaves you breathless in the
fire and water that define this unforgettable story.”
Adrian Bol - Director
Warrior Horse
165 × 115 cm - Oil on canvas
165 × 115 cm - Oil on canvas
In this painting, Adrian Bol presents not a depiction of a horse, but a site of spiritual conflict. The figure emerges and dissolves at once, as if caught between opposing forces. What unfolds on the canvas is less a physical scene than a moment of spiritual warfare—quiet, internal, and unresolved.
The horse, historically a symbol of power and conquest, is here rendered fragile and strained. Thick, gestural brushstrokes push the form upward and apart, suggesting a struggle that is not merely bodily but metaphysical. The composition feels contested, as though something unseen is pressing through the surface.
Bol’s restrained palette—muted creams and pale flesh tones disrupted by cobalt blues, ochres, and flashes of red—reads as emotional and spiritual residue rather than color choice. The blues and reds feel like opposing energies, clashing and intertwining, while lighter passages hint at moments of grace or surrender. This spiritual journey seeps through the painting rather than announcing itself; it is felt before it is understood.
The surface remains raw and exposed. Bol allows uncertainty to stay visible, reinforcing the sense that this is not a victory scene, but a passage through doubt, resistance, and faith. Strength here is provisional, tested.
The influence of Bol’s cinematic sensibility is evident in the suspended tension of the image. The painting feels like a frozen threshold—caught between fall and ascent, despair and resolve.
Rather than offering resolution, the work invites contemplation. It asks the viewer not to observe the struggle from a distance, but to recognize it within themselves.