By Jessica Dawson
Friday, March 14, 2008

- Painter Eric Finzi traces present-day celeb culture back to the giddy scandals of French actress Sarah Bernhardt, the belle epoque actress of stage and screen whose paramours, male and female, made her the (pre-Brad) Angelina of her day. In a series of portraits, Finzi depicts Bernhardt in repose, in costume or frozen in publicity stills; the surfboard-slick surfaces of his paintings -- they're actually pigment suspended in clear resin -- connote glossy pictures and sex appeal. Finzi co-opted the title of Bernhardt's memoir "My Double Life" to title this show; the move suggests a fandom that runs deep.

Eric Finzi at Heineman Myers, 4728 Hampden Lane, Bethesda, Wednesday-Friday 1-6 p.m., Saturday 1-7 p.m. , Sunday 1-5 p.m., 301-951-7900, to April 6; http://www.heinemanmyers.com.