Alright, so you’ve read through our reading list, you’ve added our podcast suggestions to your subscription list, and you still want more! What better way to delve into art history than through movies. Here is a list of some of our favorite art themed movies and documentaries:
Documentaries:
Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present (2012)- This documentary follows the preparations for performance artist Marina Abramovic’s solo exhibition at MOMA.
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) – In this documentary, filmmarker Terry Guetta follows the growing secretive community of street artists during the 1990s.
Finding Vivian Maier (2013)- A prolific street photographer during the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Vivian Maier recorded the beautiful and mundane. While her photographs number in the thousands, little is know about the woman behind the camera.
Films About Art/Artists:
The Monuments Men (2012): Based on the non-fiction book by the same title, this film follows the unlikely WWII platoon placed in charge of rescuing art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and destruction.
Frida (2002) – Salma Hayak was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of the professional and private life of well-known female artist, Frida Kahlo.
Artemisia (1997) – A fictionalized portrayal of Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi’s early career and life.
Loving Vincent (2017) – This visually stunning film is composed of 65,000 oil paintings which tells the imagined story of the last few days leading up to the death of Vincent Van Gogh.
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) – This film depicts the on-going conflict between Michelangelo and Pope Julius II during the creation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Seraphine (2008) – The film presents the life of French painter Seraphine de Senlis, who was discovered by an art collector in the summer before World War II.
As the weather is starting to cool down and fall arrives, a cozy movie night is just the way to spend an evening! We hope these suggestions offer some ideas for your next movie night!
-Claire and Taylor
Renaissance Reframed 