Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "art-documentary"

1. Anselm (2023)

93 min | Documentary

Anselm Kiefer is one of the greatest contemporary artists. His past and present diffuse the line between film and painting, thus giving a unique cinematic experience that dives deep into an artist's work and reveals his life path.

Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Anselm Kiefer, Daniel Kiefer, Anton Wenders, Ingeborg Bachmann

Votes: 1,245

2. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)

Unrated | 113 min | Documentary

Follows the life of artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty who was greatly responsible for the opioid epidemic's unfathomable death toll.

Director: Laura Poitras | Stars: Nan Goldin, David Velasco, Megan Kapler, Marina Berio

Votes: 7,785

3. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (2023)

103 min | Documentary, Music

Ryuichi Sakamoto's last performance, a concert film featuring just him and his piano playing for the last time before passing away.

Director: Neo Sora | Star: Ryuichi Sakamoto

Votes: 366

4. Crumb (1994)

R | 119 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy

An intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.

Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb

Votes: 21,590 | Gross: $3.17M

5. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime

Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.

Director: Banksy | Stars: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader, Debora Guetta

Votes: 68,819 | Gross: $3.29M

6. The Sparks Brothers (2021)

R | 140 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy

A musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks.

Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Beck, Jane Wiedlin

Votes: 6,051

7. The Joy of Painting (1983–1994)

TV-G | 25 min | Documentary, Family

In this half-hour program, artist Bob Ross paints a beautiful oil painting on canvas.

Stars: Bob Ross, Steve Ross, Dana Jester, Peep

Votes: 6,148

8. American Masters (1985– )

TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Documentary series focusing on great American artists and personalities.

Stars: Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Tony Bennett, Dick Cavett

Votes: 1,170

9. Squaring the Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis (2022)

101 min | Documentary

The story of the album art design studio, Hipgnosis, who created some of the most iconic album covers of all time.

Director: Anton Corbijn | Stars: Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Noel Gallagher, Jimmy Page

Votes: 1,521

10. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

G | 90 min | Documentary, History

Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.

Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Jean Clottes, Julien Monney, Jean-Michel Geneste

Votes: 17,788 | Gross: $5.23M

11. The Thief Collector (2022)

96 min | Documentary, Crime

In 1985, Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre," one of the most valuable paintings of the 20th century, was cut from its frame at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. 32 years later, the painting was found hanging in a New Mexico home.

Director: Allison Otto | Stars: Glenn Howerton, Sarah Minnich, Brandon Z Ruiz, Eric Banks

Votes: 497

12. The Lost Leonardo (2021)

PG-13 | 96 min | Documentary, Mystery

The mystery surrounding the Salvator Mundi, the first painting by Leonardo da Vinci to be discovered for more than a century, which has now seemingly gone missing.

Director: Andreas Koefoed | Stars: Mohammad Bin Salman, Martin Kemp, Doug Patteson, Robert Simon

Votes: 2,757

13. Faces Places (2017)

PG | 94 min | Documentary, Adventure

Director Agnes Varda and photographer/muralist J.R. journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

Directors: JR, Agnès Varda | Stars: Agnès Varda, JR, Jeannine Carpentier, Clemens Van Dungern

Votes: 13,601 | Gross: $0.95M

14. Marvel Studios: Assembled (2021– )

TV-14 | 58 min | Documentary

Assembled is a comprehensive documentary series that chronicles the creation of Marvel Studios' thrilling new shows and theatrical releases. Assembled is an immersive, and in-depth examination of the next phase of the MCU.

Stars: Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Brad Winderbaum, Nate Moore

Votes: 3,033

15. Lynch/Oz (2022)

108 min | Documentary

Victor Fleming's film The Wizard of Oz (1939) is one of David Lynch's most enduring obsessions. This documentary goes over the rainbow to explore this Technicolor through-line in Lynch's work.

Director: Alexandre O. Philippe | Stars: Amy Nicholson, Rodney Ascher, John Waters, Karyn Kusama

Votes: 1,058

16. Finding Vivian Maier (2013)

Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, Mystery

A documentary on the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers.

Directors: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel | Stars: Vivian Maier, John Maloof, Daniel Arnaud, Simon Amédé

Votes: 15,083 | Gross: $1.51M

17. Abstract: The Art of Design (2017– )

TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary

A look beyond blueprints and computers into the art and science of design, showcasing great designers from every discipline whose work shapes our world.

Stars: Platon, Tinker Hatfield, Ian Spalter, Cas Holman

Votes: 5,909

18. The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)

Not Rated | 62 min | Documentary, History

A comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.

Stars: Mark Cousins, Juan Diego Botto, Aleksandr Sokurov, Norman Lloyd

Votes: 4,831

19. This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist (2021)

TV-MA | 53 min | Documentary, Crime, History

March 18, 1990, 13 works of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Guards admitted two men posing as police officers responding to a disturbance call, and the thieves tied the guards up and looted the museum.

Stars: Shelley Murphy, Anne Hawley, Dick Ellis, Martin Leppo

Votes: 4,838

20. The Painter and the Thief (2020)

106 min | Documentary

An artist befriends the thief who stole her paintings. She becomes his closest ally when he is severely hurt in a car crash and needs full time care, even if her paintings are not found. But then the tables turn.

Director: Benjamin Ree | Stars: Karl Bertil-Nordland, Barbora Kysilkova, Øystein Stene

Votes: 4,310

21. Voir (2021)

TV-MA | 20 min | Documentary

Film lovers examine the cinematic moments that thrilled, perplexed, challenged and forever changed them in this collection of visual essays.

Stars: Taylor Ramos, Drew McWeeny, Tony Zhou, Walter Chaw

Votes: 1,694

22. Light & Magic (2022)

TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, History

Showcasing the people of Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects division of Lucasfilm, this series takes us back in time as they create the effects for some of the biggest and most successful films of the last 45 years.

Stars: George Lucas, Dennis Muren, Lorne Peterson, Ron Howard

Votes: 3,217

23. Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (1994)

Not Rated | 30 min | Documentary, Short, Biography

An intimate portrait of the photographer and the complex, enigmatic pictures she takes of her children

Directors: Steven Cantor, Peter Spirer | Stars: Sally Mann, Virginia Mann, Jessie Mann, Emmett Mann

Votes: 170

24. Fake or Fortune (2010– )

63 min | Documentary, Mystery

Journalist Fiona Bruce teams up with art expert Philip Mould to investigate mysteries behind paintings.

Stars: Fiona Bruce, Philip Mould, Bendor Grosvenor, Aviva Burnstock

Votes: 688

25. The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022)

TV-MA | 66 min | Documentary, Biography

After he's shot in 1968, Andy Warhol begins documenting his life and feelings. Those diaries, and this docuseries, take a peek behind his persona.

Stars: Bill Irwin, Jeffrey Deitch, Jessica Beck, Bob Colacello

Votes: 2,702

26. Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer (2022)

102 min | Documentary

Documentary presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist of our time.

Director: Thomas von Steinaecker | Stars: Werner Herzog, Chloé Zhao, Joshua Oppenheimer, Patti Smith

Votes: 579

27. Waste Land (2010)

Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary

On the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro is Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill, where men and women sift through garbage for a living. Artist Vik Muniz produces portraits of the workers and learns about their lives.

Directors: Lucy Walker, Karen Harley, João Jardim | Star: Vik Muniz

Votes: 9,362 | Gross: $0.19M

28. Tim's Vermeer (2013)

PG-13 | 80 min | Documentary, History

Inventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.

Director: Teller | Stars: Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette, Martin Mull, Philip Steadman

Votes: 8,557 | Gross: $1.66M

29. Civilisation (1969–1970)

TV-G | 698 min | Documentary, History, Music

Sir Kenneth Clarke walks through the ages exploring the glorious rise of civilization in Western man.

Stars: Kenneth Clark, Ian Richardson, Ronald Lacey, Patrick Stewart

Votes: 1,066

30. Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave (2019)

102 min | Documentary

For the first time ever, explore the myths behind the controversial film I Spit on Your Grave (1978).

Director: Terry Zarchi | Stars: Camille Keaton, Meir Zarchi, Gunter Kleemann, Eron Tabor

Votes: 199

31. LA Ink (2007–2011)

TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, Reality-TV

Kat Von D returns home to Los Angeles to realize her dream of opening her own tattoo shop. She soon has musicians and rising stars lining up at High Voltage Tattoo for her famous black and grey ink designs.

Stars: Katherine von Drachenberg, Adrienne Ironside, Corey Miller, Aubry Fisher

Votes: 2,627

32. Scala!!! Or, the Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World's Wildest Cinema and How It Influenced a Mixed-up Generation of Weirdos and Misfits (2023)

96 min | Documentary

A feature-length big screen documentary telling the riotous inside story of the infamous sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll repertory cinema which inspired a generation during Britain's turbulent Thatcher years.

Directors: Ali Catterall, Jane Giles | Stars: Barry Adamson, John Akomfrah, Rick Baker, Ralph Brown

Votes: 266

33. Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art (2020)

94 min | Documentary, Crime

Made You Look is an American crime documentary about the largest art fraud in American history set in the super rich, super obsessed and super fast art world of New York.

Director: Barry Avrich | Stars: Ann Freedman, M.H. Miller, Perry Amsellem, Patricia Cohen

Votes: 4,874

34. Instant Dreams (2017)

91 min | Documentary, Drama, Sci-Fi

INSTANT DREAMS tells the story of a group of scientist who are trying to unravel the chemical formula of Polaroid and the Polaroid-users that eagerly await its rebirth. Each in their own way tries to keeps their instant dream alive.

Director: Willem Baptist | Stars: Stefanie Schneider, Stephen Herchen, Chris Bonanos, Edwin H. Land

Votes: 1,155

35. Dear Mr. Watterson (2013)

TV-PG | 89 min | Documentary

A documentary about the impact of the newspaper comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," created by Bill Watterson.

Director: Joel Allen Schroeder | Stars: Berkeley Breathed, Jef Mallett, Stephan Pastis, Seth Green

Votes: 2,034 | Gross: $0.01M

36. Beauty and the Breast (2012)

Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary, Drama

A compelling insight into a devastating reality of breast cancer, as seen through the eyes of several female patients helping demystify the disease while painting poignant and often humorous intimate portraits of survival.

Director: Liliana Komorowska | Stars: Leyda Aleyli, Michael Brown, Liliana Komorowska

Votes: 70

37. Pensées et visions d'une tête coupée (1991)

26 min | Documentary, Short

Portrait of an imaginary painter from the life and work of Antoine Wiertz (1806-1865).

Directors: Olivier Smolders, Johan van den Driessche | Stars: Christian Courtois, Alexandre von Sivers, Lémi Cétol, Barbara De Jonghe

Votes: 128

38. Moving Art (2014–2019)

25 min | Documentary

Experience nature's art as filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg highlights the beauty that lurks in oceans, forests, deserts and flowers.

Votes: 590

39. The Art of the Steal (2009)

Unrated | 101 min | Documentary

Documentary that follows the struggle for control of Dr. Albert C. Barnes' 25 billion dollar collection of modern and post-impressionist art.

Director: Don Argott | Stars: Julian Bond, David D'Arcy, Richard Feigen, Richard H. Glanton

Votes: 2,492 | Gross: $0.54M

40. Helvetica (2007)

Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary

A documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture.

Director: Gary Hustwit | Stars: Manfred Schulz, Massimo Vignelli, Rick Poynor, Wim Crouwel

Votes: 8,169 | Gross: $0.20M

41. Soviet Bus Stops (2022)

60 min | Documentary, History

Uncovering the stories of the designers who built fascinating architectural marvels during the Soviet regime, Soviet Bus Stops is an ode to the power of individual creativity that would not be suppressed.

Director: Kristoffer Hegnsvad | Stars: Christopher Herwig, Victor Sheptunov Illarionovich, Konstantinas Jakovlevas-Mateckis, Jüri Konsap

Votes: 170

42. Tales by Light (2015– )

23 min | Documentary

Behind every powerful image is a powerful story. Uniting exploration, photography and the natural world, Tales By Light follows photographers from Australia and around the world as they push the limits of their craft.

Stars: Art Wolfe, Jonathan Scott, Angela Scott, Eric Cheng

Votes: 2,048

43. Kusama: Infinity (2018)

Unrated | 76 min | Documentary

Artist Yayoi Kusama and experts discuss her life and work, from her modest beginnings in Japan to becoming an internationally renowned artist.

Director: Heather Lenz | Star: Yayoi Kusama

Votes: 1,211 | Gross: $0.36M

44. Tintoretto. A Rebel in Venice (2019)

G | 96 min | Documentary

A 90-minutes documentary that celebrates the 500th anniversary of the birth of the last great artist of the Italian Renaissance, the most unexpected mind that the art of painting has ever produced: Tintoretto.

Directors: Giuseppe Domingo Romano, Pepsy Romanoff | Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Greenaway, Melania Gaia Mazzucco, Stefano Accorsi

Votes: 153

45. MerPeople (2023)

TV-MA | 177 min | Documentary

Welcome to the whimsical world of professional mermaiding, where people's passion for swimming in fins has exploded into a half-billion-dollar industry.

Stars: Morgana Alba, The Blixunami, Tristan Red River Merman, Brittany Sparkles

Votes: 688

46. David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)

Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Biography

Artist and filmmaker David Lynch discusses his early life and the events that shaped his outlook on art and the creative process.

Directors: Rick Barnes, Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Jon Nguyen | Stars: David Lynch, Lula Lynch, Edwina Lynch, Donald Lynch

Votes: 6,584 | Gross: $0.17M

47. A Bigger Splash (1973)

Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama

Semi-fictionalized documentary biopic of British artist David Hockney. After a difficult break-up, Hockney is left unable to paint, much to the concern of his friends. Titled after Hockney's pop-art painting 'A Bigger Splash'.

Director: Jack Hazan | Stars: David Hockney, Peter Schlesinger, Celia Birtwell, Henry Geldzahler

Votes: 630 | Gross: $0.09M

48. Love and Saucers (2017)

Not Rated | 65 min | Documentary, Biography

David Huggins lost his virginity to an alien woman -among 100 other extra-terrestrial encounters -and chronicled it all in surreal paintings, few of which have ever been seen. Love & Saucers is his story.

Director: Brad Abrahams | Star: David Huggins

Votes: 275

49. Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012)

Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, History

A documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Directors: Matthew Akers, Jeff Dupre | Stars: Marina Abramovic, Ulay, Klaus Biesenbach, David Balliano

Votes: 6,474 | Gross: $0.09M

50. Britain's Lost Masterpieces (2016– )

Documentary, Biography, History

Art experts track down the work of of some of the biggest names in art that are lying hidden away in museums, art galleries and country houses around the UK.

Stars: Bendor Grosvenor, Emma Dabiri, Simon Gillespie, Simon Gillespie

Votes: 59