Art Documentaries
List activity
66 views
• 1 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
30 titles
- StarsLiev SchreiberSimon SchamaMaya JasanoffNine-part series telling the story of art from the dawn of human history to the present day, for the first time on a global scale. It is now nearly half a century since Kenneth Clark's series Civilisation thrilled audiences with its authoritative interpretation of the glories of Western art. Inspired by that groundbreaking program, this new series of Civilisations introduces a new generation to the great masterworks of beauty, ingenuity and illumination created across the continents. It explores the visual culture of societies from around the globe, revealing alongside the magnificent objects made in the West the wealth of treasures created by other cultures, from the landscape scrolls of classical China and the sculpture of the Olmecs to African bronzes, Japanese prints and Mughal miniatures. Told by three presenters, each bringing their own skills and perspectives to the series - Simon Schama, Mary Beard and David Olusoga.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- StarsSimon SchamaAllan CordunerPaul PopplewellFocusing on eight iconic works of art, Power of Art reveals the history of visual imagination through the ages.
- StarsRoger ScrutonContemporary philosopher Roger Scruton presents a fascinating argument for the importance of beauty in our art and in our lives, and explores what truly is and is not beautiful, regardless of its beholder.
- DirectorDavid BickerstaffStarsPeter AbrahamsCristine AcidiniSergej AndrosovThe life and work of Michelangelo, one of the most important artists of the Italian High Renaissance, are brought to life in this documentary through an exhibition in the National Gallery that also explore his relationship with da Vinci.
- DirectorTellerStarsTim JenisonPenn JilletteMartin MullInventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.
- DirectorArne BirkenstockStarsWolfgang BeltracchiHelene BeltracchiHenrik HansteinA mesmerizing, thought-provoking yet surprisingly amusing documentary on the life and times of Wolfgang Beltracchi, who tricked the international art world for nearly 40 years by forging and selling paintings of early 20th-century masters. A larger-than-life personality who was responsible for the biggest art forgery scandal of the postwar era.
- StarsPhilippe LeroyGiulio BosettiGiorgio PiazzaMiniseries dramatizing the life of the Italian Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).
- StarsKenneth ClarkIan RichardsonRonald LaceySir Kenneth Clarke walks through the ages exploring the glorious rise of civilization in Western man.
- DirectorEmanuele ImbucciStarsEnrico Lo VersoIvano MarescottiA painter recounts the life of Michelangelo.
- DirectorAndreas KoefoedStarsMohammad Bin SalmanDoug PattesonMartin KempThe 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.
- DirectorFrancesco InvernizziStarsAndrea BacchiAnna ColivaLuigi FicacciA documentary about Gian Lorenzo Bernini, creator of the Baroque sculptural style. It shows more than 60 masterpieces exhibited in Villa Borghese, Rome. These prestigious masterpieces are explained and analyzed in detail.
- DirectorColin M. DayStarsBen EineGlen E. FriedmanKelly 'Risk' GravalInternationally known graffiti artist, Banksy, left his mark on San Francisco in April 2010. Little did he know that this act of vandalism would spark a chain of events that includes one of his rats being removed from a wall, Museums ignorantly turning down a free Banksy street work, and a NY gallerist who has made it his business model to remove Banksy street works from all over the globe doing whatever it takes to get the rat in his possession.
- DirectorLuca ViottoStarsFlavio ParentiAngela CurriEnrico Lo VersoRaphael - the Lord of the Arts is the first film adaptation of the life and work of one of the most famous artists in the world, Raphael Sanzio.
- DirectorMiki WecelStarsBartosz ArmusiewiczSean M. BobbittDouglas BoothThe journey of two passionate filmmakers to achieve their impossible dream: creating the world's first fully painted feature film.
- DirectorValeria ParisiStarsJeremy IronsMiguel FalomirAndrés Úbeda de los CobosIt's not only a museum of Spain. It's the museum of Spain.
- DirectorGiovanni TroiloStarsAsia ArgentoFlorencia Maria HartGraciela IturbideThe two sides of Frida Kahlo's spirit: on one side the revolutionary, pioneering artist of contemporary feminism and on the other, the human being, victim of her tortured body and a tormented relationship.
- DirectorDavid GrubinStarsDavid McCulloughSander GilmanPeter GuentherThis is a documentary from 1993 about the art exhibit under the Nazi regime of what they considered to be the most corrupting and corrosive examples of what they called 'Entartete Kunst' or 'Degenerate Art.' The exhibit, which opened in July of 1937, was meant to be laughed at and despised.
- StarsMark CousinsJuan Diego BottoAleksandr SokurovA comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.
- StarsJames FoxYoshiaki NakamuraDaikô MatsuyamDr James Fox examines the art and culture of Japan, exploring the links between culture, the countryside, urban landscapes and religion.
- DirectorDouglas WilsonStarsMatthew CarterRay DesChampsElln HagneyCalled the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by Thomas Edison, the Linotype revolutionized printing and society. The film tells the surprisingly emotional story of the people connected to the Linotype and how it impacted the world.
- DirectorJohannes HolzhausenStarsArnout BalisChristian Beaufort-SpontinMarcello FarabegoliAn in-depth look at daily life at one of the most famous cultural institutions in the world, The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
- DirectorLucy WalkerKaren HarleyJoão JardimStarsVik MunizOn 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.
- DirectorFrederick WisemanStarsLeanne BenjaminKausikan RajeshkumarJo ShapcottA documentary that goes inside one of the great museums of the world: The National Gallery in London.
- DirectorTamra DavisStarsJean Michel BasquiatJulian SchnabelLarry GagosianDirector Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsManfred SchulzMassimo VignelliRick PoynorA documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture.
- DirectorAndrew HuttonStarsBenedict CumberbatchJamie ParkerAidan McArdleThe story of Vincent Van Gogh, with dialogue sourced from his own words.
- DirectorIreneusz DobrowolskiStarsStanislav SzukalskiGlenn BrayRobert WilliamsThis documentary chronicles the life of Polish-American artist Stanislav Szukalski (1893-1987) from his early years in Chicago, to his time in Poland and Los Angeles, and his artistic and political contributions to the world.
- DirectorJames MollStarsPedro AlonzoMr. BrainwashRobbie ConalThe life and career of street artist, illustrator, graphic designer, activist, and founder of OBEY Clothing, Shepard Fairey.