While watching the movie Pollock not too long ago I realised that I’ve watched quite a few documentaries and films which have something to do with the world of art. I’m not someone who you can regularly see visiting a museum. I also don’t have much of an affinity with paintings, but to me that world, that subculture which has fascinated me. So a good moment to make a top 10 of my ten favorite art related films.

10. Pollock

This film, directed by Ed Harris (who also stars) is a biopic about this famous artist. Harris painted himself for the movie and it shows the creative process and is also a great performance by him.

9. My Kid Could Paint That

When it comes to abstract art you often hear “I could make that”. This documentary is about a family where the child is making abstract paintings which are quickly seen as something special. Slowly doubt starts to rise if the girl is actually painting them herself. It proves that the story behind a painting is often more important than the piece itself.
[My review]

8. Banksy Does New York

If there is someone who knows how the art world works, it is Banksy. Someone who seems to resist it, but at the same time has become so famous that he’s been able to make a lot of money off it. This documentary doesn’t only display his work, but mainly focusses on the response he gets from the people of New York when he takes residency there for a month and reveals a new piece every single day.
[My review]

7. Beltracchi

This is the first documentary in this list about forgery. I’ve said this before, but it is fascinating to see that someone is so good in painting that he can recreate a famous painting (or do one in the same style) and also fool the experts. Beltrachhi managed to do that for a long time, but eventually was caught. This documentary shows what he’s like and how he created his paintings.
[My review]

6. F for Fake

Orson Welles has been responsible for one of the best regarded movies in history (Citizen Kane). He made this documentary which isn’t only about a man who forges paintings, but also the human psyche, trying to trick the viewer.
[My review]

5. Art and Craft

I think by now it’s very clear which things within this genre I gravitate towards, as Art and Craft also revolves about a forger. The unique thing about the man in this documentary, Mark Landis, is that he recreates paintings but has never sold them. He donated them, often together with a made up story, to various museums. They were thrilled to have them and some even put them on display. En obsessive employee of one of them decided to expose Landis and this results in a fascinating documentary which also show that Landis is dealing with some personal issues.
[My review]

4. Tim’s Vermeer

Would you be able to, without any experience with a brush and paint, to recreate a painting by Vermeer? I think that your first response would immediately be no, but Tim Jenison think that he is able to do it. He has a theory about how Vermeer created his paintings and wants to prove it. This results in a very fascinating documentary which presents another view of one of the famous Dutch masters.
[My review]

3. The Art of the Steal

When one of the most important art collectors dies he has made it very clear in his will what should happen to his collection. But as he has a lot of important works of art there are people who think that there is a possibility for commercial exploitation of it. The Art of the Steal painfully shows what that could lead to.
[My review]

2. The Best Offer

Another part of the art world are of course the auctions at which classic paintings are being sold for high prices. This film, starring a fantastic Geoffrey Rush as art expert, is a masterpiece which deals with obsession. Art might not be the main focus, but it has a very strong link and shouldn’t be left out of this top 10.
[My review]

1. Exit Through the Gift Shop

The second Banksy related title in this top 10. A very enjoyable and entertaining documentary which proves that if you approach it the right way you can make it big as an artist. It isn’t Banksy, but the man making a documentary about him, Thierry Guetta who proves this. The title of course references the fact that every museum has a gift shop which you will have to walk through and that art therefore isn’t only about beauty, but also making money.
[My review]

What are your favorite films about art?