Art in documentaries

For some years now there's been a growing interest in documentaries about art or about specific artists. In this article we're going to run through some of the most recent and notable ones, like The artist is present about Marina Abramovic (2013), Exit through the gift shop about Banksy, F for Fake (1973) or Warhol (2013).

In 2013 a documentary about the Serbian artist Marina Abramovic, The artist is present, shook up the art world. One hundred and six minutes in which the daring artist creates a provocative piece of work that moves everyone who gets to see it. The documentary follows the artist as she prepares a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Not only is it a great chance for her to become better known, but through her body and her work she manages to answer all those who for more than four decades have never stopped asking what is and isn't art.

Along those same provocative lines, back in 2010 Exit Through the Gift Shop also came as a surprise, a controversial documentary film directed by Banksy, the famous street artist. The documentary managed to spark a debate about how trustworthy it was, since some called it a mockumentary or fake documentary. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer and won Best Film at the Independent Spirit Awards. Its main character Thierry Guetta is a French immigrant living in Los Angeles with a huge passion for street art. Guetta sets out to meet his cousin, the urban artist known as "Invader". A curious documentary that shows the works of the street artists he admires, like Shepard Fairey or Banksy, who keeps his anonymity throughout with dark shots that never reveal his face, always covered by his well known hood.

On the subject of graffiti, the well known Writers also stands out, a documentary that has become a reference point for the graffiti scene. Directed by Marc-Aurèle Vecchione and narrated by the famous French actor Vincent Cassel, it offers a wide range of unseen material, as well as interviews with artists such as Bando, Mode2, Jayone, Skki, Lokiss, Delta, Shoe, Futura and Seen.

Back in 1976 the film F for Fake had already caused a stir, with Orson Welles, who directed, co-wrote and acted in it. In it he focuses on the career of art forger Elmyr de Hory. A film that turns into an investigation and a reflection on the value of art and the real role of authorship and authenticity. Curiously, besides the film Welles also shot and edited a standalone 9 minute short as a sort of "trailer" made almost entirely of original material not found in the main film.

About the well known and always interesting Andy Warhol there have been a film and several documentaries, like the BBC production Andy Warhol: A Master of the Modern Era, which looks at Andy Warhol's work and its impact. The documentary reveals how Andy Warhol pointed out and portrayed our obsession with consumerism, celebrities and the media, only to then reinvent them all over again.

In 2006, George Hickenlooper directed the film Factory Girl starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce and Hayden Christensen, which tells the life of Edie Sedgwick, friend and muse of Andy Warhol, who had already directed her in other films.

Also very curious is the documentary The Woodmans, which tells the story of the Woodmans, a family of artists known for their belief that making art is the highest form of expression. Francesca Woodman became one of the most recognised and influential photographers of the late 20th century with her black and white photographs of women and her self-portraits. It also reflects her tragic ending, because she decided to take her own life at 22.

And to finish, we recommend the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry about Ai Weiwei, one of the Chinese artists with the greatest international profile. An artist who has suffered harsh repression at the hands of the Chinese authorities, who shut down his blog, beat him, destroyed his newly built studio and held him in custody. A documentary that has won many awards, among them the special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012, and that shows us the life and work of a great artist.

And in case you feel like starting with one of them, here's the trailer for Marina Abramovic, The Artist is present from Karma Films, a must see!