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Contemporary Art, 1960s–present

Exploring Art on Your Own

What movies have been made about famous artists?

Artists have been inspiring films for decades. The following is a short list of movies either about or inspired by artists.

  • Exit through the Gift Shop (2010). An intriguing documentary about the enigmatic street artist Banksy.
  • Little Ashes (2008). Robert Pattinson plays Salvador Dali in a film about the artist’s relationships with filmmaker Luis Bunuel and writer Federico Garcia Lorca.
  • Factory Girl (2006). A dramatic look at Edie Sedgwickaes relationship with Andy Warhol.
  • Klimt (2006). John Malkovich plays the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.
  • Modigliani (2004). A dramatic romance that focuses on the rivalry between artists Modigliani and Picasso in Paris.
  • The Girl with the Pearl Earring (2003). A film inspired by a novel by Tracy Chevalier that was in turn inspired by the famous painting by Jan Vermeer.
  • Frida (2002). Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina star as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, respectively.
  • Pollock (2000). Starring Ed Harris as abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock. Marcia Gay Harden won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Lee Kras-ner.
  • Goya in Bordeaux (1999). A dramatic Spanish language film about the artist Francisco de Goya.
  • Surviving Picasso (1996). Anthony Hopkins stars as Pablo Picasso in this film about the women in his life.
  • Basquait (1996). A biopic of the postmodernist artist Jean-Michel Basquait.
  • I Shot Andy Warhol (1996). Lili Taylor stars as Valerie Solanis, who shot Andy Warhol in 1968.
  • Vincent and Theo (1990). Robert Altman directs this film about the relationship between brothers Vincent and Theo van Gogh.
  • Camille Claudel (1988). A French film about sculptor Camille Claudel and her relationship with Auguste Rodin.
  • Oviri (1986). Donald Sutherland plays French artist Paul Gauguin.