11 Jan 2009
Francis Bacon in His Own Words
A collection of BBC archive material about painter Francis Bacon, including a previously unseen interview recorded in 1965.
A portrait of sculptor Barbara Hepworth revisiting the Yorkshire landscapes that inspired her and her home studio in St Ives, Cornwall.
Self
Self
Voice of Barbara Hepworth
11 Jan 2009
A collection of BBC archive material about painter Francis Bacon, including a previously unseen interview recorded in 1965.
15 May 2008
Klaus Kinski has perhaps the most ferocious reputation of all screen actors: his volatility was documented to electrifying effect in Werner Herzog’s 1999 portrait My Best Fiend. This documentary provides further fascinating insight into the talent and the tantrums of the great man. Beset by hecklers, Kinski tries to deliver an epic monologue about the life of Christ (with whom he perhaps identifies a little too closely). The performance becomes a stand-off, as Kinski fights for control of the crowd and alters the words to bait his tormentors. Indispensable for Kinski fans, and a riveting introduction for newcomers, this is a unique document, which Variety called ‘a time capsule of societal ideals and personal demons.’
15 Jul 2021
Alma W. Thomas lived a life of firsts: the first Fine Arts graduate of Howard University (1924), the first Black woman to mount a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1972), and the first Black woman to have her paintings exhibited in the White House (2009). Yet she did not receive national attention until she was 80.
16 Jul 2017
He is a major figure in the pop art movement; one of the most popular and influential artists of his generation. The motifs and colors of his canvasses have been widely reproduced, and are now part of the 20th century art pantheon, changing the way we view the world. Hockney is typically seen as an artist who loves life, a good time, glamour and sex. The highly personal and emotional side of his work is often overlooked, much like the intensity and individuality he has shown in each of his successive periods and styles. Through images, anecdotes, and detailed pictorial analysis, this documentary highlights how the renowned painter defies classification and remains mysterious in many ways: an intense, profound, and infinitely passionate artist.
28 Nov 2006
Documentary about the artists Sigrid Hjertén and Isaac Grünewald.
28 Nov 2020
La Garoupe, a beach in Antibes, in 1937. For one summer, the painter and photographer Man Ray films his friends Pablo Picasso, Dora Maar, Paul Eluard and his wife Nusch, as well as Lee Miller. During these few weeks, love, friendship, poetry, photography and painting are still mixed in the carefree and the creativity specific to the artistic movements of the interwar period.
05 Mar 2016
A documentary exploring the birth, death and resurrection of illustrated movie poster art. Through interviews with a number of key art personalities from the 70s and 80s, as well as many modern, alternative poster artists, “Twenty-Four by Thirty-Six” aims to answer the question: What happened to the illustrated movie poster? Where did it disappear to, and why? In the mid 2000s, filling the void left behind by Hollywood’s abandonment of illustrated movie posters, independent artists and galleries began selling limited edition, screenprinted posters — a movement that has quickly exploded into a booming industry with prints selling out online in seconds, inspiring Hollywood studios to take notice of illustration in movie posters once more.
18 Jul 1966
Francis Bacon: Fragments of a Portrait explores the recurring themes in Bacon’s work, his influences and his life. The documentary is accompanied by a haunting score specially composed by Edwin Astley for the production.
03 Aug 2020
How did the Impressionists view the world? What relationship did they have with technique, with color, with light and with the universe of shapes that made up reality before their eyes? How were their works received? How did they go from being rejected by critics and the public to becoming among the most loved in the world in a few years? Secret Impressionists is an immersive journey into the intimacy of the Impressionists and their paintings which aims to offer a "privileged" visit that stimulates the spectators' curiosity and gives them a perspective on the works complementary to the live experience, allowing spectators in the hall to immerse themselves in the work of painters and grasp unpublished details.
03 Dec 2015
Follows a trail of over 10 museums and 150 artworks amongst the most well-known in the world. It is an artistic foray into Florence taking in everything from the Brancacci Chapel to the Bargello National Museum, from Palazzo Medici, to the narrow city streets and Brunelleschi’s Dome, from Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery, without neglecting picture postcard places such as the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria.
05 Feb 2019
Pablo Picasso is one of the greatest artists of all time - and right up until his death in 1973 he was the most prolific of artists. Many films have dealt with these later years - the art, the affairs and the wide circle of friends. But where did this all begin? What made Picasso in the first place? Too long ignored, it is time to look at the early years of Picasso; the upbringing and the learning that led to his extraordinary achievements.
09 Dec 2015
This landmark film uses new evidence to investigate the truth behind Mona Lisa's identity and where she lived. It decodes centuries-old documents and uses state-of-the-art technology that could unlock the long-hidden truths of history's most iconic work of art.
31 Dec 2006
The documentary shows the world of the surrealist Canadian artist Alan Glass, his work, his home, his friends, his boxes, all his universe is presented through the point of view of art critics, artists and friends.
25 Apr 2015
Nychos is an illustrator, Urban Art- and Graffiti artist who became known with his street concept RABBIT EYE MOVEMENT (REM) 10 years ago. The icon of the movement is a white rabbit, which has been breeding since then and has been popping up in the streets all over the globe for the past decade. This is exactly what Nychos thrives for – he travels the world to spread his art and his REM concept. Within the last two years Nychos was accompanied by filmmaker Christian Fischer who recorded these journeys to create a full lenght movie. ”The Deepest Depths Of The Burrow” is a documentary about art, lifestyle and subculture.
03 Sep 1966
In March and April of 1966, Markopoulos created this filmic portrait of writers and artists from his New York circle, including Parker Tyler, W. H. Auden, Jasper Johns, Susan Sontag, Storm De Hirsch, Jonas Mekas, Allen Ginsberg, and George and Mike Kuchar, most observed in their homes or studios. Filmed in vibrant color, Galaxie pulses with life. It is a masterpiece of in-camera composition and editing, and stands as a vibrant response to Andy Warhol's contemporary Screen Tests. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2001.
02 May 2023
Debut of 5 young winners from the program "Project Alpha" who have the ability to sing, dance and become a new artist.
10 Jan 2016
Jake Chapman explores why Goya's The Disasters of War etchings are so central to his own art and explains why, for him, there is a fundamental conflict at the heart of Goya's art.
29 Apr 2021
THE STORY WON’T DIE, from Award-winning filmmaker David Henry Gerson, is an inspiring, timely look at a young generation of Syrian artists who use their work to protest and process what is currently the world’s largest and longest ongoing displacement of people since WWII. The film is produced by Sundance Award-winner Odessa Rae (Navalny). Rapper Abu Hajar, together with other creative personalities of the Syrian uprising, a post-Rock musician (Anas Maghrebi), members of the first all-female Syrian rock band (Bahila Hijazi + Lynn Mayya), break-dancer (Bboy Shadow), choreographer (Medhat Aldaabal), and visual artists (Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam + Diala Brisly), use their art to rise in revolution and endure in exile in this new documentary reflecting on a battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression. It is an uplifting and humanizing look at what it means to be a refugee in today’s world and offers inspiring and hopeful vantages on a creative response to the chaos of war.
14 Jul 2005
In 2005, Michael Palin set out to unlock the mysteries and find out about the background and life of Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi. Hammershøi painted around the start of the 20th century and many of his pictures have a distinct coolness and distance about them. Palin, wanting to know of his inspirations and the reason for these mystical pictures, starts his search in Hayward Gallery in London, goes to Amsterdam and finally the painters home town, Copenhagen (Denmark).
08 Jun 2021
Working closely with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Sunflowers goes beyond a ‘virtual exhibition’, delving into the rich and complex stories behind each of the paintings to unveil the mysteries of the sunflowers. What did the flowers mean to Van Gogh, and why do they resonate so much with audiences today? With a striking portrayal of the artist by actor Jamie de Courcey and fascinating insights from art historians, botanists and everything in between, the film offers a unique insight into Van Gogh’s life and artwork.