I love watching documentaries about artists. I find them informative and inspirational. I will often even have one playing in the background if I am painting. Sometime just hearing someone else talk about art and help spur ideas or crystalize something I am already working on. Here are a few of my favorite art documentaries:
This film shows how Basquiat went from being a street artist living on people’s couches to one of the highest paid artists in the 80’s. I love how uses text and imagery to reference historical and cultural moments in his paintings.
This is film takes an interesting turn from documenting street art to showing how one man games the art establishment into having a massive solo show without ever making art before. We are introduced to every major street artist and the birth of a new one, Mr. Brainwash.
Beauty is Embarrassing follows Wayne White from working as a designer on PeeWee’s Playhouse to becoming an unlikely art star with his word paintings on found canvases. I love his ability to make art out of cardboard and found objects and his sense of humor.