Films about artists explore the lives, struggles, and creative processes of individuals dedicated to various forms of art. These films often delve into the complexities of artistic expression, the pursuit of passion, and the sacrifices made in the name of creativity. From painters to musicians, writers to dancers, these movies provide a glimpse into the world of artists and their unique journeys.
Here is a list of existing films about artists along with a brief description of each:
“Frida”, 2002
Director: Julie Taymor
This biographical drama tells the story of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, focusing on her tumultuous relationship with her husband Diego Rivera and her unyielding determination to create art despite physical and emotional pain.
Starring: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Valeria Golino, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton, Saffron Burrows, Antonio Banderas, Diego Luna, Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Roger Rees, Mía Maestro, Amelia Zapata, Alejandro Usigli, Lucia Bravo, Loló Navarro, Fermín Martínez, Roberto Medina, Lila Downs, Martha Claudia Moreno, Maria Ines Pintado, Aida López, Ivana Sejenovich, Diego Espinosa, Ehécatl Chávez, Didi Conn, Julian Sedgwick, William Raymond, Jorge Guerrero, Mary Luz Palacio, Margarita Sanz, Omar Rodríguez, Anthony Alvarez, Enoc Leaño, Karine Plantadit, Chavela Vargas, Jorge Zepeda, Benjamín Benítez, Thomas Ebert, Claudia Frías, Felipe Fulop, Andrés Montiel, Mauricio Osorio, Jorge Valdés García, Eszter Zakariás, Antonio Zavala;
Production year: 2002;
Genre: drama, melodrama, biography;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 118 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,3;
More information about the film “Frida” on the website imdb.com
“Basquiat”, 1996
Director: Julian Schnabel
Directed by Julian Schnabel, this film follows the life and career of Jean-Michel Basquiat, an influential American artist in the 1980s New York art scene. It explores his rise to fame, the pressures of success, and the struggles that come with being a young artist in a competitive world.
Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Jean-Claude La Marre, Parker Posey, Elina Löwensohn, Paul Bartel, Courtney Love, Tatum O'Neal, Chuck Pfeiffer, Rockets Redglare, Esther G. Schnabel, Jack Schnabel, Lola Schnabel, Peter McGough, David McDermott, Michael Chow, Stella Schnabel, Steven Randazzo, Michael Badalucco, Francis Dumaurier, Joseph R. Gannascoli, Hope Clarke, Brian Wright, Tarmo Urb, Denise Burse, Robert Alexander, Vincent Laresca, Nemo, Leonard Jackson, Dave Shelley, Fred Weller, Rene Raymond Rivera, Sam Rockwell, Ron Brice, William Seymour, Richard E. Butler, Joe Glasco, Steven Parenago, Vladamir Parenago, José Luis Ferrer, Irene Kiss, Richard the Ox, Julie Araskog;
Production year: 1996;
Genre: biography, drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 107 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,9;
More information about the film “Basquiat” on the website imdb.com
“Girl with a Pearl Earring”, 2003
Director: Peter Webber
Set in 17th-century Holland, this film is inspired by the famous painting of the same name by Johannes Vermeer. It tells the fictional story of Griet, a young woman who becomes the subject of Vermeer's painting and forms a complex relationship with the artist.
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Essie Davis, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy, Joanna Scanlan, Alakina Mann, Chris McHallem, Gabrielle Reidy, Rollo Weeks, Anna Popplewell, Anaïs Nepper, Melanie Meyfroid, Nathan Nepper, Lola Carpenter, Charlotte Carpenter, Olivia Chauveau, Geoff Bell, Virginie Colin, Sarah Drews, Christelle Bulckaen, John McEnery, Gintare Parulyte, Claire Johnston, Marc Maes, Robert Sibenaler, Dustin James, Joe Reavis, Martin Serene, Chris Kelly, Katharina Bintz, Leslie Woodhall;
Production year: 2003;
Genre: drama, melodrama, biography;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 100 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,9;
More information about the film “Girl with a Pearl Earring” on the website imdb.com
“Big Eyes”, 2014
Director: Tim Burton
Directed by Tim Burton, this biographical drama recounts the true story of Margaret Keane, a painter whose husband fraudulently claimed credit for her popular series of “big-eyed” paintings in the 1960s. The film explores themes of artistic integrity, gender dynamics, and the struggle for recognition.
Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Terence Stamp, Jon Polito, Delaney Raye, Madeleine Arthur, James Saito, Farryn VanHumbeck, Guido Furlani, Elisabetta Fantone, Emily Maddison, Brent Chapman, Gabe Khouth, Dylan Kingwell, Peter Kelamis, Deni DeLory, Desiree Zurowski, Vincent Gale, Fred Keating, Byron Bertram, Heather Doerksen, Eliza Norbury, Ryan Beil, Frenchy Gagne, Fiona Vroom, Jill Morrison, Leela Savasta, Linda Sato, Traci Toguchi, Stephanie Bennett, Andrea Bucko, Emily Fonda, Aaron Craven, Heather Ireland, Linda Marr, Doreen McKenzie, Elizabeth Urrea, Kari-Ann Wood, Dale Wolfe, Patricia Mayen-Salazar, Tony Alcantar, Darren Dolynski, David Milchard, Andrew Airlie, Forbes Angus, Michael Kopsa, Alan MacFarlane;
Production year: 2014;
Genre: drama, melodrama, crime, biography;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 106 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7;
“Amadeus”, 1984
Director: Milos Forman
This Academy Award-winning film explores the life and genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through the eyes of his rival, composer Antonio Salieri. It delves into the themes of jealousy, obsession, and the pursuit of artistic excellence.
Starring: Tom Hulce, F. Murray Abraham, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones, Charles Kay, Kenneth McMillan, Kenny Baker, Lisbeth Bartlett, Barbara Bryne, Martin Cavina, Roderick Cook, Milan Demjanenko, Peter DiGesu, Richard Frank, Patrick Hines, Nicholas Kepros, Philip Lenkowsky, Herman Meckler, Jonathan Moore, Cynthia Nixon, Brian Pettifer, Vincent Schiavelli, Douglas Seale, Miroslav Sekera, Cassie Stuart, John Strauss, Karl-Heinz Teuber, Rita Zohar, Miro Grisa, Helena Cihelnikova, Karel Gult, Zuzana Kadlecova, Magda Celakovska, Slavena Drasilova, Eva Senková, Leos Kratochvil, Gino Zeman, Janoslav Mikulín, Ladislav Krečmer, Karel Fiala, Jan Blazek, Zdenek Jelen, Milada Cechalova, John Carrafa, Sara Clifford, Richard Colton, Shelley Freydont;
Production year: 1984;
Genre: drama, biography, music;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 160 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,4;
More information about the film “Amadeus” on the website imdb.com
“Pollock”, 2000
Director: Ed Harris
Starring Ed Harris as the renowned American painter Jackson Pollock, this biographical film delves into the turbulent life of the artist and his innovative drip painting technique. It explores Pollock's struggles with alcoholism, mental health, and the pressures of the art world.
Starring: Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Tom Bower, Jennifer Connelly, Bud Cort, John Heard, Val Kilmer, Robert Knott, Amy Madigan, Jeffrey Tambor, Molly Regan, Sada Thompson, Eulala Scheel, Matthew Sussman, Everett Quinton, Annabelle Gurwitch, John Rothman, Kenny Scharf, Tom McGuinness, Katherine Wallach, Cassandra Clewicki, Sloane Shelton, Jake, Eduardo Machado, Moss Roberts, Robert O'Neill, Isabelle Townsend, Jennifer Piech, Rebecca Wisocky, Linda Emond, Tony Palazzolo, Barbara Garrick, David Cale, Claire Beckman, Stephen Beach, Jill Jackson, David Leary, Donna Mitchell, Sondra Jablonski, Frank Wood, Julie Anna Rose, Kyle Timothy Smith, April Petroski, Nicholas Petroski, Noah Petroski, Norbert Weisser, Stephanie Seymour, Trecker, Sally Murphy, Bob L. Harris;
Production year: 2000;
Genre: drama, biography;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 122 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7;
More information about the film “Pollock” on the website imdb.com
“Black Swan”, 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, this psychological thriller follows the journey of Nina, a ballerina in a prestigious ballet company who becomes consumed by her pursuit of perfection in the lead role of “Swan Lake.” The film delves into the dark side of artistic ambition and the toll it takes on the individual.
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, Sebastian Stan, Toby Hemingway, Benjamin Millepied, Ksenia Solo, Kristina Anapau, Janet Montgomery, Sergio Torrado, Mark Margolis, Tina Sloan, Abraham Aronofsky, Charlotte Aronofsky, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Shaun O'Hagan, Chris Gartin, Deborah Offner, Stanley Herman, Michelle Rodriguez Nouel, Kurt Froman, Marty Krzywonos, Leslie Lyles, John Epperson, Arkadiy Figlin, Tim Fain, Sarah Lane, Liam Flaherty, Patrick Heusinger, Olga Kostritzky, Christine Redpath, Alexandra Damiani, Rebecca Azenberg, Laura Bowman, Holly L. Fusco, Abigail Mentzer, Barette Vance, Lillian di Piazza, Megan Dickinson, Jessy Hendrickson, Geneviève Lebean, Rachel Jambois, Ryoko Sadoshima, Kaia A. Tack, Lauren Fadeley, Sarah Hay, Adrianna de Svastich;
Production year: 2010;
Genre: drama, thriller;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 103 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8;
More information about the film “Black Swan” on the website imdb.com
“Exit Through the Gift Shop”, 2010
Director: Banksy
A documentary directed by the elusive street artist Banksy, this film explores the world of street art and the rise of Thierry Guetta, a French filmmaker turned amateur street artist. It raises questions about the authenticity of art, the commercialization of creativity, and the blurred lines between reality and artifice.
Starring: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Shepard Fairey, Rhys Ifans, Debora Guetta, Space Invader, Monsieur André, Zeus, Ron English, Caledonia Curry, Borf, Buffmonster, Steve Lazarides, Wendy Asher, Roger Gastman, Laurent Nahoum-Vatinet, Amanda Fairey, Romain Lefebure, Clemence Janin, David Healy, Celeste Sparrow, Derek Walborn, Adam Lawrence, Justin Murphy, Justin Saliman, Sonja Teri, Grace Jehan, Christina Aguilera, Beck, Victor Borrayo, Angie Crouch, Mary Cummins, Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher, Angelina Jolie, Jude Law, Jay Leno, Joshua Levine, Shaquille O'Neal, Brad Pitt, Alastair Stewart, Tai, Alex Thomson;
Production year: 2010;
Genre: documentary, comedy, crime, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 87 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,9;
More information about the film “Exit Through the Gift Shop” on the website imdb.com
These films provide a captivating glimpse into the lives and minds of artists, offering a deeper understanding of the creative process and the sacrifices made in the pursuit of artistic expression.
In this captivating selection of films about artists, we are immersed in the tumultuous and inspirational lives of creative minds. From the depths of Vincent van Gogh's emotional turmoil in “Loving Vincent” to the avant-garde expressionism of Frida Kahlo in “Frida”, each film delves into the complexities of artistic genius, showcasing the passion, pain, and triumphs that shape their work. Whether exploring the vibrant world of the art scene or delving into the personal struggles of these visionaries, these films offer a profound glimpse into the transformative power of art and the indomitable spirit of those who create it.
