10 Visually Stunning Movies for Art History Buffs

Art History is one of those university electives that a student actually enjoys, and not just because of the art itself. The life and times of famous artists are often interwoven with fantastic drama that’s a part of their genius, often changing more than just the people around them but causing an entire society to look in a new direction. Movies about artists and their work can be dramas, documentaries, historical films, or a mix of all of the above.

Art doesn’t always mean paintings, nor does it mean dramatic scenes from the Middle Ages or ancient mythology. Some of the most influential artists in history have also been sculptors, architects, and clothing designers and many of them did their work in the past century. Even if their work is hundreds of years old, it echoes in contemporary times. Put all of that together and you have some great fodder for a movie script. Art imitates life, and then movies imitate art.

10 Factory Girl (2006)

Andy Warhol is a household name. He might even have coined the term “household name.” This movie is about a place known as The Factory, the nickname that was given to Andy Warhol’s New York Studio. The story is told from the point of view of aspiring artist Edie Sedgewick, better known as Holly Golightly, who rises through the ranks of New York City’s bustling 1960s pop culture scene.

9 Frida (2002)

A movie loved by anyone who’s a fan of Selma Hayek, Mexican culture, or art history, Frida is a story of the artist’s life and work and also explores the relationships she had with Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky. Frida Kahlo wasn’t just an artistic revolutionary or tortured genius, and this film explores the various ways she challenged the conventions of the time, not only with her artwork but also her unapologetic social and sexual lifestyle.

8 Woman in Gold (2015)

Rather than being about art or an artist, Woman in Gold is about a piece of art itself. Considering all of the movies there are about World War II, there’s surprisingly little about the numerous thefts that the Nazis perpetrated. This is the story of a Klimpt painting that was stolen and finally recovered by the rightful owners. It’s based on the true story of a Holocaust survivor trying to get her family’s property back from the Austrian government.

The painting isn’t iconic, as it is privately owned, but it is very recognizable. It was officially called “The Woman in Gold,” but it was also known by its nickname, the Mona Lisa of Vienna. Even viewers who don’t know anything about artwork will recall another famous painting by Klimpt, “The Kiss” that’s very similar.

7 The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)

Here’s another example of a great art history film that a viewer will like even if they don’t care for art. Everyone knows who Michelangelo is, and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is a cultural icon as ubiquitous as the infamous yellow Happy Face. The plot is a bit tedious, dwelling on the medieval politics of a militant Pope trying to reunite Italy, which is a side note to the constant bickering with a reticent Michealangelo into finishing one of his greatest achievements.

6 Caravaggio (1986)

Who doesn’t appreciate the scrappy character actor Sean Bean, especially when he’s involved in a romantic threesome in which 17th-century Italian painter Caravaggio is the unicorn? Although heavily fictionalized, this film is a breath of fresh air when viewers are tired of sanitized accounts of famous artists. Like other famous painters of the time, Caravaggio was also concerned with Classical subjects and had a patron who was high up in the Catholic Church hierarchy, but his work was revolutionary in the sense that he created a more realistic style as opposed to the romantic one that defined most painters of his time.

5 Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (2010)

Basquiat was one of Warhol’s contemporaries and there are several biopics, documentaries, and dramas about his life and work. This one is courtesy of Tamra Davis, a director who was also a close personal friend of the artist. The movie is a documentary first and foremost and includes inside interviews and archival footage to document his life and work as one of the world’s first and leading neo-expressionist artists.

Those who care about the factual side of art history or who appreciate the process of creating visual art will appreciate this movie. It’s especially poignant to see this movie now, as Jean-Michel Basquiat describes many of his personal experiences in the film, including the racial misconceptions inherent in the artistic world of the 1960s.

4 Little Ashes (2008)

This movie isn’t just great for art history buffs who are interested in the life and times of Salvador Dalí. Movie buffs and literature aficionados can also tune in for this film, which includes the stories of two other famous artists, writer Federico García Lorca and filmmaker Luis Buñuel. The plot revolves around their time at school together as they rise through the artistic elite that makes up the avante garde modern art scene.

3 The Mill and the Cross (2011)

The artist is in this movie as a character, but it’s really about this particular painting as opposed to the life and work of Pieter Brugel. The movie is Polish in origin, stars Rutger Hauer in the role of the artist, and recreates the environment that prompted the historic figure to create the painting known as “The Procession to Calvary.” As a portrayal of the daily life and customs of the people in Brugel’s painting, this drama is fascinating, and the extra layer in the story about the religious persecutions that took place in medieval Flanders makes the story even more interesting.

2 Love Is the Devil (1998)

In Tim Burton’s Batman, there’s a scene in which the Joker visits an art gallery and defaces several paintings in order to “improve” them. One that he refuses to deface, declaring that he likes it the way it is, was a famous Francis Bacon painting simply entitled “Figure with Meat.”

The film is mainly about Bacon’s work, but the story revolves around his relationship with the much younger Fred Dyer. The couple met when Dyer broke into his house. No joke, that’s how the story starts, and the peek into the underworld of artists and burglars is a stark one that goes downhill from there. The movie about Bacon’s life is just as visceral and shocking as much of his work. Or watch it for naked Daniel Craig.

1 Frazetta: Painting with Fire (2003)

Speaking of pop culture, the epic meets the modern in the dramatic fantasy art of Frank Frazetta. More people have seen his art than virtually any other artist on this list, appearing in comic books, novel covers, movie posters, and various other mediums. What’s really fascinating with Frazetta is the story of how he managed to create this work while fighting a serious thyroid condition that caused several strokes and even compelled him to start drawing with his left hand.

About The Author

Kristy Ambrose
(159 Articles Published)

Kristy Ambrose has been writing professionally since 2010. She dabbles in various genres, including everything from short blog posts to serialized novels. Her inspiration comes from gamers, beachcombers, foodies and of course her fellow travelers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Victoria.

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