Must Watch GURL Artist Flicks
What better way to #supportgurlartists than to watch a gurl artist flick?!
We made a list of our favorite biographical dramas and documentaries of gurl artists. So...make some popcorn, cozy up, and get ready to be inspired.
Kusama: Infinity 2018
A documentary that recounts the twists and turns of Kusama’s journey from a wildly talented artist pariah (creating works in a male-dominated art world) to the world’s most successful female artist. Now in her 90s, her Infinity Mirrored Rooms have set new records.
Frida 2002
A biographical drama based on the life of Mexican surrealist gurl artist Frida Khalo, starring Salma Hayek. A polio survivor, Kahlo is destabilized further when a city bus accident comes close to ending her life. Bed-ridden, she finds solace in her art practice, culminating in many pieces. Upon recovery, she presents them to the famous artist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), who becomes her artist mentor and, eventually, a lover.
Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present 2012
A documentary that follows gurl artist Marina Abramovic as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. She has become known for using her body as a vehicle, at times risking her life to create performances that shock, transcend conflicts, and surpass boundaries.
Maudie 2016
A biographical drama based on the life of Canadian gurl artist Maud Lewis, starring Sally Hawkins. It’s a story about how Lewis overcame the physical challenge of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis to become one of Canada’s premier folk artists.
Finding Vivian Maier 2013
A documentary that follows the discovery of photographer Vivian Maier, a Chicago nanny who took more than 150,000 photographs during her lifetime. Her work remained unseen for decades, hidden in boxes found at auction.
Big Eyes 2014
A biographical drama based on the life of American gurl artist Margaret Keane, starring Amy Adams. Keane is known for her portraits and paintings with ‘big eyes’. The film takes a closer look into why her husband Walter Keane falsely claimed he had done all her paintings and even sold them under his own name.
Eva Hesse 2016
A documentary based on German-born American gurl sculptor Eva Hesse (1936-1970). She is most known for pioneering and working with materials such as latex, fiberglass and plastic, which helped establish the post-minimalist movement. She died at the age of thirty-four, leaving behind over a decade of ground-breaking work.
Written by Diane Lindquist