The Challenge: A Tribute To Modern Art

The Challenge: A Tribute To Modern Art is a classic 1974 documentary Narrated by Orson Welles that was nominated for the Academy Award For Best Documentary in it's release year. The film captures modern art at a time when many of the great modern artists were still alive or recently passed and the value of their works was exploding at auction rooms around the world. We get to see these artists, among many others are Picasso (1881-1973), de Kooning (1904-1997), Dalí (1904-1989) and Matisse (1869-1954) at work creating their art and talking about the processes and meanings to them.

Watch the full documentary now on Documentary Fans Release Date: 1974 Duration: 1H 40Mins.

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Eric Hebborn: Portrait Of A Master Forger

Eric Hebborn claims to have drawn over 1000 sketches that were attributed to master painters and sold under their names. In this documentary Hebborn living in Italy tells his story of how he came to start sketching and how the sketches ended up being attributed to artists such as Castiglione, Van Dyck, Corot and Rubens. He claims he is not a forger and did nothing wrong it was up to the experts to decipher from were the pictures originated. Hebborn had come clean in 1991 in his book Drawn to Trouble and shortly after the BBC screened the documentary. In 1996 five years after this film and just after the release of his second book The Art Forger's Handbook Eric Hebborn was assassinated in Rome.

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Banksy: Exit Through The Gift Shop

Exit Through The Gift Shop is the first film by popular street artist Banksy and tells the story of Thierry Guetta an eccentric French man living in Los Angles. This was not the original idea as we learn it was Guetta who obsessed by street art had set out to make a film about Banksy before he became the main protagonist. Guetta had tried for some time to meet and film Banksy and finally got his wish when Banksy; in LA needed help and Guetta was the only option. Guetta follows Banksy back to England and continues to film him after which he returns to LA to start creating his own street art.

In the documentary we find the footage Guetta filmed and cut was unwatchable but this leads Banksy to reverse roles and turn the camera on Guerra (now using the street name Mr. Brainwash) who's own street art back in LA was getting attention.

Trailer Only - The film is not currently available online once it is we will have it back up.

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My Kid Could Paint That

My Kid Could Paint That is the fascinating documentary about Marla Olmstead, a girl of just seven at the time of the film who had become something of an art prodigy. Marla had started creating modern art paintings that had gained attention and began selling for tens of thousands of dollars. The film sets out it seems just to document an interesting story, but as time goes on questions arise as to whether the young artist is the one completing the paintings or if her artist father has a hand in the creations.

The documentary is in two parts we have both in a playlist here for you just click play to go :

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Vincent Van Gogh: Painted With Words

Van Gogh : Painted With Words is a drama documentary which uses the 902 letters he left behind to tell the real story of the eccentric sometime crazy genius. Rather than the normal documentary format the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch dramatises scenes from the Van Gogh letters to; amongst others his brother Theo. The sad story of a tortured man remembered for acts such as cutting off his ear and presenting it to a prostitute but didn't realize success during his life time.Yet after his death became recognised as one of the greats of art.

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The World's Most Expensive Paintings

It could cost you hundreds of millions of dollars to get your hand on a painting from one of the masters, whether from a classic like Di Vinci or modern like Picasso. In this documentary Alister Stooke from BBC sets out to list the most expensive paintings ever sold. Remember many of the best paintings will never be sold they may be for example owned by Museums, the Mona Lisa will never be in Sotheby's or Christies going to the highest bidder. But for the love of the art or simply as investments the richest people in the world bid and out bid each other to own The World's Most Expensive Paintings. Also don't miss The World's Most Expensive Stolen Paintings from Alister Stooke.

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The Genius Of Michelangelo

This Documentary covers the life and work of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, simply Michelangelo to you and I. During the Renaissance Michelangelo was known and in demand as the best sculptor and artist alive. The love of his work such as the statue of David and the Sistine Chapel fresco have ensured his place among the greats since his death in 1564.  From his youth and losing his mother when he was just 6 years old to a run in with The Pope no less and the creation of his greatest work he lived until he was the ripe old age of 88 in 1564. With two biographies published on the great man while he was still alive he may be the Renaissance painter we know the most about making for a superb Documentary.

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The Life And Work Of Leonardo DaVinci

This documentary covers the life and works of a true genius Leonardo DaVinci. A man with an unparalleled list of talents, Wikipedia call him "..an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer..". From his youth as a child born to parents not married through his early works and the later works that seen him be called The Renaissance man. We have all become so familiar with his works like The Last Supper, The Mona Lisa and The Vitruvian Man this documentary gives the time needed to try explain how DaVinci did so much in his 67 years on earth.

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The World's Most Expensive Stolen Paintings

A 2013 BBC Documentary The World's Most Expensive Stolen Paintings is an interesting look at art crime and some of the high end art thefts. Presented by Alastair Sooke the moral at the heart of the documentary is how art crime or at least those involved have been made out as daring hero's on film and TV. But art theft is not a victimless crime as some of the best paintings ever created vanish forever and can not be enjoyed by future generations. Also check out The World's Most Expensive Paintings also from Alastair Sooke.

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John Constable : A Country Rebel

John Constable while known as England's best painter of landscapes is an intriguing character as most of the great artists seem to be.A Country Rebel is therefore a fitting title for the documentary; and I quiet like the fact the presenter Alastair Sooke has a "Take him or leave him" attitude to Constable at the start of this BBC film.So often the biggest fans of an individual are brought in to present their Biography leaving the viewer with a totally biased view.

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Art Crimes: Theft Of The Mona Lisa

When the worlds most famous painting The Mona Lisa by Leonardo DaVinci was stolen in 1911, everyone was a suspect as the blame game began. This documentary tells the story of the robbery, investigation and recovery of the portrait then returned to The Louvre museum in Paris. How did a former worker at the gallery walk out the door with the worlds most famous painting and what effect did the crime have on how we guard the masterpieces today ?

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Hunting Hitlers Stolen Treasures The Real Monuments Men

The story of The Monuments Men became a Hollywood Blockbuster in 2014 but the history behind the film is very real. In this documentary Hunting Hitlers Stolen Treasures art experts, Military experts, eye witnesses and cast from the movie tell the real undramatized story. An amazing story that led to many masterpieces being recovered but also raised questions such as "Is saving art worth putting human life in danger".

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