But Is It Art?
Ever find yourself in a museum looking at a painting or art installation, and think to yourself, "My kid could do that!"?
I think I have a pretty open mind when it comes to art, but I can't deny that this thought has occasionally crossed my mind. But there are other times when a somewhat eccentric, or seemingly simple work of art has had a profound effect on me, and made me see a familiar landcape in a new way. I would put the work of Christo and Andy Goldsworthy in that category.
Andy Goldsworthy: Inverted Pine Cone
Christo: Running Fence
But whatever your views about contemporary art, the Santa Clara County Library District has some fascinating movies on the subject of art: making it, faking it, and taking it!
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My Kid Could Paint That Marla Olmstead is a toddler whose paintings sell for $300,000 in respected galleries. Then some doubts set in. Is she a child prodigy or the victim of a hoax?
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The true story of a 25 billion dollar art heist and how they got away with it. Reveals the struggle for control of Dr. Albert C. Barnes' extraordinary collection of modern and post-impressionist art. |
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Who the #$ & % Is Jackson Pollock? Truck driver buys a painting at a thrift shop for five dollars, but finds out it's by Jackson Pollock. Thus begins a 15-year war with the inner circles of the snobby art world. This true story lifts the veil on how art is bought and sold. |
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The extraordinary story of a postal clerk and librarian who somehow built one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very limited means. |
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Academy-award nominee for best feature documentary. It tells of artist Vik Muniz, who jouneys to the largest landfill in the world in his native Brazil, where he collaborates with the "catadores", pickers of recyclable materials. A moving and inspirational testament to the human spirit and transformative power of art. |
For more films about artists, art collectors and the art world's inner circle:
http://sccl.bibliocommons.com/list/show/127883794_movies_and_music/143317481_but_is_it_art