7 Films about Women Artists
On this list you will find unmissable films by great women who changed the world of arts through their paintings, sculptures and photographs. The life of each of these artists was largely driven by passions and tragedies that ended up giving even more strength to their artistic productions. Whichever you choose, you will be charmed by the immersive story!
1. Frida, Living Nature – 1986
This film recalls the life of the painter Frida Kahlo (Ofelia Medina), by exposing, in a random and non-chronological way, a series of passages in the artist's life, related to her love affairs, political militancy, childhood with her father Guillermo and, of course, her artistic production. In short, the film provides a unique sensation, in which we practically enter the mind ofFrida Kahlo to capture, from their memories, their sufferings and passions.
2. Camille Claudel – 1989
Camille Claudel (Isabelle Adjani) is a young sculptor who clashes with her family when she becomes an apprentice, and later an assistant, to the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin (Gérard Depardieu). When Camille Claudel and the sculptor became romantically involved, Camille was frowned upon by French society at the time. After living fifteen years of a troubled relationship, Camille Claudel ends the relationship with Rodin, however, she enters a deep depression. Under the circumstances, her younger brother ends up admitting her to a psychiatric hospital. Based on the biography written by Raine-Marie, Camille's great-niece, this film was responsible for the “rebirth” of the sculptor's works.
3. Frida – 2002
Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) was one of the main names in the artistic history of Mexico. Regarded and acclaimed as a painter, he had an eventful open marriage to Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), his companion also in the arts, and also a controversial affair with the politician Leon Trostky (Geoffrey Rush). This biographical film, based on the book by Hayden Herrera, chronicles Kahlo's life from her teens to the year of her death. With a great performance by Salma Hayek, the film also shows the moment when the painter was affected by a tragic accident, her travels around the world, her natural love for animals, her political choices and her relationship with Trotsky. A must-see film for art lovers.
4. Eternal Moments by Maria Larssons – 2008
This biographical film takes place in Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century, in an era of social change and poverty, where the young factory worker Maria Larssons, a married woman with many children and few possibilities, wins a camera in the lottery. The camera lens allows Maria to see a different world from a new perspective. A captivating film from director Jan Troell, with fantastic cinematography.
5. Life and work of Georgia O'Keeffe – 2010
One of the most important painters in the history of American art, Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (Joan Allen) painted flowers and landscapes like no one else and found love and fame with photographer Alfred Stieglitz (Jeremy Irons), with whom he maintained an intense loving relationship and professional. An unmissable film, a captivating drama both for fans of the artist's work and for those who still don't know her.
6. Camille Claudel, 1915 – 2013
Against her will, the sculptor Camille Claudel (Juliette Binoche) is interned by her family in a religious psychiatric asylum, and remains in the institution for years, unable to leave. The artist claims several times that she is perfectly sane, but develops a mania of persecution, believing that Auguste Rodin was conspiring against her, and that everyone in the asylum is trying to poison her. This is a very dense film that aims to portray the life of the sculptor when she was hospitalized, without mentioning other periods of her life. A challenging plot that demands the viewer's attention.
7. Big Eyes – 2014
In the late 1950s, Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) revolutionized the commercialization of art with his enigmatic paintings of children with large sad eyes. The film portrays the shocking truth of this story: the paintings Walter sold were created by his wife, Margaret (Amy Adams). The film tells the story of Margaret as an artist, the phenomenal success of her paintings and her relationship with her husband, Walter, who forced her to paint exhaustively for years without anyone knowing about it. A great film directed by Tim Burton.