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Alice Neel Introduced by the director Andrew Neel Alice Neel (1900–1984), one of the great portrait painters of the 20th century, reinvented the genre by expressing the inner landscape of her subjects. Directed by Neel’s grandson, this very personal documentary captures the story of life, exploring the struggles she faced as a woman artist, a single mother and a painter who defied convention. With unlimited access to photos, video, art and letters, Andrew Neel reveals a portrait of the artist consistent with themes of intimacy, family and survival that are so central to her work. ANDREW NEEL Andrew Neel was born in Vermont and graduated from Columbia in 2001 with a BA in film studies. He founded SeeThink Productions in 2002 for the making of his first 35mm short film, billy 528, which won Best Experimental Drama at the New York Film and Video Festival in 2002 before airing on Showtime in 2003. His first feature-length film, Darkon, won the Audience Award at the 2006 SXSW Film Festival and was subsequently acquired by IFCtv. His third feature-length film, The Feature, recently premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. Stanford Perrott Lecture Hall
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Yves Klein: The Blue Revolution Introduction by Mireille Perron Yves Klein died at age 34 and his brief career lasted only seven years, from 1955 to 1962. But he nonetheless managed to shake the foundations of modern art, creating works that crossed over many genres. Using archival footage, artwork and fictional re-enactment, director François Lévy-Kuentz has composed a fascinating biography which radiates a powerful consciousness: that of the artist in the intimacy of his creation, his doubts and his disappointments; that of a visionary buoyed by his confidence in his genius. This film follows Klein’s life, showing the progress of his career and unravelling the mysterious correlations running through his work. FRANÇOIS LÉVY-KUENTZ Born in Paris in 1960, author-director François Lévy-Kuentz received a degree in cinema from the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle. His interest in painting inspired him to make his first film, Man Ray, 2 bis rue Férou, in 1989. He has also directed numerous films on art : L’atelier de Robert Combas, Matta, Les concessions de Boltanski, Le regard rapproché, Georges de la Tour, Arroyo-Cadaquès, Le voyage de Delacroix, Les copistes du Louvre, Pascin, l’impudique, Chagall, à la Russie aux ânes et aux autres and Jean Painlevé, fantaisie pour biologie marine. Stanford Perrott Lecture Hall
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 Eileen Gray, Living Room, 1929 |
Eileen Gray: Designer & Architect Introduced by Laura Vickerson This film examines the life and work of designer and architect Eileen Gray (1878–1976). Gray studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London before moving to Paris in 1902 where she continued her studies, mastered lacquer work and established the Galerie Jean Desert, from which she sold her avant-garde, luxury furniture pieces. Her famous Adjustable Table, Lota Sofa and Tube Light as
well as her architectural creations, including E.1027, a modernist seaside villa built in France in 1929, are discussed. Using archival footage and excerpts from Gray’s writings, plus interviews with
a museum curator (Jennifer Goff, curator at the National Museum of Ireland), an art appraiser (Philippe Garner of Christie’s) and a design manufacturer (Zeev Aram, chairman of Aram Designs), this film chronicles Gray’s artistic formation, her travels and influences and her relations with fellow artists and architects such as Jean Badovici, Seizo Sugawara and Le Corbusier.
Stanford Perrott Lecture Hall
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 © Julien Devaux |
Wide Details: On the Traces of Francis Alÿs Francis Alÿs, a contemporary Belgian artist, is painter, videomaker and urban interventionist all rolled into one. A resident of Mexico City for more than 15 years, the city has played an important role in his artistic practice, which often examines the act of walking through an urban environment. Julien Devaux delves into Alÿs’s unique and poetic work, focusing particularly on the artist’s relationship to the city he inhabits. JULIEN DEVAUX Born in Belgium, Julien Devaux moved to Paris after studying fine arts and art history to work as a chief film editor. He has since directed and edited several projects and has frequently collaborated with artist Francis Alÿs. Wide Details is his first feature documentary. Stanford Perrott Lecture Hall |
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Our City Dreams Introduction by Diana Sherlock Filmed over the course of two years, Clemente’s feature takes viewers into the creative spaces of five women artists spanning different generations and representing different cultures, and all living and working in New York: Marina Abramovic, Ghada Amer, Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero and Swoon share their creative processes and personal stories. The film takes us deep into the city these women inhabit, creating a portrait not only of the artists, but also of New York and its ever-evolving role in contemporary art. CHIARA CLEMENTE Chiara Clemente directed her first art documentary for the RaiSat Art channel in Italy in 2000. Based on the success of that film, she was invited to direct 12 more. Commissions have included documentaries on artists and architects such as Jim Dine, Frank Gehry and Brice Marden. Clemente also began collaborating with artists on short films, such as These Imaginary Boys and Know Yourself with Adrian Tranquilli. In 2002, she directed and photographed Three Worlds: A Portrait of Francesco Clemente. She is currently working on another collaboration with Adrian Tranquilli. Stanford Perrott Lecture Hall |
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Antony Gormley: Making Space Introduction by Gord Ferguson Filmed over several months, Making Space is an intimate portrait of sculptor Antony Gormley, one of Britain’s most celebrated artists, as he prepares for a major exhibition. film follows Gormley as he makes three ambitious new works and shows how he produces his art—from casting moulds of his own body to collaborating with makers and eventual installation in the gallery. Exploring both the premise of his sculptures and the ups and downs of the creative journey, Making Space gradually builds a picture of both the pressures and the compulsions that lie behind Gormley’s work. BEEBAN KIDRON Beeban Kidron is an acclaimed filmmaker and director of drama and documentaries. Her television work includes the BAFTA-award-winning Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and the documentaries Carry Greenham Home and Hookers, Hustlers, Pimps and their Johns. Feature films include To Wong Foo, Swept Away and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Stanford Perrott Lecture Hall
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Introduced by Nancy Tousley Director Megumi tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to minimalist and conceptual art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of then-unknown artists. Their circle includes Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Barry, Lucio Pozzi and Lawrence Weiner. Through interviews and footage, this film explores the amazing story of these curatorial visionaries and documents the donation of their enormous collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. MEGUMI SASAKI Born in Japan, Megumi Sasaki has lived in New York since 1988. As a freelance journalist, her coverage of the Berlin Wall’s fall garnered her great success in Japan. She then worked as a freelance television news director and field producer, developing programs for Japan’s documentary series NHK Special. In 2002 Megumi founded production company Fine Line Media. Herb and Dorothy is the first feature documentary project of the company. |
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