Arts & Culture

Ever feel that you've lost touch with the world of art? Here are trailers for five stunning documentaries that will help catch you up — and the library has the DVDs.

Five reasons to get excited about art again.

Pina, DVD. Pina: the film and the dancers, book. Pina by Win Wenders is full of thrilling dance from choreographer Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal (Wuppertal Dance Theatre).

Note: Tanztheater Wuppertal is bringing a superb piece, Kontakthof, to this years Luminato Festival in June.

Gerhard Richter Painting, DVD. If you are not familiar with the work of Gerhard Richter, this documentary will show you why you might want to become better aquanted.

The Artist is Present, DVD. The Artist is Present, book. Performance artist, Marina Abramović made herself a household name with this solo show at the Museum of Modern Art.

If you would like to see Abramović performing seven canonic performance art pieces, I recommend this fine documentary: Seven Easy Pieces, DVD.

The Eye Has to Travel, DVD. The Eye Has to Travel, book. Diana Vreeland worked at Harpers Bazaar and Vogue magazine from 1936 to 1971. Bob Colacello quotes her "She would say, You are not supposed to give people what they want, you're supposed to give them what they don't know they want yet."

Bill Cunningham New York, DVD. Independant photographer Bill Cunningham is still taking fashion pictures on the streets of New York City. Cunningham says, "You see if you don't take money they can't tell you what to do. That's the key to the whole thing."  

Art:21 Season 6, DVD. Art:21, DVDs and books. If you've read this far here's an extra treat. There are now six seasons of a very enjoyable series  of mini-documentaries called Art:21. The series features some of the best known and most exciting contemporary artists as well as fascinating artists who were unknown to me.