DIR: ED HARRIS
US 2000 122mins 35mm
Abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) was one of the most controversial and ground-breaking artists of the mid-20th Century. An alcoholic whose tortured life wrought major changes in post-WWII art, his work remains vital and contentious to this day. Actor and director Ed Harris delivers a nuanced performance as America’s first ‘art star’. Ably supported by Marcia Gay Hardan as Pollock’s wife and fellow artist Lee Krasner in her Oscar-winning performance.

WINNER Oscar best supporting actress (Marcia Gay Hardan) 2001

DIR: JULIAN SCHNABEL
US 1996 108mins 35mm
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) rose from being a teenage graffiti artist to a celebrity of the international art scene in only a few short years. His Neo-expressionist art would capture the imagination of some of the art scene’s leading lights, but his heroin addiction would cut his life short. Painter/director Julian Schnabel vividly captures the Eighties New York art scene. Jeffrey Wright as Basquait, David Bowie as Andy Warhol (wearing real Andy wigs) and Schnabel slyly inserts himself in the guise of Gary Oldman.

DIR: DEREK JARMAN
UK 1986 93mins 35mm
Renaissance painter Caravaggio’s (1571–1610) wild and tempestuous life splashes across the screen with all the vitality and stylishness of his work. Trapped in a love triangle he finds escape in the creation of both a new artistic style and his own legend. Director Derek Jarman takes to his subject with all the relish we’d expect from him, while Tilda Swinton makes her cinematic debut. Print courtesy of the Non-theatrical Loans Catalogue

Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

DIR: JOHN MAYBURY
UK/FRANCE/JAPAN 1998 90mins 35mm
Francis Bacon (1909–1992 ), widely regarded as the best British painter since Turner once said that he lived his life ‘between the gutter and the Ritz’. A heavy drinker and a gambler, Bacon suffered through tormented relationships, most notably with his lover and muse George Dyer. With a striking resemblance to the artist, Derek Jacobi along with Daniel Craig as Dyer give outstanding performances. Bernardo Bertolluci acknowledged Bacon’s imagery as a major influence on the eroticism of Last Tango in Paris.