Arty Films & Documentaries | Holiday Streaming Guide

A immersed in paintings of Klimt, Kandinsky or Velázquez, a archaeological adventure in the Egyptian desert, the fascinating story of the magazine The New Yorker and its artists, the explorations of Magellan told in cartoon… The platforms of streaming are multiplying and constantly expanding their catalogs, including in art-related programs.

Many (good) films, series and documentaries indeed just beg to be viewed. If some are included in a subscription (Netflix or Canal+) or for rent on VOD, most are free access on the Arte or France Télévisions platforms. Painting, archaeology, press drawings: like in a bag of papillotes, there are for all tastes. Here are fifteen to taste to end the year well!

Georges de La Tour, painting the human condition on Arte: the gray areas of a master of chiaroscuro

While immersing ourselves in the felted details of his paintings lit by flickering flames, this refined documentary, produced on the occasion of the exhibition at the Jacquemart-André museumtakes up the codes of the Lorraine painter Georges de La Tour to try to break through the mystery of the personality of this artist with a journey strewn with shadows: how could a man described as so cruel and greedy produce a work of such sensitivitywhere masterpieces imbued with humanity and spiritual gentleness shine, such as The Newborn (1645)? Was it the experience of war that made him suddenly move from grimacing and grotesque characters to nocturnal scenes full of restraint? A fascinating investigation in chiaroscuro… J.B.

Germaine Krull, photography or life on france.tv: the incredible journey through the 20th century^e century of a pioneering photojournalist

In this amazing film between fiction and documentarythe photographer Germaine Krull (1897–1985), played by the actress Imogen Kogge, recounts, interviewed by a journalist in the Bangkok palace that she managed in the 1970s. The personality behind the famous series of “Metal” photos from 1928 is full of surprises ! Born into a cultured family, the young girl became very early on a passion for the socialist revolution… and was sent to the Bolshevik jails at the age of 24. Its vocation of photographer is revealed in the 1920s, in front of the cranes of the port of Amsterdam. She then invented, at the same time as André Kertész and Man Ray, the New Vision. A time fashion photographer alongside Sonia Delaunay in Paris, it was by contributing to the audacious magazine Vu that she asserts herself as “the” great photojournalist of modernity. Immortalizing Free France during the Second World War, after having chronicled social life on the Rock, Krull will have had a life worthy of a novel. Galvanisant ! F.G.

The Brutalist on Canal+: a romantic fresco (distantly) inspired by Marcel Breuer

A few months after its acclaimed theatrical release and its three Oscars, notably that of best actor for Adrien Brody, The Brutalist is now available on the Canal+ platform. The opportunity to (re)discover this stunning fresco on a Hungarian Jewish architect escaped from the camps and immigrated to the United States. The former Bauhaus student first worked for a cousin who sold furniture in Philadelphia, sharing the grind and the highs with a syringe friend, before being hired by a lunatic and megalomaniacal millionaire to build a huge cultural center in concrete and marble. This thrilling story, which takes place over nearly 30 years, brings up to date what we thought was over: the great story. J.M.

In the unknown, the lost pyramid on Netflix: archaeological adventure into the mysteries of ancient Egypt

Ce thrilling documentary follows the teams of two rival Egyptologiststhe famous Zahi Hawass and his former student Mostafa Waziri, each trying to locate the first, in the sands of the Saqqara desert, a hidden pyramid. Ce battle of egos a bit sensationalist and nationalist (in a context where Egypt is seeking to regain control of its treasures) is coupled with a scientific adventure entertaining and interesting, during which are exhumed graves and objects more than 4,000 years old, highlighting the now key role of cutting-edge technologies in the exploration of the remains of ancient Egypt. J.B.

Kandinsky, seeing music, reinventing painting on Arte: abstraction in a symphonic version

It was while listening to Wagner that he discovered his vocation! Echoing the Philharmonie de Paris exhibitionthis documentary by Pierre-Henri Gibert – author of the noted Long live Varda ! presented at Cannes in 2023 – traces the Kandinsky’s trajectory through the prism of his relationship to music. By involving great specialists like Angela Lampe, curator at the Center Pompidou, but also a musicologistthe director highlights what makes Kandinsky musical, from his first works creating colorful key vibrations to large abstract compositions which never cease to decline, like a refrain, the same motif (church, horseman, etc.), passing through a eminently synaesthetic conception of art. A demonstration that rings perfectly true. F.G.

Klimt and the Kiss on Arte: the secrets of a golden canvas

By examining it closely and giving the floor to experts, this documentary delves in abundant details from one of the most admired and reproduced paintings in the world: The Kiss the Gustav Klimts (1908–1909). Through this wonderful canvas with golden reflectionsjewel of the Belvedere in Vienna, of which an X-ray analysis revealed the initial design, the film retraces the artist’s journey in the Austrian capital at the dawn of the 20th century^e century. J.B.

Magellan’s Incredible Journey on Arte: a thrilling documentary series with the drawings of Ugo Bienvenu

In 1480 the navigator and explorer was born in Portugal Fernand of Magellanon the edge of the Atlantic and at the gates of a still largely unknown world. At a time when spices were used as currency, sailing to distant lands was tantamount to embarking on a treasure huntwith the promise of returning with the wedges loaded with cloves or cinnamon sticks. Magellan’s journey was punctuated by betrayals, obstacles and discouragement, but despite everything he was able to build a fleet and a crew capable of pushing the limits of the cards of its time and to achieve unexplored lands. This thrilling animated documentary series in four episodes, with drawings by Ugo Bienvenu (director of the recent Arco), has nothing to envy of the greatest adventure novels. C.U.

The New Yorker Centennial on Netflix: the fascinating story of an iconic magazine

The New Yorker celebrates its 100th anniversary! Narrated by Julianne Moorethis fascinating documentary by Oscar-winning director Marshall Curry (which accompanies a free exhibition at the New York Public Library until February 21) reveals the history and behind the scenes of this famous magazine American. A weekly characterized by a incredible requirement which has miraculously resisted time, from literary quality of his articles, fact-checking meticulous, to his satirical drawings and his legendary coversall drawn by an artist (different every week) since 1925. Without hiding certain errors along the way, this living story retraces, through the life of the magazine, the key moments in American historyfrom the fight for civil rights to the re-election of Donald Trump. J.B.

L’Énigme Velázquez on Canal +: diving into the mysterious paintings of the Spanish master

Magnificently filmed and set to music, this documentary by Stéphane Sorlat (last part of a trilogy commissioned by the Prado Museum in Madrid, after The Hieronymus Bosch Mystery et The Ombre by Goya) explore the enigmatic intensity of the art of the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez. The camera comes close to the pictorial material and the details of his paintings (in particular the looks of the painted characters) in order to offer above all a sensory and poetic experiencewhile brilliantly revealing l’influence from the author of Menines on masters of modern painting, such as Pablo Picasso or Francis Bacon. J.B.

Félix Vallotton, the colors of desire on Arte: the discreet charm of an intriguing Nabi

While Lausanne celebrates the centenary of his disappearance with the major retrospective “Vallotton Forever”this documentary invites us to a head to head with a painter who never ceases to fascinateby his ambiguous works as by his secret personality. To better embody him, the film replays the life and work of the Swiss painter through the reconstruction of sketches inspired by his elegant paintings of bourgeois life, where sharp shadows and strident colors say out loud what the times are thinking quietly, where vaudeville turns into drama. The intriguing Nabi is thus revealed in independent artisttorn between his strict Protestant education and his anarchist ideas. But above all, as a profoundly progressive bourgeois haunted by the war of the sexes which underlies male-female relationships in the 19th century^e century. Enough to further fuel the Vallotton fever. F.G.

Eugène Delacroix, an air of freedom on Arte: genesis of a revolutionary icon

True testimony of the revolution of July 1830 what Delacroix saw his painting unfold before his eyes Liberty leading the people has become one of the major symbols of the popular struggle. Acquired by the State but hidden in its reserves, the work disturbed those in power. Through a immersed in the different stages of its restorationbut also the history of its creation and its aesthetic choices, reveals itself completely the story of an icon more relevant than ever, an emblematic figure of art and the republican imagination. CU

The Art of being happy on Canal+: arty comedy by the sea

Admittedly a little disjointed, this crazy comedy from the Belgian director Stefan Liberski will amuse art lovers with its offbeat humor and its plot centered around the adventures of a loser artist in the midst of an existential crisis embodied by Benoît Poelvoorde. Coming to start a new life in Mers-les-Bains in an absurd little dysfunctional architect’s house with a view of the Picardy cliffs, this author of conceptual installations has been converted into painting and met local artists as well as a barred gallery owner (Camille Cottin) and her jealous husband (François Damiens). Crazy as can be! J.B.

Mark Rothko, painting is looking at you on Arte: the paradoxes of a painter

On the occasion of the retrospective dedicated to him in 2024 at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, this documentary attempts to capture the mysterious Mark Rothkomaster of abstract expressionism. Its clouds of vibrant colors with subtle material effects reveal their hypnotic brilliance in this fine portrait. Is he really American? Is it really abstract? The film highlights the contradictions of this great painter you XX^e century, while bringing together testimonials restorers, scientists and color merchants in an attempt to unlock the secrets of his unique technique. J.B.

Ricardo and painting for rent on Arte and Canal VOD: intimate portrait of an ascetic artist

Through this documentary, the director Barbet Schroeder brush one touching portrait of his friend, Ricardo Cavallo. This French figurative painter of Argentinian origin lives as an ascetic on the Breton coast, in Saint-Jean-du-Doigt (Finistère), where he teaches drawing to children free of charge and finds inspiration in the contemplation of nature. Filmed with simplicity, we observe it putting together a giant painting in his garden or painting in a sea cavewhile listening to him talk about Velázquez, Raphael, nature and life. A beautiful ode to authenticity and sharing. J.B.

And also… animation classics

It’s a real festival for lovers of animated films! On france.tvthe master Hayao Miyazaki is in the spotlight with four must-haves from Studio Ghibli : the tender magic of My Neighbor Totorothe sensitive historical account of Wind risesthe delicious melancholy of Porco Rosso or the charming learning story Kiki the little witch. As for the other genius of Ghibli, Isao Takahatacurrently in the spotlight in a exhibition at the House of Culture of Japan, Netflix propose three other jewels : PomopPOPwhere mischievous tanukis challenge modernity, My neighbors the Yamadascolorful chronicle of an ordinary family, and The Tale of Princess Kaguyaa poetic fresco of breathtaking beauty. Finally on Mubi, three masterpieces crown this beautiful program. First of all The King and the Bird by Paul Grimaulta masterful reference for generations of directors, then Princes and Princesses in which Michel Ocelot deploys a magical shadow theater, and finally, The Triplets of Bellevillewith a tender and offbeat fantasy, signed Sylvain Chomet. A magic selection which will appeal to young and old, and will make all animation lovers dream. J.C.