Escape to the world of artists and love in this delightful docu-series, making its exclusive theatrical premiere at Hot Docs this September. Screening over three installments—each featuring three episodes from the series—Artists and Love tells the stories of some of the most iconic creators of the 20th century and the muses that inspired them. Featuring power couples like Georgia O'Keefe and Alfred Stieglitz, Lee Miller and Man Ray, and Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, this audiovisual journey is catnip for art lovers of every taste and vintage. The films travel through the social worlds that defined these illustrious duos, raising a series of tantalizing questions: Is love compatible with creation? Can artists reveal themselves through romantic passion? Does love bring a renewed energy to art?
Episode 4: Paula Becker and Otto Modersohn
She was liberated, intuitive and visionary, obsessed with portraiture and the intensity of children’s stares. He was melancholy and generous, captivated by nature and the sweet subtlety of landscapes. In Germany at the turn of the century, Modersohn supported Becker as she rose to a place of prominence in early Expressionist art. But their story of tormented love and artistic creation was overshadowed by untimely death.
Episode 5: Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz
She was one of the greatest modernist painters in the United States, an icon of American culture. He was one of the founding fathers of modern photography. In the 1920s, they were one of the most high-profile and scandalous couples in New York’s avant-garde scene. O’Keeffe and Stieglitz were inseparable over 30 years of abundant creativity—but a suffocating artistic dependency clouded their passionate love.
Episode 6: Emilie Flöge and Gustav Klimt
He was a symbolist painter—an alchemist who turned his colour palette into gold, reinterpreted patterns and eroticized his models. She was one of the greats in early 20th century fashion design. Under the Klimt’s brush, Flöge became an iconic figure in glowing colours. In Vienna, the two artists bucked conventions and forged an alliance stronger than the bonds of marriage.
In German, English, French with English subtitles.
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