David Hockney · Marina Abramović
Jeff Koons · Ai Weiwei · Chuck Close
Bigger Than Art · a documentary
It began with a hand on a wall.
It hasn’t stopped.
We visited museums and studios across the world, chasing one question: what makes a work of art true. With Sean Penn, Gottfried Helnwein, David Hockney, Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei and more.
The film
What makes a work of art true?
Two filmmakers traveled museums and studios across half the world chasing the same question: what makes a work of art true. Bigger Than Art gathers the voices of some of the most influential artists of our time, together with the perspective of an actor who has built his career chasing the same thing in front of the camera, into a choral portrait of creativity as an act of honesty.
Featuring
Twenty voices. One question.
Richard Estes
Jaume Plensa
Vertical cuts from the film
Reels with the artists
Tap a reel for the full-screen view.
About
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdova
Documentary director, cinematographer and photographer. Co-director and director of photography of Bigger Than Art, filmed across eleven countries with some of the most influential artists of our time, from David Hockney and Marina Abramović to Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei and Sean Penn.
I make few films. Each one is a distillation: I stay with a question until only what is true remains. No shortcuts, no formulas.
For screenings, talks and new projects:
gonzalo@ministryoffilms.comContact sheet
Scenes from Bigger Than Art, on Instagram
Film stills from Bigger Than Art, our documentary on contemporary art. Instagram doesn’t allow embedding a live feed here, so each photo links straight to the real profile.