Review: Who Gets To Call It Art (B+)

Who Gets To Call It Art?
Directed by Peter Rosen
Starring Henry Geldzahler, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Francesco Clemente, David Hockney and Ellsworth Kelly
MPAA: UR
Grade: B+

Review by Scott Standish

Perhaps the best documentary on the 60's New York art scene, Who Gets To Call It Art is interesting, funny and it actually educates. The film shows the fantastic art of legends Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and more. But the center piece of Who Gets To Call It Art is the famous art curator Henry Geldzahler.

Henry Geldzahler was the first modern art curator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His taste helped to shape what would become an international wave of modern art that dominated the art scene. Artists like Ellsworth Kelly, Andy Warhol and David Hockney were brought to the world's attention in part through the hard work of Geldzahler. Geldzahler is smart, engaging and a bit mysterious. Who Gets To Call It Art showcases the amazing art selected by Geldzahler and the work is amazingly consistent. Modern art fans will be impressed by the high quality of the art, and newbies will be inspired.

Who Gets To Call It Art has a great pace, a fantastic visual style and a sly wit. Geldzahler was attracted to the fame of being associated with famous artists but he also had impeccable taste when it came to modern art, especially Pop Art. For fans of Pop Art, this wonderful film directed by Peter Rosen is hard to beat. Vibrant, tasteful and very educational, Who Gets To Call It Art is a documentary that gets it all right.