Taking Fine Art Out of the Museum

From threats by dictators to roust outs by police, these films show the art world can be a dangerous place.

• The Rape of Europa, 7:30 p.m., March 26 @ Magnolia (and 5:15 p.m., March 27 @ Magnolia
• Next: A Primer on Urban Painting, 9:45 p.m., March 30 @ AFC
• Troll Concerto – part of Shorts Program 2, 2:15 p.m., March 24, AFC (again at 9:45 p.m., March 25, @ AFC)
• 4 Minute Matisse - part of Shorts Program 3. 12:15 p.m., March 25 @ AFC (and again at 9:45 p.m., March 26 @ AFC)

The Rape of Europa - Is it possible to engage in war without destroying culture? THE RAPE OF EUROPA, a 2006 documentary by Bonni Cohen and Richard Berge, attempts to answer this question while vividly cataloging Adolph Hitler’s lesser-known yet far-reaching war against European art. "Here you had the highest aspirations of our nature under threat,” Cohen says. "Art and war, side by side."

Next: A Primer on Urban Painting - Meanwhile, director Pablo Aravena’s documentary NEXT: A PRIMER OF URBAN PAIINTING gives an inside look at the global art phenomenon
most commonly known as graffiti. Hopping from New York to Japan, Berlin to Brazil, and London to Paris, Aravena delves into the works and minds of a dozen "urban painters" and aims to dismiss the notion that their creations are merely vandalism. "At the end of the day, it is young people being creative," he says. "It is [our] nature to transgress barriers and push the envelope of free speech."

Troll: Concerto - In the not-too-distant world of TROLL CONCERTO, art as we know it is dying. Crafted by Canadian director Alexandre Franchi, this fantasy-driven short ponders a world the Muses have abandoned, a world where a violins are used for dueling, and a world where a young cellist named Frida is taken hostage by a disgruntled (and now unemployed) troll.

4 MINUTE MATISSE - TCU instructor Gregory Mansur's 4 Minute Matisse, a witty short film conceived for (and winner of) the Dallas 24 Hour Video Race, takes a look at art as something to be taken. Following three female cat burglars from Dallas on their mission to grab and go, the film itself was a do-or-die experience. "We started brainstorming at 12:30am," says Mansur. "We got our first shot by 4:15 am, had the film in the can by 1 pm, and finished scoring and editing by 11:15 pm." Viola! Who says art takes time?

by Chad Jones, Staff Writer

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