Last week marked the release of (artist and filmmaker) Julian Schnabel’s At Eternity’s Gate, starring Willem Dafoe as Vincent van Gogh during his time at Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise. Fans of Van Gogh cinema hardly had to wait since the last flick about the famously tortured painter; last year gave us Loving Vincent, the story of Van Gogh told through animated hand-drawn paintings—65,000 of them. This got us thinking about some of our favorite films about artists—from biopics to documentaries and everything in between—a way-too-long list that we finally whittled down to five.

5. The many, many films about Vincent van Gogh

Even before Loving Vincent and At Eternity’s Gate, we had (just to name a few): Van Gogh (from 1948), Lust for Life (from 1956, starring Kirk Douglas), Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh (from 1987), and Vincent & Theo (from 1990, starring Tim Roth). To be fair, none of these retraced the steps of what came before, with each actor (or producer) putting his own spin on the artist. (Dafoe’s performance is remarkable, no less for overcoming a great age disparity—Dafoe is 63, and Van Gogh died at the age of 37. Perhaps the artist lived years at double-speed.)

The number of films about Van Gogh says as much about our culture’s fascination with the artist than the artist himself. Maybe it’s the fact he so frequently painted himself (and so we have an idea of the man), maybe it’s his biographical drama (you don’t have to know anything about his work to know about the ear incident). Regardless, it’s safe to say filmmakers of the future shouldn’t give up hope of having their Van Gogh passion project greenlit.

4. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

Why wouldn’t Banksy make a movie about himself? Well, maybe that’s not exactly what happened here. Thierry Guetta, an LA-based French shopkeeper, first attempted to make a movie about Banksy, but Banksy found a way to hijack the film, and made it about Guetta’s attempt to make a movie about him. (This wouldn’t be the first or last time Banksy took control of the world’s attempt to commercialize his art.)

For fans of the graffiti artist, this is perhaps the closest shot you’ll get of him. (Likewise, those tired of his antics should look elsewhere.) Everything from the pace to the title is seamless, and very much Banksy; nothing is what is seems, or exactly what it seems, or maybe not?

3. Frida (2002)

Anticipating Frida-fever (or perhaps helping to usher it in) was Frida, starring Salma Hayek. The film employed a noteworthy cast (Hayek, Alfred Molina, Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd, and Edward Norton) and followed the traditional biopic narrative, while helping to bring to life one of art history’s most enigmatic (and misunderstood) figures.

Adapted from the book Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera, the movie is rich in facts and details, while literary in its use of allusions and subtly imagery. It paid off; the movie grossed $56,298,474 worldwide.

2. Tim’s Vermeer (2013)

You know a movie by Penn and Teller is going to have some twists and turns (and a sense of humor), but the character at the heart of his documentary, Tim Jenison, is nothing but sincere. His quest is singular: find out how Johannes Vermeer could paint so realistically, well before the advent of photography.

To find his answer, Jenison travels, over the course of a decade, to Holland, Yorkshire, and Buckingham Palace—and, most notably, into his own mind. As much about art as it is the nature of obsession, Tim’s Vermeer is a true treat for anyone who has seen a masterpiece and wondered aloud, “How did they do it?”

1. Pollock (2000)

No biopic can truly capture the essence of a person, but Ed Harris gives it his all. Not only did he star in the film, he directed it; it was very much a passion project years in the making. He earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for it, and Marcia Gay Harden (as Lee Krasner) won for Best Supporting Actress.

Anyone who knows Pollock’s story knows the movie will be a tragedy; watching it unfold gradually can be harrowing. The film keys into Pollock’s complicated relationship with fame, and how it eventually took away his ability to create—and (spoiler warning) his life. In this way it provides the sort of unflinching storytelling Pollock demands and deserves.

Have a favorite we missed? Let us know on social media—@meetmeural