(Credit: Netflix)

So Gustav Klimt’s portrait just sold for $236 freaking million, and most of us are still trying to understand how a single painting now costs more than a private island, a small football team and our entire future combined. But once you get over the number (or at least pretend to), it does make you think: the price tag is wild, but the real drama is always in the story behind the art. And that’s where Netflix swoops in.

Think of Netflix like the friend who knows all the gossip. Because tucked between the thrillers and true-crime docs are some seriously absorbing art documentaries that remind you that behind every canvas and sculpture, there is a life that’s beyond your expectations.

Very few people appreciate the backstory behind an artistic masterpiece. A backstory filled with jealousy, rivalry, heartbreak, ego, luck, disasters, and basically every emotion you can name. Half the artists featured in these docs didn’t even know they’d matter someday.

If the Klimt sale left you curious or confused, these five documents will pull you right into the world behind the artist.

Five shocking art documentaries to watch on Netflix

The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022)

Imagine opening someone’s diary and realising they were way more dramatic and emotional than you ever expected. That’s exactly the vibe here. Andy Warhol lets you into his brain, except the “voice” reading his diaries is an AI version of him, which makes it feel even more like he’s whispering secrets you were never meant to hear.

You get the real Andy: the awkward flirting, the heartbreak that clearly messed him up, the friendships that shaped him, and the moments where he second-guessed everything while still acting unbothered in public. And then there’s the Jean-Michel Basquiat era, which is like watching two different worlds collide in the best way. By the end, you stop seeing him as the pop-art icon and start seeing him as an actual person trying to figure out love, fame and himself.

Pedro (2022)

Pedro Friedeberg’s eccentric universe is not a place; it is a feeling of stepping into the living room of your coolest, most unpredictable art friend. Pedro is the guy behind the famous Hand Chair, but the documentary isn’t just about his work. It’s about his entire personality, which is its own piece of art. The filmmaker spends real time with him, and the more you watch, the more you realise this man treats life like one long performance piece.

A feature of Pedro is how unpredictable he is. One minute, he’s teasing everyone around him, the next, he’s saying something so profound you have to pause and think about it. The documentary feels like hanging out with someone who has lived a life packed with strange stories and wild opinions.

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)

From Pedro’s playfulness, we shift into something heavier and far more surprising, so brace yourself. Struggle introduces you to Stanisław Szukalski, a forgotten sculptor who gets “rediscovered” by a group of artists in Los Angeles. As soon as that happens, from that moment on, everything starts revealing itself like a mystery no one could have predicted.

You listen to Szukalski tell stories about his life, his work and the tragedies he survived, and immediately you’re pulled into a past that feels enormous and painful and fascinating all at once. And just when you think you’ve got him figured out, the documentary reveals pieces of his history that complicate everything. It becomes a conversation about talent and the parts of an artist’s life people choose to remember… or forget.

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed (2021)

After Szukalski’s emotional roller coaster, switching to Bob Ross feels like taking a deep breath… until it doesn’t. You start with the Bob everybody knows: the soft voice, the gentle trees, and the calm energy that people have sworn has fixed them. And then the documentary zooms out and shows the people around him, the business empire built on his name and the battles that erupted after he died.

It’s very heartbreaking because the world adored him for how peaceful he was, and yet the story behind his brand is full of tension and, sadly, complicated relationships. You walk away loving him even more, but with a clearer picture of how unfair the world was to the man who just wanted to paint happy little landscapes.

Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2016)

And finally, we end with something spectacular, literally. Cai Guo-Qiang creates art with gunpowder and fireworks, which already sounds like a personality trait. The film follows him as he prepares for his most ambitious project, and the entire build-up feels like watching someone try to turn imagination into a real, blazing event in the sky.

The documentary moves between his past, his family, his inspirations and the unbelievable logistics behind his work. Every explosion has a story. Every spark has a memory attached to it. By the time Sky Ladder finally lights up, you understand exactly why this man uses fire as a language. It’s emotional and one of the most visually stunning art docs out there, so please watch it.