Film Forum

Catherine Gund's deeply affectionate paean to her mother - philanthropist and art collector extraordinaire Agnes Gund - tells two stories that meld into one: the elegant, if conventional divorcée and mother of four who leaves Cleveland for New York and becomes ensconced in the art world (in 1991 she became president of the board of the Museum of Modern Art); and the woman whose profound experiences with guilt and empathy fuel her decision to sell a beloved Roy Lichtenstein painting and gift $100 million to the Ford Foundation's Darren Walker to establish The Art for Justice Fund -- with the aim of reducing mass incarceration. Activist/filmmaker/friend Ava DuVernay and Gund's own African-American grandchildren helped seal the deal. Visiting with Gund in her art-filled home (Arshile Gorky, Lynda Benglis, Ellsworth Kelly, Glenn Ligon, Julie Mehretu, Christo, Louise Bourgeois, Mark Rothko) is just one of the film's many joys. Special added attraction: John Waters.

Presented with support from Film Forum’s Documentary Fund.
Leadership gifts received from: Hugo Barreca, Leon and Michaela Constantiner, Ostrovsky Family Fund.

Presented with support from the Richard Brick, Geri Ashur, and Sarah Bershtel Fund for Social Justice Documentaries, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Fund, and the Helen Frankenthaler Endowed Fund for Films on Art.

USA      2020    91 MINS.      STRAND RELEASING

For further information: aggiefilm.com

Reviews

“Aggie is an extraordinary figure. AGGIE is of course about its eponymous subject, but it’s also about so much more: the artists she champions, the curatorial politics and decisions to purchase modern art from them and her charitable fund that promotes nationwide criminal justice reform. Aggie comes alive most when she’s engaging with artists about art, so it was smart to enlist a handful of them - like Julie Mehretu and Glenn Ligon - as on-camera interviewers of Aggie… (who) speaks with great passion and depth about her relationship to the arts.”
– Beandrea July, The Hollywood Reporter

“The filmmaker John Waters sits down with her. Who knew that Gund helped MoMA acquire Waters’ 1972 bad-taste masterpiece PINK FLAMINGOS? Gund is a good sport with Waters, another collector, when he asks if she frequented the Mudd Club or the Mineshaft. When she admits that she never took LSD, Waters says ‘your vision did not need altering.’”
– David D’Arcy, Observer

“Inspiring, aspiring, and beautiful.”
– Sabina Dana Plasse, Film Threat

“A fascinating documentary subject.”
– Orla Smith, Seventh Row