Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present

As about as good as documentaries come, this is a truly entrancing narrative on famed Serbian artist Marina Abramović as she prepares for her titular 2010 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Equal parts personal history, exposition of her artistic persona and presentation of her ultimate performance: a 736-hour piece where she ensconced herself silently in a chair and allowed museum-goers to sit before her, one at a time. An ostensibly peculiar concept made enchanting and invigorating by supreme cinematography and editing, not to mention the presence of the artist herself – a sensual and fascinating individual. Made me wish desperately that I had waited all those hours to sit before her.

Performance artist Marina Abramovic prepares for a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.