The Complete History of Art References in Woody Allen Films

Written By Jessica L. Pizzo

In his nearly half-century long career as a director, screenwriter and actor, Woody Allen has not been shy about disclosing his philosophy about many things. His movies do homage to the beauty of location: Paris, London, Barcelona and Manhattan have received public letters of affection. Allen's musical preferences, from Big Band jazz to Sidney Bichet and Django Reinhardt, are well known.

Less studied, however, are his artistic influences. They present broadly in range and style in his films. Whether setting scenes in his characters' homes or the ever-changing tone in their lives, there's no denying that art plays a big role in his life onscreen. Sure, you'll remember how art heavy recent films like Midnight In Paris and Vicki Christina Barcelona are, but you'll probably be surprised at what other references Allen's pulled over the years. When the reference is firm, the art plays a proper role in the film. At other times, decorative art serves to set tone and allude to style.

Check out The Complete History of Art References in Woody Allen Films.

Film, Year: "Take the Money and Run", 1969

Allen's 1969 mockumentary "Take the Money and Run" tells the tale of a petty thief who enters crime at a young age after a rough childhood. After winding up in the slammer for attempting to rob a bank, Allen a notable Jew, schemes his prison escape under the watchful eye of a Madonna and Child.

Film, Year: "Take the Money and Run", 1969

Never one to shy away from an obvious theme, Allen fills the film with fast artwork, a carousel pony when Virgil finds out his wife is expecting and a Zebra painting as he attempts to cover his criminal past for a job at an insurance company.

Film, Year: "Take the Money and Run", 1969

... and a Zebra painting as he attempts to cover his criminal past for a job at an insurance company.

Film, Year: "Bananas", 1971

In 1971's "Bananas," Allen portrays Fielding Mellish, a man who goes as far as running away to a Latin American country amidst a revolution to win the heart of his social activist crush. Under the watchful eye of revolutionary propaganda in this fictional country, Mellish places an extravagant order at a bar.

Film, Year: "Bananas", 1971

Later, as Mellish seduces Nancy, the walls of the bedroom are filled with artwork, including Lucas Cranach's 16th century "Nymphe à la source." The original painting depicts a nymph discovered on the banks of the Danube River, and bears a Latin inscription: "I am the nymph of the sacred spring. Do not disturb my sleep. I am resting."

Film, Year: "Play It Again, Sam", 1972

In 1972's "Play It Again, Sam," Allen plays a film critic tries to get over his wife leaving him by dating again. In one scene, Allen tries to pick up a depressive woman over a Jackson Pollock painting.

Film, Year: "Play It Again, Sam", 1972

Allen tries to woo the girl in front of the Pollock at the Berkeley Art Museum, in Berkley, CA. The museum, also known as BAM/PFA, was founded in 1963 with a large donation of Hans Hoffman's Abstract Expressionist art. Today, the museum's collection of Abstract Expressionist art remains the largest in any museum internationally.

Film, Year: "Play It Again, Sam", 1972

Later in the film, assisted by his friends, Allen tries to woo another lady in his apartment which is filled with his idol Humphrey Bogart's movie posters and a satire of Gilbert Stuart's famous George Washington portrait "The Landsdowne."

Film, Year: "Annie Hall", 1977

Annie Hall recounts the up and down love trials of neurotic Alvie Singer and the ever-disconnected Annie Hall. As they try to work out their love trials, Annie and Alvie seek therapy in very different places and methods: she in a more progressive setting with an abstract painting and he in a more traditional Freudian office, overlooked by a satirical sketch.

Film, Year: "Annie Hall", 1977

As the characters navigate their affair, viewers see an animated scene portraying Alvy and Annie in the guise of the Wicked Queen from Snow White. This cartoon features artwork based on Stuart Hample's 70s and 80s comic strip "Inside Woody Allen."

Film, Year: "Manhattan", 1979

In "Manhattan", Allen plays Isaac Davis, a divorced New Yorker currently dating a high-schooler named Tracy who can't quite cut a break. The famous opening scene, set to George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" depicts some of New York City's famous art sights, including the Guggenheim Museum.

Film, Year: "Manhattan", 1979

Also depicted in the opening scene is a view into the Temple of Dendur, a fixture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Film, Year: "Manhattan", 1979

In a scene at the Guggenheim, Isaac runs into his friend Yale and his mistress Mary, played by Diane Keaton, and the three argue over photography, Diane Arbus and the "negative capability" of a steel cube installation's texture.

Film, Year: "Manhattan", 1979

Isaac and Mary run into each other again, flirting this time during a conversation in the Sculpture Gallery at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa).

Film, Year: "Manhattan", 1979

Near the end of the film, Isaac lies on his sofa, relaying into tape recorder the things that make "life worth living." Among them are Cezanne's "Apples and Oranges" and "Tracy's face." A Mark Rothko painting also hangs on the wall of his apartment.

Film, Year: "Hannah and Her Sisters", 1986

Art plays a big role in 1986's "Hannah and Her Sisters," whether it be in the husband of one of the sisters who is a reclusive artist or the role it plays in setting a particular mood. Nothing is more evident than how Allen's screenplay reads for the opening of one particular clip,"The Stanislavski Catering Company in action" which reads "An abstract painting on a wall fills the screen. Light laughter is heard, as well as the sophisticated music."

Film, Year: "Hannah and Her Sisters", 1986

"The Thinker," is seen here at Columbia University in 1986's "Hannah and Her Sisters."

Film, Year: "Hannah and Her Sisters", 1986

Later in the movie, Allen's camera spans some of New York City's varying architecture, stopping for a moment to examine the class Art Deco building, The Graybar, located at 420 Lexington Avenue. Overlooking the building's entrances are sets of bas-relieves, including those of a Deco-Assyrian-style Prometheus holding fire.

Film, Year: "Radio Days", 1987

1987's "Radio Days" is Allen's homage to the influence of radio entertainment on his life as a child before television. In one scene, he recounts the novelty tune "Mairzy Doats" along with the associated memory of a neighbor going crazy, running with a butcher's knife down the street. As the family listens to the radio, Frank Niepold's classic American painting "Washington Monument" hangs above the refrigerator.

Film, Year: "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)", 1988

In 1988's "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)", an American doctor, played by Gene Wilder, finds himself in a fine predicament when he falls in love with an Armenian sheep named Daisy. Wilder's office is full of licenses and artwork, includes works such as Matisse's 1947 travel poster for the city of Nice, entitled "Nice Travail and Joie."

Film, Year: "Husbands and Wives", 1992

"Husbands and Wives" is Woody Allen's study on marriage, following the separation of one couple and the examination of the relationship by another. The film opens in the apartment of Gabe and Judy Roth (Allen and Mia Farrow), which is filled sketches and curiosities.

Paintings In Home

Film, Year: "Husbands and Wives", 1992

In addition, Gabe and Judy's home displays a few famous works of art.

Film, Year: "Mighty Aphrodite", 1995

In 1995's "Mighty Aphrodite," a sportswriter sets out to find the birthmother of his genius adopted son. Thanks to his art-dealer wife, their home is filled with all kinds of art, including a painting of neutral interiors evocative of Edward Hopper.

Film, Year: "Mighty Aphrodite", 1995

Other art in their home ranges from florals to figures, including this Calder-esque painting on the left.

Film, Year: "Everyone Says I Love You", 1996

"Everyone Says I Love You" is Allen's attempt at a musical about a wealthy New York family. WIth a full cast of famous names, nothing makes it more evident about the family's sense of style than their extravagant parties, taste in fine jewelry and their art-filled home, which includes the likes of Matisse and Brancusi.

Film, Year: "Everyone Says I Love You", 1996

In one scene, Goldie Hawn, who plays Woody Allen's remarried ex-wife, speaks about trying to find him a woman amidst the backdrop of classic hunting paintings and dogs.

Film, Year: "Sweet and Lowdown", 1999

In 1999's fictional biography "Sweet and Lowdown," Sean Penn stars as Emmett Ray, an irresponsible jazz musician who falls in love with a deaf woman, Hattie, and clashes with just about everybody in the 1930s Jazz world. Emmett leaves Hattie and meets Blanche, played by Uma Thurman, under a very appropriate guitar-themed painting.

Film, Year: "Hollywood Ending", 2002

Woody Allen is famous not only for his film career, but also for his jazz clarinet performances. The director has a long-standing residency playing at The Carlyle, and the hotel and it's famous bar (with iconic interior), Bemelman's, appear frequently in his works. Bemelmans, illustrated by the famous writer Ludwig Bemelman, who penned the Madeleine stories, is shown here in "Hollywood Ending."

Film, Year: "Melinda and Melinda", 2004

"Melinda and Melinda" is Allen's 2004 comedy/tragedy about a distraught woman named Melinda who disrupts a dinner party. In the tragic version of the tale, Melinda enters the apartment midway through the dinner after downing twenty-eight sleeping pills. A hollow-eyed piece to her left guides her entry.

Film, Year: "Match Point", 2005

Allen's 2005 thriller "Match Point" is a story of obsession, lust and murder. Set in London, the story follows Chris Wilton, a retired professional tennis player, who falls in love with his brother-in-law's ex-girlfriend. As the story unfolds, we see Chris walking against the backdrop of UK graffiti artist Banksy's "Balloon Girl" on the side of Blackfriars Footbridge in Southwark.

Film, Year: "Match Point", 2005

Later, Chris encounters the object of his affection, Nola, at the Tate Modern. While much of the scene was filmed on location at the Tate, this particular one, filled with abstract art created specifically for the film, was shot in a warehouse in the East End.

Film, Year: "Match Point", 2005

As the movie ends, Chris and his wife come home with their new baby and family. As the rest of the family rejoices in the new life, Chris looks out of the apartment into the river solemnly. The picture seen in the shot as they enter the house is that of a solemn man with his eyes cast downward. Paintings are regularly employed in "Match Point" to mirror character moods. This happens to be one of the best examples.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

Over 100 paintings by the Catalan painter Agusti Puig were depicted in Allen's sexy Spanish vacation film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Puig was even commissioned to create a painting for the film, La Protectora II, however it never made the final cut onscreen.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

As Vicky and Cristina's adventure in Barcelona begins, they are greated by Joan Miro's 1970 large ceramic mural which is painted across the exterior wall of Aeroport del Prat Terminal B.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

One of the first places Vicky and Cristina visit in Barcelona is Gaudi's famous Roman Catholic church, the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. The church began construction in 1882, and though never completed. remains a landmark in Barcelona and was proclaimed a minor basilica for Catholics by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

As Vicky and Cristina tour about the city with their host Judy, the unsurprisingly run into more Miro, in the form of his sculpture from 1976. The Catalan artist's work is greatly exhibited in courtyards and open spaces all over the city.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

Further on their adventures around Barcelona, they pass through one of Gaudi's most famed works, the Mila residence, taking in the sunset from the terrace, which captures the entire city view.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

Vicky and Cristina attend a gallery opening for a dark mysterious artist, which in the film, is held at the Tapies Foundation. The foundation, founded by Catalan painter Antoni Tapies in 1984 (and subsequently opened in 1990), houses his permanent collection, as well as temporary exhibits. The dark mysterious artist exhibiting there, in this case, is Juan Antonio, played by Javier Bardem.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

In the film both Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem portray fiery artists who were formerly lovers, entangled in a heated affair with American tourists Vicky and Cristina (Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johanssen). The film was shot around Barcelona and the countryside, complimenting the architecture and art scene of the city itself.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

After Juan Antonio returns from a trip to Asturias, he is reunited with Vicky at the Parc Guell, a somewhat failed attempt by Eusebi Güell to create a park for Barcelona aristocracy. Gaudi created the famous mosaic dragon that is positioned at the entrance of the park.

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

Vicky and Judy explains her relationship with Juan Antonio on the terrace of the Museu Nacional d'Art, which features all types of sculpture, painting, art objects, photography

Film, Year: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", 2008

On the “Moll de la Marina”, Cristina thinks about everything that has occurred with Juan Antonio, just in front of the “Peix d'Or”, the golden fish statue by Frank Gehry.

Film, Year: "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger," 2010

2010's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger," is a film about longing and infidelity in London. Naomi Watts plays Sally, an art assistant in Antonio Banderas's gallery. The film is filled with great works of art, including these paintings depicting famous scenes from the film noir classics "Out of the Past" and "This Gun for Hire."

Film, Year: "Midnight in Paris", 2011

In Midnight in Paris, Allen's protagonist Gil, played by Owen Wilson, wanders off into the Paris night and lands somewhere back in the golden era of ex-Patriot Paris, amongnst notable figures such as Ernest Hemingway, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. When Gil first meets Stein, it is under Picasso's famous portrait of her from 1906.

Film, Year: "Midnight in Paris", 2011

"Midnight in Paris" is ripe with artistic influence. Characters are well-versed in art history, and the entire movie is wrapped up in how the artists themselves were inspired to create from their Parisian environs. As the film opens, we see our protagonist, Gil Pender, and his fiancee at Monet's famous garden of waterlilies in Giverny.

Film, Year: "Midnight in Paris", 2011

Later in the film, the group takes in eight of Monet's large Waterlilies paintings at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Place de la Concorde.

Film, Year: "Midnight in Paris", 2011

While discussing Picasso's Bather, we are treated to one of Picasso's series of early 1920s paintings of a woman.

Film, Year: "Midnight in Paris", 2011

Picasso's "The Bather" plays a significant role in "Midnight in Paris." Our protagonist first encounters the painting in the heat of an argument between Stein and Picasso themselves over what the work of art conveys about his mistress, Adriana. Picasso's bather is cleverly placed against Cezanne's own famous "Bathers."

Film, Year: "Midnight in Paris", 2011

Back in modern day, Gil lands in front of the painting once again, this time defending the factual history about Adriana as he witnessed it with Picasso and Stein themselves amongst his fiancée and her friends.

Film, Year: "Midnight in Paris", 2011

Carla Bruni has a cameo in the film, serving as a tour guide through Rodin Gardens. Here, the group sees another iteration of Rodin's famous work "The Thinker," and argues over the women in Rodin's life. Never one to shy away from a theme, perhaps the continuous appearance of Rodin's famous work alludes to Allen's famously neurotic and existentialist ways.