Ian Forster

Ian Forster is a producer and director who specializes in documentaries about art and culture.

He is the senior producer at Art21, a long-running and celebrated non-profit that produces documentaries about contemporary art. Forster has worked on six seasons of Art21's PBS series Art in the Twenty-First Century. Most recently, he directed its “Everyday Icons” episode, which premiered nationally on PBS in April 2023. Previously he directed the ”London” and “Johannesburg” episodes. He also oversees Art21's ongoing digital series Extended Play, which has garnered two prestigious Vimeo Staff Pick honors and has twice been recognized by the Webby Awards. His films for Art21 have featured some of the world's most notable contemporary artists, including Amy Sherald, Anish Kapoor, Kara Walker, Sarah Sze, Julie Mehretu, Barabara Kruger, and many more. His documentaries have screened at film festivals around the world, including DOC NYC in New York; Artecinema in Naples, Italy; DC Shorts in Washington; and Dart Barcelona in Spain.