On Friday afternoon September 18 at 2 p.m. we celebrate the return of our Arts on Film series with Exhibition on Screen film “James McNeil Whistler.” This incredible artist is finally getting the attention he deserves in this expansive new documentary based on Tate Britain's blockbuster retrospective. This is your unmissable chance to get to know the man behind the masterpieces. Two shows only: 2 p.m. Friday 9/18 and Saturday 9/19.
Film Tickets: $8 Members; $12 Non-Members.
Bold, experimental, and famously witty, James McNeill Whistler challenged the conventions of Victorian society and helped redefine what art could be. A contemporary of the Impressionists and admired by artists including Van Gogh and Manet, Whistler championed the idea of “art for art’s sake,” pursuing beauty, atmosphere, and harmony above traditional storytelling.
Inspired by the relationship between painting and music, he gave many of his works musical titles—arrangements, harmonies, and nocturnes—to emphasize the importance of tone and composition. His most famous work, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (1871), better known as Whistler’s Mother, has become one of the most recognizable—and frequently parodied—paintings in the world.
Filmed in close collaboration with Tate Britain during the first major Whistler retrospective in three decades, this new Exhibition on Screen film brings together celebrated masterpieces and rarely seen works to reveal the fascinating artist behind them—and the lasting influence of his remarkable vision.
