Exhibition on Screen: James McNeill Whistler at Speed Cinema

Exhibition on Screen: James McNeill Whistler
Directed by David Bickerstaff

Sunday, October 4, 12:30 pm CINEMA + | BUY TICKETS

$14 | $10 Speed members

In an era of great change and great beauty emerged the character of James McNeill Whistler. Considered by some to be one of the great innovators of 19th century art, he was a contemporary of the Impressionists, much admired by Vincent Van Gogh and Édouard Manet. Boldly experimental and famously witty, Whistler disrupted the strict conventions of Victorian society in pursuit of a new cult of beauty, creating “art for art’s sake” and earning himself a place in the history of great art. He found a parallel between painting and music, and entitled many of his paintings “arrangements,” “harmonies,” and “nocturnes,” emphasizing the importance of tonal unity in his work.

His most famous painting, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (1871), commonly known as Whistler’s Mother, is a revered and often parodied portrait of motherhood. It is arguably one of the most famous paintings in history, and this film will unveil the artist behind the art.

Tate Britain is now holding the first major retrospective of Whistler in three decades. This blockbuster exhibition promises to reawaken the world to just how important Whistler is to art history, uniting world-famous masterpieces with rarely seen works. This will be an unmissable chance to get to know this visually spectacular artist and the influence he has had on those who followed. 2027, U.K. DCP, 90 minutes. Recommended for 12+

CINEMA + with a post-screening opportunity to view a selection of the Speed’s 90+ works by Whistler on paper selected and presented by Kim Spence, Senior Director of Collections and Curator of Works on Paper