Documentary Screening: James McNeill Whistler

US Premiere! Watch the Trailer Join producer Phil Grabsky and our curator Diana Greenwold for a discussion after the screening. Get ready for our upcoming Whistler exhibition with the US premiere of this documentary on painter James McNeill Whistler, the latest Exhibition On Screen production. 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 nineteenth-century art, he was a contemporary of the Impressionists, much admired by Van Gogh and 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 harmony 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 unveils the artist behind the art. Description adapted from Seventh Art Productions. About Exhibition on Screen In 2011 Seventh Art Productions created history when they brought major art exhibitions into cinemas across the globe with Leonardo Live from London's National Gallery. This was the first ever exhibition from a gallery or museum on the big screen. This led to Exhibition On Screen-creating from scratch a worldwide network of over 1,500 cinemas showing regular arts films in over 60 countries. This hugely successful art cinema brand is now in its 13th season of films. The 2023 film Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition is the UK's most successful art film. These films have played in festivals, cinemas, and on TV & DVD worldwide, winning dozens of awards. Director: David Bickerstaff. Country: United Kingdom. Released: 2026. Length: 90 min. Format: DCP. Language: English. James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903); Symphony in White and Red ; United States, ca. 1868; oil on millboard mounted on wood panel; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.177a-b