“One of Wiseman’s richest and most thought-provoking films, and easily one of his best.” —Slant Magazine
Long renowned for his examination of public institutions (the university, the ballet, a strip club, and a boxing gym, to name a few), Frederick Wiseman expands his work to exploring the art museum—specifically, London’s two-centuries-old National Gallery. Removing the narration and interviews typical of documentary filmmaking, Wiseman’s approach focuses on ways that the roles of staff and public intersect and affect how they see art. Close attention is paid to the labor involved in art conservation, and the film evolves into a testament to the fluid nature of a painting’s meaning. Wiseman was subject of the November 2003 Regis Dialogue & Retrospective. 2014, DCP, 180 minutes.
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