The films, produced and directed by Seventh Art Productions, will form part of its next season of Exhibition on Screen. The series has consistently broken records for art documentaries and reached audiences in over 70 countries since its first film made in 2011 with the National Gallery – a feature on the Gallery’s Leonardo exhibition. Last year Seventh Art Productions made the hugely successful and critically acclaimed Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition.
The films will be released in the UK in c.300 cinemas including Picturehouse Cinemas, Curzon, Everyman, Odeon and dozens of local arthouse cinemas and art centres. Internationally, Exhibition on Screen distributes throughout Europe, Asia, North America and Australia/NZ in cinemas, TV, digital platforms as well as screening longer term in museums, art galleries and educational institutions around the world.
My National Gallery, London will tell the story of the Gallery’s collection in a new light through the eyes of people working in the Gallery amongst the paintings or behind the scenes (cleaners, curators, security guards, the Director, sales assistants and archivists); plus some of its most dedicated visitors; and some famous faces as well. The film will ask which artwork means the most to them and how the Gallery reflects our modern nation. From personal perspectives on the Gallery’s most famous paintings, to shining a spotlight on those often skimmed past, the film will show the world of emotion that this collection – which belongs to all of us – can inspire.
Later in 2024, Exhibition on Screen will return to the National Gallery to capture the Bicentenary exhibition Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers (14 September 2024 ‒ 19 January 2025). The Gallery’s first exhibition devoted to the artist will focus on Van Gogh’s imaginative transformations. It will feature over 50 works and loans from museums and private collections around the world, many rarely made visible to the public. Groups of Van Gogh’s most ambitious canvases and works on paper will explore the artist’s creative process and his sources of inspiration. The film will give viewers unable to travel to the Gallery the chance to discover the stories told in this ambitious exhibition, with the chance to see it behind the scenes.
“With a long history of working together, we are delighted that Exhibition on Screen will be bringing stories of the National Gallery to screens for our Bicentenary year. These films will help to take us and our paintings all over the UK and around the world.”
Dr Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery
“I’m thrilled to be making these films with the National Gallery and helping them mark such an important anniversary. The films will be very different to each other but together show the scope of everything the National Gallery brings to the UK and why we are so lucky to have it.”
Phil Grabsky, Executive Producer & Director of Seventh Art Productions