16th April 2014

It’s been a while since I posted a blog – apologies.  I haven’t been holiday – there just haven’t been enough hours in the day!  I must say I admire those who manage to blog practically every day – where do they find the time?  So what news the good ship Seventh Art?  EXHIBITION ON SCREEN has been the biggest consumer of time, as you might imagine.  After our June screening (live in the UK only) of MATISSE LIVE FROM TATE MODERN we’ve been busy re-editing it and adding in footage from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This (wonderful) exhibition is heading to New York next month and we have been fortunate enough to gain access to the preparations (and a real insight into MoMA’s relationship with Matisse over the years).  This is the first time MoMA (surely one of the world’s top museums) has co-operated on a film like this so for the cinema so we feel very privileged.  For those who saw the film in June, you’ll want to see it again as we’ve added about 15 minutes of fascinating material – and for those who haven’t seen it yet then MATISSE FROM TATE MODERN AND MOMA will be coming out on November 4^th in over 40 countries.    Meanwhile we’ve been busy working on 4 other films – yes, 4!   GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING AND OTHER TREASURES FROM THE MAURITSHUIS is almost done and looks spectacular.  If you’re interested in what is now perhaps the second most famous painting in the world, then this is the film for you.  Or if you’re just interested in a stunning ‘jewel box’ of an art gallery replete with masterpieces, then this is also the film for you.  Or if you just like art…..    REMBRANDT FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERY AND RIJKSMUSEUM has also starting shooting and is looking great. He really is one of the greats.    As for the other two, well we’re deep into the research for VAN GOGH and also THE IMPRESSIONISTS.  What a season!  Keep an eye on exhibitiononscreen.com  (sign up to the newsletter here so we’ll let you know when the films are coming to a screen near you – and also like our Facebook page).  

 Why not let us know what you think?  And we’re always open to ideas for Seasons 3 & 4….we have some of the exhibitions sorted but not all….Is your local gallery doing a major show? Let me know.  

 

Now, that’s not all folks….to all my Australian friends: IN SEARCH OF CHOPIN opens on Thursday.  The Sydney Morning Herald has called it a ‘masterpiece’….  Now famously we’re told to treat positive and negative reviews with the same disdain. Rubbish: the good reviews are written by the intelligent, articulate and erudite journalists out there. We all know that!!    The Australian newspaper gives it a big thumbs up too (read here)  – so surely that’s enough to get you down to your local cinema.  One thing is for sure: there’s nothing on TV worth watching…..  Or just go for the wine & cake.  Right, must dash: currently working on a re-release of our Leonardo film and have to work on the script.  Best wishes to you all, Phil. 

PS: I leave you with very sad news from the world’s number one arts blogger  

 

 See the original from Real Clear Arts here

Judith H. Dobrzynski:

This is just plain bad: Last week, a painting titled Madonna with the Saints John the Evangelist and Gregory Thaumaturgus (1639) was stolen from a church in Modena, Italy. Not only was the church alarm system in active, but also the Baroque masterpiece wasn't insured.

It's a big painting -- 10 ft. by 6 ft. -- and reports say it was stolen in its frame, with speculation that the theft was "ordered" by a private collector because a work of this size and renown would be hard ever to resell openly. Unless, speculated the Telegraph in London, it was "cut up into pieces in an attempt to sell it on."

The Telegraph's article, pegged the value of the work at "up to £5 million," or nearly $8.4 million.

It was stolen in the middle of the night from the church of San Vincenzo in the northern town of Modena earlier this week. Curators admitted that lack of funds meant the alarms protecting the painting were not working.

"There was an alarm in the church, but it was inactive," said Monsignor Giacomo Morandi, of the archdiocese of Modena.

It had been paid for by a donation from a local bank but once those funds dried up it had been switched off, he told Corriere della Sera newspaper.

"It's very difficult to protect every single work of art," he added.

The work has hung in the Church of San Vincenzo ever since it was painted. According to The History Blog,

An allied bomb struck San Vincenzo on May 13th, 1944, destroying the presbytery and the choir and its late 17th century frescoes, but the Guercino survived. Let’s hope it can survive human greed.

The History Blog also provided these details:

San Vincenzo is not a parish church so it doesn’t stay open all week. The doors are opened every Sunday for mass and locked after the service is over. The thieves made their way inside, stole the painting and got out without leaving a trace. There is no sign of forced entry on the church door. The priest only realized something was wrong because the door was open.

Police believe at least three men were involved in the theft because the piece is so big and heavy, especially still inside the frame, that it one or two people wouldn’t be able to move it. They probably got in during mass on Sunday, August 10th, and hid until they could do their dirty deed under cover of night. They must have had transportation, most likely a van.

...The Carabinieri’s Tutela Patrimonio Culturale unit (a national police squad dedicated to investigating stolen art and antiquities) are in charge of the investigation. They’re looking through phone records and security camera footage from along the street. There are no cameras pointed at the church, but a van large enough to contain the painting should have been captured by other cameras. Looks as if we have seen the last of this work for some time. But maybe the police will get lucky.

5th May 2014

A blog of numbers…

Just flying over Singapore, 34000 feet up. 

Half way through an 11,500 mile trip from New Zealand to UK.

I’ve just done 7 screenings in 3 days of the all-new IN SEARCH OF CHOPIN.

Good audiences but total folk in the 100s – smaller screens in NZ.

I did seven intros and seven Q and As. Total time talking: 7 hours.

Press: 3 hours.

Hours worked per day – 20.  Length of trip 6 days.  120 hours worked.  And I’m not joking.

At airport, had some time to tidy up emails. Deleted my Sent box from last two years….20,000 of them – thus 10,000 a year, hence average of 30 a day…

Ran 9km along Auckland waterfront.  Perk of the job. Over the last year, I have run in hills of Santa Fe, the waterfront of Chicago, Stanley Park in Vancouver and Central Park in NY. Total KM run…er, lots.

Films completed last year – 4: Manet, Vermeer, Munch and Chopin.

Films on the way…7

Concerts filmed for IN SEARCH OF BACH… 2.  Years to completion….er….5? 10?

Current job satisfaction on a scale of one to ten:  9.  

4320 miles flown from Auckland, 7180 to go to London…

Sunday 17th November 2013

Middle of November already? Really? Gee. As always, my excuse for not having blogged in a short while is my crazy schedule. It really has been crammed – and no sense of it letting up. IN SEARCH OF CHOPIN is coming to a conclusion – and looking good. We did a guide read through of narrative and Chopin’s letter’s with Juliet Stevenson and David Dawson. This is always a very exciting moment in the production process when finally I can strip my voice out and lay in a top professional’s. All of a sudden both elements come to life….The final read is on the 27th November so all hands are on deck to ensure that Mr Chopin’s life has been accurately summarised into 1 hour and 50 minutes….with no factual errors! Luckily I have four superb historical advisors who will spot any mistake…. It’s been a harder journey than I had expected – finances of course but also in terms of creativity: I feel I’m having to leave so much out – whole periods seem to have to be contained in a short example of music, a letter or two, an interview or two and a bit of narrative. But imagine if I had to make a film about your life and try to keep it in a film of under 100 or 110 minutes. So much would invariably be left out…. That’s the trick. What to keep in and how to present it in a film that folk will enjoy. I don’t want to tempt fate but I think we’ve done a good job with Fryderyk: and the performances of Leif Ove Andsnes, Lars Vogt, Ronald Brautigam, Daniel Barenboim and others are wonderful. Should be releasing to cinemas in Australia and New Zealand in May – watch this space.

Talking of Leif Ove Andsnes, tomorrow I am off to Brussels to film the next stage of my film about the 5 Beethoven piano concertos – all of which will be played in the film by this master of the piano. We’re set up to do a 5-camera shoot (on stage) including a full dress rehearsal (so I’ll have ten camera angles in the end). I’m nervous but also confident it’s going to be great. Leif Ove and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra are a formidable combination. To remind you, this is for a May 2015 release….

Meanwhile, our brand EXHIBITION ON SCREEN also keeps us busy. The film from the Vermeer exhibition at the National Gallery was very well received with screenings ongoing. Art…and art lovers, sign up to the ExhibitionOnScreen newsletter, Twitter or Facebook site to keep in touch.

This Event Cinema is such a great new genre though – the RSC Richard II was in cinemas last week and by all accounts sold out. I saw it live at Stratford two weeks ago and it is a great show. David Tennant is super. I’d have loved to see the cinema relay but was busy on Wednesday at a Brighton Film Festival event – where Benedict Cumberbatch very kindly gave me an autograph for my daughter (an aspiring actress) and hoped ‘we work together one day’. Benedict, you’ve a fan for life now (me!). Another actor I think is wonderful is Henry Goodman – I went to see his Arturo Ui show at the Duchess Theatre in London last weekend. He is a ‘tour de force’ in it. I have mixed feeling sometimes about the heightened realism or exaggeration of Brecht but I thoroughly enjoyed this show – and especially Henry. If you love acting, go see this – quick.

To end, one sad note: Antony Caro died on the 23rd October. I really liked Antony and tried hard to make a film about him – even financing some filming of an installation he was doing in France – but simply couldn’t get a broadcaster on board. And now he’s gone. A great artist. One small postscript, just for fun: if you’re looking for a musical recommendation today, how about Mozart’s K207 – violin no1 in B flat major. And, if you fancy looking at one painting today, try the Double Portrait of Constantin Huygens and Suzanna van Baerle by Jacob van Campen. At the Mauritshuis, the Hague, Netherlands. You’ll think Suzanna is sitting right next to you……

31 October 2013

Hi all, just a quick post to let you all know that I am in USA working with galleries this week & will write a longer post about my trip next week. In the meantime here's something UK folk might well be interested in...
   

Dillington House

The Big Art Weekend

Dinner Friday 29 November – Lunch Sunday 1 December 2013

Art doesn’t come much bigger than Manet, Munch and Vermeer. Well, you could make up your own list but these particular artists will feature prominently during the weekend. In addition there will be presentations and discussions about the purpose of the visual arts both in the past and today. The timing couldn’t more perfect following hot on the (high) heels of Grayson Perry’s Reith Lectures on Radio Four. The documentary filmmaker, Phil Grabsky, will describe his involvement with some of our major galleries in broadcasting live, around the world, exhibitions of real significance and we will see some of his films. Early evening on the Saturday Phil Grabsky and Dillington’s Director, Wayne Bennett will be joined by a panel of speakers, including writer and art historian, James Russell, Chief Curator of Dulwich Picture Gallery, Xavier Bray, and artists David Chandler and Jenny Graham. They will kick off the discussion on what is art for today after which everybody will be invited to join in.

Speakers: Wayne Bennett, Phil Grabsky, Xavier Bray et al.

Although the weekend finishes at lunchtime on Sunday there is a further opportunity to hear James Russell who will be presenting an afternoon public lecture by writer and art historian, James Russell, who is on an epic mission to bring to prominence the life and work of one of England’s most evocative artists, Eric Ravilious.

Timetable

Friday

Arrival, tea & registration from 5.00pm
6.45pm Welcome reception and introductions, followed by dinner
7.00pm Dinner (wine included) followed by

Session 1 A Beginner’s Guide to the History of Art with Wayne Bennett

Saturday

Breakfast 8.00am-9.00am

Session 2 9.30am – Filming the World’s Greatest Exhibitions – Phil Grabsky

10.30am Coffee

Session 3 11.00am – Édouard Manet – Talk, Film and Discussion – Phil Grabsky

1.00pm Lunch

Session 4 2.00pm - Edvard Munch – Talk, Film and Discussion – Phil Grabsky

4.00pm Tea

Session 5 4.30 to 6.00pm - What is Art For Today?

Panel and Public Discussion

Phil Grabsky, James Russell, Xavier Bray, Wayne Bennett,

David Chandler& amp; Jenny Graham

7.00pm Dinner (wine included) followed by

Session 6 Marlow Meets the Pythons – two short films – Phil Grabsky

Sunday
Breakfast 8.00am-9.00am

Session 7 9.15am – Vermeer from the National Gallery– Phil Grabsky

11.00am Coffee

Session 8 11.30am– Putting on a Show - talk by Xavier Bray, Chief Curator of Dulwich Picture Gallery

1.00pm Lunch and depart

Click here for more info and tickets.

Residents wishing to stay on for the Public Lecture by James Russell may purchase tickets from the Bookings Office on 01460 258613

 

The Esterhazy Palace, Eisenstadt, Austria. 16th September 2013

In the endless to-ing and fro-ing of our busy lives, it’s easy sometimes to miss the special moments. If I have to rush out of my house one more time with my laces undone because ‘I don’t have time’ to do them up, I think I might just curl up in a ball in a quiet corner somewhere and hide. Things now are SO busy that I work in 15 minute blocks. It’s presumably how a politician feels…endlessly trying to clear their in-tray and ministerial boxes. Therefore (get to the point Grabsky!) I made sure that I noticed and appreciated the fact that right now, as I write, my IN SEARCH OF HAYDN is playing in so-called Haydn Hall in the very palace in Eisenstadt, Austria where Haydn himself lived, composed and performed for so many years (on and off for 40). Indeed, we’ve made history tonight: this is the first film ever shown in this famous and revered hall. The Director Dr Walter Reicher of the Haydn Festival should be rightly proud of pulling this all together. It looks and sounds fabulous – and a real honour. Indeed, it was a thrill to see our film being sold as the key biographical film in the Haydn House and here in the Palace shop too. That’s true also in the houses of Beethoven and Mozart in Vienna and Salzburg – and for me that’s worth more than any great review or chunky award. If I can manage that for the Chopin film, I will be so pleased. On the other hand…I am also sad that the hall tonight is not busy. In fact, it’s a poor turn-out as the photo shows. Maybe 100 people. I’d really expected a sell-out. Monday nights in the drizzle are not ideal for films perhaps, especially as the festival lasts three weeks and the weekends are very busy but still…Now I’m beating myself up thinking why didn’t we send more flyers, hustle more radio, do more social media, etc, etc. I had a screening last night in Lewes (near Brighton) of Manet and again it was a small showing. I admit there was a big storm outside but still! I’ve had full and I’ve had not-so-full and I know which I prefer….I also screened The Boy Mir last week…so a lot of cinema showings going on and more coming up. All this while finishing VERMEER (October 10^th release) and editing IN SEARCH OF CHOPIN…and signing up lots of major galleries for next year’s EXHIBITION ON SCREEN. There really are not enough hours in the day.

 

June 7th 2013

Sometimes I write quite long blogs...but today's is short. I was anxious, after a manic week last week on Munch and then the long late flight to DC that a 12 hour day filming at the National Gallery would be exhausting.  I was completely wrong. I was energised from the first shot. I always feel it's my favourite gallery when I'm there (but I often feel that in other galleries too) and to be concentrating on the Vermeers - with world-expert Arthur Wheelock - was absolutely tremendous. I genuinely could have listened to him all day. As I always argue...you can look at an artwork and appreciate it, just as you can listen to Mozart and like it. But the more you understand the biography of the artist and the intention & history of the piece, the better the appreciation. If you do nothing else in DC, go to see the Vermeers.   

2nd June 2013 - shooting for Munch 150

Oslo 2^nd June 2013.   1am. Well, it’s in the can… (not that we use film canisters any more of course!  We should say ‘it’s on the cards!’ as everything we shoot goes on to memory cards and then is downloaded to computers ready for immediate editing).  Two days of intensive filming at the National Museum and the Munch Museum, both in Oslo.  The Munch 150 is an absolutely fantastic exhibition – I think it is rightfully being called a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ show.  230 of his wonderful paintings exhibited in a very smart way across the two locations.  I could name dozens of paintings I’d advise people to take a good long look at but if I had to pick a few I’d include ‘The Sick Child’, ‘The Kiss’, most of his self-portraits and ‘Madonna’.  Funnily enough, ‘The Scream’ wouldn’t be in my top 10- although I must say it’s very revealing to see it as part of The Frieze of Life room.  When you see the whole group of paintings side by side – and ‘The Scream’ among them - you get a fabulous sense of the colour thought (just look at the repeated use of orange), the rhythm of the works, the lines that pass from one painting to the next.  I didn’t really understand what the Frieze of Life room was before I stood inside it but it’s worth seeing the film just for that room alone.  Logistically this has been a tough one as we have had to fly in crew & equipment as well as hiring local grip equipment.  So lots of gear, excess baggage, hire car tomfoolery, parking, checking in and out of hotels, hunting for quick meals, carrying (and more carrying) of gear in and out of the galleries and, above all, the pressure of filming each and every required painting and interview.  AND in the most ridiculously expensive country I’ve ever been to.  £14 for a beer…. so tough but worth it.  We have stood and filmed some of the greatest paintings of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. I have become a real fan of Munch over the course of this project and hope we get big audiences to share my discoveries.  Ben, the director, has a big job now – the minute we get back to Gatwick at 2pm (Sunday) he’s off to the edit suite to piece it all together by Wednesday night. Then (once we’re happy with every last detail) it gets post-produced (including grading, audio mixing, captions and credits).  Then subtitling and preparation for the satellite transmission...which is coming rapidly down the tracks on June 27^th.  So we’ve a very busy few days ahead…plus I’m off to the USA to film some Vermeer paintings for the next film and I’m busy editing In Search of Chopin too….  

Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893. National Museum, Oslo © The Munch Museum/ The Munch - Ellingsen Group, BONO, Oslo/DACS, London 2013

Behind the scenes at Munch 150

28 May 2013 - 6 editors

I realised this morning that I have 6 editors all hard at work on various projects! That's unusual for us...and very exciting.  There's Tom working on the Munch film - which goes to cinemas June 27th (and varying dates). There's Angus working also on Munch and the trailer for the Vermeer film (October 10th and varying dates). There's David working on two super trailers for Exhibition and Concerto. There's my long-term colleague Phil beavering away on In Search of Chopin. There's Clive stitching together some Leif Ove Andsnes piano concerti. Finally there's Dave post-producing EXHIBITION: GREAT ART ON SCREEN - the Munch film & the Munch pre-film (the quiz that precedes the main film).   I could easily spend all day running from edit suite to edit suite.  To me, edits are where films are made. I know it's been said many times but it's true. A great director can't save a poor editor but it sure can work the other way around - and often does.  All the above-names editors are experts in their field and I love to improve my own skills by taking on board their ideas and craft.  For example, I always tell people that without Phil Reynolds editing my In Search of films I don't know what I'd have...His visual imagination and technical expertise combined make a great mix in the effort to keep the films entertaining and revealing.  I'm sure most folk understand the need for great choice of shots and clever cutting of them together - but editing is far, far more than that.  On a theoretical level, one has to understand (consciously or not) the science of semiotics - what images actually mean alone and in concert with others.  But on a more instinctive level, the choice of music, the grade, the audio FX, the space between words, the decision when to be wide or when to be close, etc, etc, etc....  I can bring Phil all the concert footage in the world and all the leaves and clouds (!) but sometimes it feels as if I have brought him a lot of random words and a story structure and then asked him to write a best-selling novel with it.  I absolutely love this process though. With the In Search ofs I know for sure that there is a really strong film there, it just needs to be teased out slowly.  And of course one feels the pressure of knowing that, really, no-one has made a film about these composers in quite this depth and with quite this need to get it right for the premiere screening and those screenings in 10, 20, 30 years time... I have that feeling right now with Chopin. What a wonderful composer - I just have to get it right (or as right as we can) to be fair to him and his legacy.  Films in both cinemas and TV these days are seen as disposal, throw-away, insubstantial...I have exactly the opposite view which frankly makes me a bit of an old dinosaur...but a relatively content one!

Monday 28th January

Sorry it has been a few weeks since the last blog post but it has been extremely busy chez Seventh Art Productions/PhilGrabskyFilms.com

Last night at midnight we finished filming the Manet Exhibition at the super Royal Academy of Arts in London. Editing is proceeding frantically and as you can see from the attached press release, we’ll be in UK (indeed worldwide) cinemas on the 11th April. It has been a Herculean task but last night I stood all alone staring at Manet’s The Railway and felt doubly sure that this is the right thing to do: to bring these works and these exhibitions to people around the world – we know we’ll be seen in France, Chile, New Zealand, USA, Canada and many, many more. There is no way that 99% of those people – you – could get to the exhibition so this is the next best thing. And to have Munch from Norway and then Vermeer from the National Gallery London on the way too – plus others lining up. Wonderful. And very scary financially but hey, no pain, no gain.

The filming has been pretty intense; an awful lot to get through in terms of filming the paintings and filming tracking shots. Also of course there were many pieces-to-camera with Tim (our presenter) and various expert guests. What is not in doubt is that the film is full of interest for anyone interested in Manet, art, exhibitions and Paris in the 19th century. The exhibition had its official opening on Tuesday and we launched the brand EXHIBITION at the same time. Remarkably the RA attracted 500+ journalists and at least half of them took our press release from the press desk. From the response we’ve had subsequently, the press are interested and covering us. Lots of long days keeping on top of it all but it’s been terrible snowy weather so might as well work! When the golf courses re-open, well that will be a different story!

PRESS RELEASE BELOW:

 

 

Coming Soon:

The world’s greatest art exhibitions at a cinema near you

 

Unless it is a blockbuster on the scale of last year’s Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan exhibition at the National Gallery, London art exhibitions are, predominantly, seen by those who live locally. That was, until now.

Award-winning arts documentary maker, Phil Grabsky, has launched a ground-breaking project to connect major exhibitions from across the world with over 200,000 people in cinemas spread across some 30 countries. This global first aims to allow art lovers, old and new, to enjoy, marvel and delight at the works of some of history’s greatest ever painters.

Grabsky’s eponymous PhilGrabskyfilms.com, in association with Seventh Art Productions and BY Experience, has created a series of ground-breaking art events for cinema: EXHIBITION.

Featuring forthcoming major exhibitions of works from artists such as Manet, Munch and Vermeer, each film will capture and explore these important shows and bring a wealth of masterpieces to audiences via high-tech digital cinema technology. The films won’t just cover the exhibitions’ paintings: important questions will also be addressed. What lies behind the exhibition creatively and technically? What does this particular collection of paintings and objects reveal about the artist, or the particular historical period? What do we learn about the presenting institution? Answering them, and many more besides, will be world-renowned art historian and broadcaster, Tim Mar low. Acting as the presenter and guide through each exhibition, Tim is the ideal expert to explain these extraordinary exhibitions and deliver first-rate biographies of the artists. The films combine his in-depth knowledge of each subject with sensitively shot material about the artist and period and are filmed both at the exhibitions and on location.

Grabsky says “I have been driven by the desire to share the thrill of great exhibitions with everyone from Kansas City to Adelaide, Osaka to Naples, and Glasgow to Cape Town. To be launching with three stunning shows from three top-notch venues is an absolute thrill. If you can't get to the RA you have to see the film. And if you are lucky enough to get a ticket to the RA, then you'll want to see the film even more!”

Echoing Grabsky’s comments, Tim Marlow adds “I think that standing face to face with some of the greatest works of art ever made is one of the most powerful experiences in life. ‘Exhibition' gives us the opportunity to convey something of this power in a cinematic format which brings the viewer as close to the real thing as possible. Sometimes, the camera reveals even more than the naked eye ...”

Charles Saumarez Smith, Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Arts, said, “We are very excited to be working with Phil Grabsky and Tim Marlow to produce the film Manet: Portraying Life at the Royal Academy of Arts. The RA’s exhibition will be the first major show of Manet’s portraits, bringing together works from international collections and private lenders to UK audiences for the first time. With thanks to Seventh Art Productions and BY Experience, the film will be screened in cinemas in over 30 countries and in over 5 languages, giving audiences worldwide the chance to see this remarkable exhibition.”

EXHIBITION launches with a trio of films for spring, summer and autumn 2013:

MANET - from the Royal Academy of Arts, London, MUNCH - from the National Museum & Munch museum, Oslo and VERMEER - from the National Gallery, London.

And this is just the beginning. EXHIBITION is already in pre production for major exhibitions in 2014.

All information will be available on participating cinemas worldwide at the official website, www.ExhibitionOnScreen.com

Edouard Manet, The Railway, 1873
National Gallery of Art Washington 

EXHIBITION: Manet: Portraying Life

Manet: Portraying Life will be presented on cinema screens around the world on Thursday 11 April 2013.

This eagerly awaited exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts will be the first ever retrospective devoted to the portraiture of Edouard Manet. Spanning this enigmatic and, at times, controversial artist’s entire career Manet: Portraying Life will bring together works from across Europe, Asia and the USA.

Manet’s portraiture has never been explored in exhibition form, despite it forming around half of his artistic output. He painted his family, friends and the literary, political and artistic figures of the day, giving life not only to his subjects but also to Parisian society. The exhibition consists of more than 50 works; including portraits of his most frequent sitter, his wife Suzanne Leenhoff, luminaries of the period; Antonin Proust, Émile Zola and Stéphane Mallarmé, along with scenes from everyday life revealing Manet’s forward-thinking, modern approach to portraiture. More at www.royalacademy.org.uk  

The film also reveals exclusive behind-the-scenes moments of the exhibition’s preparation, which normally go unseen by the public, and interweaves a detailed, superbly crafted biography of Manet and 19th century Paris. Host Tim Marlow and special guests will look at the craft of one of the all-time great artists.

Manet: Portraying Life at the Royal Academy of Arts is sponsored by BNY Mellon, Partner of the Royal Academy

EXHIBITION: Munch 150



Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893
(c) National Museum, Oslo, Norway 2013

 Thursday 27 June 2013. In 2013, Norway will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Munch (1863–1944), a towering figure in modern art. Already hailed as a “once-in-a-lifetime show” global interest is understandably huge, especially after one of his four The Scream paintings recently sold for a record $120 million.

Munch 150 will be co-hosted by Norway’s National Museum and Munch Museum, both in Oslo. This exhibition marks the most ambitious presentation of his art ever. With 220 paintings on show, it brings together the greatest number of Munch’s key works in one place. More at www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en and www.munch.museum.no

The corresponding film will go behind-the-scenes to show some of the process of putting the exhibition together – as well as touring Norway to provide an in-depth biography of a man who lived from the mid 19th century right through to the German occupation during the Second World War. Norwegian and international experts will offer their insights and knowledge to host Tim Marlow.

EXHIBITION: Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure

Johannes Vermeer,
A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal, c.1670
National Gallery, London

Thursday 10 October 2013. The National Gallery, London, is offering a major retrospective on one of the most startling and fascinating artists of all – Johannes Vermeer, painter of the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring. The National Gallery has chosen to focus on Vermeer’s relationship with music. It was one of the most popular themes of Dutch painting and revealed an enormous amount about the sitter and the society they lived in. New research, revealed for the first time at this exhibition, shows how his technique and materials affected his works. More at www.nationalgallery.org.uk  

Tim Marlow goes beyond the exhibition to tell the entire story of Vermeer’s life – and, in doing so, shows in fabulous HD detail, many other of the artist’s captivating works. For those inspired by the 2003 film, Girl with a Pearl Earring, starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson, this new, cinematic exploration will take their enjoyment and fascination of Vermeer’s life and work to a new level.