It’s something of an understatement to say that it is difficult to experience every major exhibition. Unless you’re well-connected, heavily involved in the world of art – as a critic, artist or investor – or supremely wealthy with ample time on your hands, for most people, the experience is limited to their native country.
However, that is all set to change. In an age characterised by the near ubiquitous consumption of information via the hypnotic glow of high definition screens, it makes sense for museums and galleries to widen their reach. An audience is global.
As such, it is now possible to see some of the most talked about shows in the cinema. Delivered by NCM Fathom Events, Exhibition is a new series of films that are to be broadcast in theatres, designed specifically for the silver screen.
It begins with the Royal Academy of Art’s sensational Manet: Portraying Life on April 11th, followed by the National Museum and the Munch Museum’s Munch: 150 on June 27th and finally the
National Gallery’s Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure on October 10th.
Along with the UK, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland have all agreed to show the exhibitions.
“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,” the art historian Tim Marlow told the Telegraph.
“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.”
All three films have been made by the British documentary filmmaker Phil Grabsky, whose work includes Leonardo Live (2012); In search of Haydn (2012); The Boy Mir- ten years in Afghanistan (2011); In Search of Beethoven (2009); and Escape from Luanda (2007).
The documentaries attempt, in part, to create an air of authenticity, as if audience members are actually touring the exhibitions. They are comprised of a tour, behind-the-scenes footage and a biography of the artists, which, in some way, goes beyond the experience of being in a gallery for example.
While Exhibition can never replace the very human experience of seeing seminal works of art in person, it is, nevertheless, a fantastic concept, one that will, at least for regular art lovers, help to make up for the fact that some shows will always remain out of reach. Not anymore.
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