NATIONAL GALLERY (Frederick Wiseman). Rating: NNN
Art lovers will be chuffed that Frederick Wiseman’s put his fly-on-the wall camera inside London’s National Gallery. Unfortunately, he wasn’t shooting during a particularly interesting period.
The mammoth Leonardo exhibit has been up for a while, so there’s little curatorial discussion about it. Debates between gallery director Nicholas Penny and head of communications Jill Preston over whether the museum should get involved in charity work have the best energy. But for the most part, docents guide gallery-goers through the venerable institution’s impressive collection of Old Masters.
When an eco-activist hangs a banner off the facade, Wiseman doesn’t follow through with either the politico or gallery honchos to get a reaction. His I-shoot-only-what’s-in-front-of-me strategy does have its limitations.
