89
Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisLike most of Mr. Wiseman’s work, the movie is at once specific and general, fascinating in its pinpoint detail and transporting in its cosmic reach.
- 90Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerLike so much of his celebrated work, documentarian Frederick Wiseman's National Gallery is long, leisurely paced, wide-ranging, meticulously crafted, intellectually intricate, and touched with profundity.
- 88Slant MagazineJames LattimerSlant MagazineJames LattimerIn the style of an ambling, yet entirely focused visitor, the film continually circles back to pictures, protagonists, and situations to furnish them with new meanings, alter their perception, or even directly challenge their previous presentation.
- 83The PlaylistOliver LytteltonThe PlaylistOliver LytteltonWiseman's film is the most nourishing example of cinematic brain food you'll have all year.
- 83The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloUnlike Wiseman’s greatest films, National Gallery never quite finds an overarching theme. There’s a fair amount of material regarding the art/commerce divide, but many scenes have no bearing whatsoever on that subject, and the film generally lacks urgency.
- 80CineVueEd FranklCineVueEd FranklIn his signature style, without talking heads, narration or explanatory context, Wiseman takes us straight into the London gallery itself and the inhabitants inside - both human and paint-form.
- 80VarietyJay WeissbergVarietyJay WeissbergThe effect of National Gallery is to reinforce the notion that paintings are objects to know and understand.
- 80The DissolveDavid EhrlichThe DissolveDavid EhrlichThe ultimate value of the famed filmmaker’s latest documentary—a subject National Gallery turns into a reflexive concern—is not that Wiseman makes it possible for a broader audience to see these priceless works of art, but that the scope of his project invites all audiences to look at them through an illuminating new lens.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerThe Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerNational Gallery feels closer to a pure aesthetic investigation than an organizational exposé, and in that respect is reminiscent of recent Paris-set films like Crazy Horse or La Danse, mostly allowing the art to speak for itself.