New Britain Museum of American Art has a Robert Motherwell polyptych — “The Blue Painting Lesson: A Study in Painterly Logic” — on exhibit in its Huntington Gallery. A documentary showing at the museum on Thursday, Dec. 31, is a good accompaniment to that piece.
“Robert Motherwell and the New York School: Storming the Citadel,” made in 1990, chronicles the Abstract Expressionist movement, which shifted the focus of the art world from Paris to New York. It also chronicles the life of one of its leading lights, as well as profiles of the other leaders of the movement: Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Franz Kline.
The movie includes commentary from art critic Clement Greenberg, art historian William Rubin, sculptor Philip Pavia, surrealist Robert Matta, artist Larry Rivers, curator Henry Geldzahler, gallerist Sidney Janis and art historian Jack Flam.
It will be shown at 1 and 4 p.m. at the museum at 56 Lexington St. Admission to the movie is free with museum admission, which is $15, $12 for seniors, $10 for 17 and younger. nbmaa.org.
![Dust off your finest hats—it’s Derby day. This year marks the 150th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse race has occurred annually on a Saturday in May since it began on May 17, 1875, with the only exceptions being 1945 due to World War II and 2020 because of […]](https://www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/202405040611TMS_____FASTCOMP_19685_ctnfc_media.jpg?w=620 "Dust off your finest hats—it’s Derby day. This year marks the 150th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse race has occurred annually on a Saturday in May since it began on May 17, 1875, with the only exceptions being 1945 due to World War II and 2020 because of […]")