Season 3 of EXHIBITION ON SCREEN continues with a film based on the Barnes Foundation’s unrivaled collection, in cinemas nationwide from February 16, 2016.

Renoir - Revered and Reviled will allow a global audience to visit the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, home to the largest Renoir collection in the world. The film will grant completely unrestricted access to the unique collection amassed by Dr. Albert C. Barnes, who admired Renoir above all other artists. This unrivaled collection of 181 Renoir works, largely paintings from his ‘late period’, will promote a fresh look at one of the 20th century’s greatest artists, and help to explore why Renoir has polarised opinion for over 100 years.

Renoir - Revered and Reviled will offer a rare opportunity to see these extraordinary artworks on the big screen, which have never before travelled to the UK and are never loaned. The film will continue Barnes’ mission to allow audiences to experience artworks regardless of their background, by bringing Renoir out of the gallery space and into local cinemas.

Renoir’s ‘late period’ began in the early 1890s, following a rejection of the Impressionist movement which had earned him widespread critical acclaim. Renoir - Revered and Reviled will uncover the rarely told story of his artistic reinvention, and will explore its profound implications for two artistic greats of the 20th century: Picasso and Matisse.

Renoir - Revered and Reviled will join the longstanding debate over the merit of the artist’s ‘late period’ works. Was Renoir a self-indulgent fantasist? Or was Matisse right to declare his voluptuous female figures “the loveliest nudes ever painted”? Viewers will be able to decide for themselves, guided by a host of esteemed art experts and an up-close view of the collection itself.

The film includes interviews with leading art critics from the New York Times and the Washington Post, internationally renowned scholars and several artists. Renoir - Revered and Reviled is directed by Phil Grabsky. Grabsky and his company Seventh Art Productions have made hundreds of films for the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV, as well as a dozen films for the cinema.

EXHIBITION ON SCREEN is the originator and global brand leader of exhibition films for the cinema. The series was launched in 2011 in response to the increasing demand for high quality, in-depth arts programming. By the end of this year, EXHIBITION ON SCREEN films will have been screened in 40 countries worldwide and seen by more than 640,000 people. www.exhibitiononscreen.com

Arts Alliance is the leading producer, financier, distributor and marketer of Event Cinema worldwide. They have distributed over 70 Event Cinema releases, reaching audiences in over 70 territories. Arts Alliance presents exciting content across all genres: dynamic art exhibitions in EXHIBITION ON SCREEN, live opera and ballet in The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season, theatre productions from Globe On Screen and the best rock & pop events including One Direction: Where We Are – The Concert Film. www.artsalliance.com