Art Matters - A Charity Film Screening at National Gallery, London.

You are cordially invited to an exclusive private screening of Art Matters, the acclaimed short film by award-winning filmmaker Sundaram Tagore. Following the screening, guests will enjoy a special fireside conversation between Tagore and Priyesh Mistry, Associate Curator, Modern and Contemporary Projects at the National Gallery. Exploring the nature of the art world for artists, curators and collections, their conversation will draw upon their own experiences of the industry from within the commercial and public sectors.

Event Information

Saturday November 7, 2026

Pigott Theatre, Sainsbury Wing, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN

Screening & Talk: 3:00 – 4.30pm

This event is hosted in support of the National Gallery's annual Artist in Residence.

About the film 

Written, produced and directed by Sundaram Tagore, Art Matters explores the tension between artistic integrity and commercial pressures through the story of a contemporary Indian artist whose work is acquired by a major museum, only for a critical mistake to emerge in how it has been displayed. What follows is an elegant and thought-provoking reflection on authorship, perception, and reputation, with a resolution inspired by a moment from art history. The film stars Nandita Das, alongside Linus Roache and Sekou Laidlow. 

About Sundaram Tagore

Sundaram Tagore is a Calcutta-born Oxford-educated art historian, gallerist, and an award-winning filmmaker. A descendant of the influential poet and Nobel Prize-winner Rabindranath Tagore, he promotes East-West dialogue through his contributions to numerous exhibitions as well as his contemporary art galleries and their multicultural and multidisciplinary events. His films include the award-winning The Poetics of Color: Natvar Bhavsar, An Artist’s Journey (2010), and Louis Kahn’s Tiger City (2019).

About Priyesh Mistry

Priyesh Mistry is Associate Curator for Modern and Contemporary Projects at the National Gallery where he manages an ambitious programme connecting contemporary artists to its historic collections. Previously, he was Assistant Curator, International Art at Tate Modern. He is a member of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the British School at Rome, the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, a Trustee of Studio Voltaire, London, and was a member of the 2025 Turner Prize Jury panel.

Supporting the National Gallery’s Artist Residency

This programme invites an outstanding mid-career artist to spend a year working from a studio at the heart of the Gallery, engaging deeply with its world-renowned collection of over 2,400 paintings. Supported by curators and specialists, the artist develops new work inspired by this research, culminating in a free public installation seen by millions of visitors, and an acquisition of the artist's new work for a public collection. The event is free to attend but we very much hope you will consider making a donation ONLINE or at the various donation points at the event to help make the next residency a success. The National Gallery team would be delighted to tell you more about this when we see you.

RSVP

As spaces are limited; register HERE to confirm your attendance by 23 October 2026*.

*  The link will become inactive when the spaces are taken up.

Note

Special thanks to Sundaram Tagore for generously providing his film Art Matters for the purpose of fundraising for the National Gallery Artist in Residence programme. The venue is sponsored by Lorraine Boon. This event is hosted at the National Gallery by kind permission of The National Gallery Trustees and Director.