Art Lovers' Films: At Eternity’s Gate

Please note that for reasons beyond the Gallery's control this event has been cancelled.

Art Lovers’ Film presents At Eternity’s Gate, a film about the life of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (portrayed by Willem Dafoe) during the time he lived in France. The film is directed by Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). Auckland Art Gallery’s Assistant Curator Emma Jameson will introduce the screening and tickets include a glass of wine and goodie bag. Art Lovers’ Film is a partnership between Auckland Art Gallery Membership and Rialto Cinemas. 

About the film

At Eternity's Gate is a journey inside the world and mind of a person who, despite scepticism, ridicule and illness, created some of the world’s most beloved and stunning works of art. According to director Julian Schnabel, this is not a forensic biography about the painter. He says, ‘It is about what it is to be an artist. It is fiction, and in the act of pursuing our goal, if we lean towards the divine light, we might even stumble onto the truth.’ Three-time Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe portrays Vincent van Gogh, with supporting roles by Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt) and Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina). The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2018.

At Eternity's Gate is named after an oil painting that Vincent van Gogh made in 1890 in Saint-Rémy de Provence. It was completed at a time when he was convalescing from a severe relapse in his health and some two months before his death, which is generally accepted as a suicide. 

‘A flowingly intuitive and celebratory biopic — a bursting sunflower of a movie.’ – Variety