“Art is what you can get away with.”
This quote, attributed to Andy Warhol, is the first thing you see in Cathy Yan’s newest film, The Gallerist. While the phrase is more likely to be weaponized by a pretentious modern artist without a point of view, it does speak to the more interesting issue of what art is, and who is making that determination. While art should be for everyone, the “culture” of art has long been dictated by prescribed arbiters of value who get to tell a hungry public, presumably incapable of independent thought and desperate for guidance, what has value.
“I don’t fuckin’ get art.”
This phrase, uttered late in the film by a cop arriving after a whirlwind, “daring” art exhibit, seemingly goes hand-in-hand with the opening quote. It speaks to the general alienation that the average person feels when presented with a work of art that is deemed to be significant, yet leaves them feeling confused or emotionally cold. The artist may not have “gotten away with it” when it comes to this person, but someone important along the way was confronted with the piece, projected meaning onto it, and made others feel that they should attempt to do the same.
Cathy Yan takes these general ideas and, along with co-writer James Pedersen, amplifies them to the extreme in The Gallerist. It is heartening to see Yan return to the Sundance Film Festival after making her feature debut here with Dead Pigs in 2018, which subsequently led to her tackling the underrated DC venture Birds of Prey. After wading into the toxic waters of fandom, it only makes sense that she was compelled to make a film that explores the nature of artistic purity versus compromise, the maddening nature of influencer culture, and so much more–all done with a piercing, satiric touch that keeps you giggling through the madness.
The story properly begins with the meticulous, last-minute arranging of an art gallery prior to its opening by its visibly stressed-out proprietor. This is Polina Polinski (Natalie Portman), a petite, platinum blonde force of nature with a haircut that seems deliberately styled to suit a profession so tied to bold aesthetics. Polina is a divorcee who got the gallery in her divorce settlement with the caveat that her ex-husband’s name is on the building. Polina has everything to lose after a dismal spell of inactivity that may cause her to close the gallery and face the humiliation of failure that everyone expects of her. She has always had a love and an eye for art, but earning cache in the art world is a whole other challenge.
Thankfully, she is not alone in her endeavor. Her right-hand woman is Kiki Gorman (Jenna Ortega), who seemingly believes in Polina, having given up a job at a prestigious auction house to join Polina at the gallery. She is the more grounded of the two, showing concern for things like a leaky A/C unit above the gallery floor that Polina would rather not deal with. There is also Stella Burgess (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the emerging artist whom Polina is spotlighting in this newest exhibit. Stella is a genuine artist with specific thematic ideas in mind for her work that Polina wants the world to appreciate as much as she does.
When obnoxious influencer Dalton Hardberry (Zach Galifianakis) demands early, private access to the exhibit, a series of unfortunate events leads to his dead body being splayed on one of Stella’s art installations. With so much on the line for Polina and no good options in her head, she hastily stages the body, conjures a “deeper artistic meaning” for the piece, and somehow convinces Kiki not to go directly to the police–leading to an ongoing gag with her character that never fails to generate a laugh. Of course, this piece becomes a sensation with more and more people flocking to see what no one knows is an actual dead body hiding in plain sight. As the day develops, the absurdity dials up sharply to farcical levels that push the audience to give in to the lunacy.
One of the most exciting things Cathy Yan brings to this film is her visual dynamism. While the gallery must be a relatively blank space, to not distract from the art on display, things are much more striking in areas like the restroom–decked out in flashy colors–which becomes the unofficial scheming headquarters. There are also camera movements that keep things quite thrilling as you sail down hallways and throughout rooms to lock in to the next stressful development. It may be a bit overly flashy for some, but a bit of showmanship is needed when you are in a relatively fixed setting for the entire movie.
She also brings together an ensemble that elevates the film from the leads down to the smallest roles. Of course, Natalie Portman is a magnetic screen presence, and Jenna Ortega is one of our most exciting young performers. Yet, we find people like Youssef Kerkour, who plays gentle giant security guard Doug, to be just as vital to the overall formula. He shares a scene with Da’Vine Joy Randolph that is among the best in the film. A simple character connection in which Doug expresses his admiration for Stella’s actual art, rather than this new, provocative installation, allows Randolph to confront whether the allure of fame and money makes up for sacrificing authenticity, mostly translated through subtle facial expressions. Stella is one of the characters we wish had more to do in the story, but moments like these are cherished.
Catherine Zeta-Jones gets her best outing in a feature film in nearly 15 years as Marianne Gorman, the aunt of Kiki and a goddess in the art world. While the character gives off Miranda Priestly vibes as she commands the situation and whips buyers into a frenzy, she is also allowed moments of vulnerability (also like Miranda Priestly). While not the focus of the movie, her story adds to the ongoing theme of men ruining the lives of women who are simply trying their best to thrive. Her character is the one whose sharp insights bring the themes to the forefront. Simply being a brilliant artist is not enough to make you an important one. In a time when everyone is struggling for relevancy, how far are you willing to go to matter?
Yan may not excoriate the art community as much as it may deserve, keeping things more surface-level with her critiques. And more grievously, most of the humor tops out at a respectable chuckle rather than laugh-out-loud moments. Nevertheless, the film remains a fun time, even with its shortcomings. Sure, there will be many who don’t “get it” because they simply do not care to think about the complexities of art appreciation. And there will be those on the other side of the spectrum who fancy themselves cultural critics and deem this a “misunderstood masterpiece.” On some level, it doesn’t matter. By getting accepted into the Sundance Film Festival, Cathy Yan has “gotten away” with her art on this outing. If there is anything to take away from this film, it’s this: don’t give up the gift of independent thought. If there is any movie where people should make up their own minds about the quality, this is the most thematically appropriate.
The Gallerist had its World Premiere in the Premieres section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
Director: Cathy Yan
Writers: James Pedersen, Cathy Yan
Rated: NR
Runtime: 88m
it only makes sense that she was compelled to make a film that explores the nature of artistic purity versus compromise, the maddening nature of influencer culture, and so much more–all done with a piercing, satiric touch that keeps you giggling through the madness.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
