Le Meridien and Tate launch ‘Unlock Art' film series

Peter Capaldi, Frank Skinner and Alan Cumming are among the celebrities joining forces in an inside guide to unlock some of the biggest stories in art

LONDON – 11 November, 2013 – ‘Unlock Art' is an exciting new series of short films offering an imaginative, witty, and enriching introduction to the world of art. Created by Tate in partnership with Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Unlock Art will feature eight short films that put art under the spotlight, with topics ranging from the history of the nude to humour, performance to pop art, presenting all the need-to-know facts. Bold in approach and rich in content, the film series was conceived to make visual art more accessible to a wider audience.

Each of the films in the Unlock Art series will be released on a monthly basis and presented by a high-profile personality from the world of entertainment. Presented by Frank Skinner, the first film in the series, ‘Unlock Art: Bringing Performance Art to Life', was screened on October 15, 2013 as part of the Frieze VIP programme, at an event at Le Méridien Piccadilly.

Marc Sands, Director of Media and Audiences Tate, said, “Our goal is to promote public understanding and enjoyment of British, modern and contemporary art. This series of films launched today will offer an entertaining, thought provoking yet witty approach to art. With an exciting roster of presenters, and the imaginative and creative content of the films, we want to connect people who might not have considered some of the subjects before with contemporary art.”

“We are delighted to grow our long-term partnership with Tate with this exciting initiative, which we hope will unlock the world of contemporary art to more people,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Le Méridien and Westin. “Le Méridien is a forward-looking, design-led lifestyle brand and we aim to provide a new perspective to our guests through a curated approach to culture. The Unlock Art film series will help make art more accessible to the culturally curious in a warm, informal way with an occasional dash of humour.”

Le Méridien is committed to supporting emerging artists, and the relationship with Tate has its roots in Le Méridien's Unlock Art™ programme, which offers guests complimentary access to forward-thinking cultural institutions around the world. These partnerships allow guests to explore a local, inspiring cultural experience, by presenting the Unlock Art room key. In London, Tate is the Unlock Art partner for Le Méridien Piccadilly.

Following the launch of the Unlock Art film series at Frieze London, Le Méridien and Tate will release one film per month, focusing on the following topics:
• November – Shopping (to be launched on 15 November)
• December - Pop
• January – Women in Art
• February - Nude
• March - Double Acts
• April - Surrealism
• May - Audience poll

The audience vote will take place in January 2014.

For more information about the Unlock Art film series, please visit: http://www.lemeridien.com/filmseries. 

Follow @LeMeridien on Twitter and @LeMeridienHotels on Instagram using #UnlockArt