64
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardIt highlights how the ownership of art serves as a marker of capital for distinguishing one institution over another.
- 75The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorUnfortunately, the actual confrontations this project must have caused happen off camera, but the story of a determined quest is always enlivened by insights into the clawing animals, bizarre monsters and sinful humans that populate Bosch’s fantastical visions.
- 75Boston GlobeMark FeeneyBoston GlobeMark FeeneyOf course what’s most interesting of all is the art. Huystee’s many closeups and slow pans over Bosch’s teeming backgrounds are transfixing, unsettling, and a rare privilege.
- 70VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanHieronymus Bosch: Touched by the Devil brings us literally closer to Bosch’s images than one could probably get in almost any museum. As directed by Pieter van Huystee, the film offers a true immersion in his artistry. But it’s also a little slipshod — an off-kilter window into the politics of the art world. It’s like a fascinating magazine feature with some missing pieces.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThough too inside-baseball for many casual art fans, it should find some takers in its nationwide tour of bookings at art houses and museums.
- 67Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerI will never be comfortable with the concept of Bosch as charming prankster. Just one look at the paintings will cure you of that notion.
- 63New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeMuch time is spent on inter-museum wrangling, and the personalities aren’t vivid enough (as they were in “The New Rijksmuseum”) to build tension. The interest lies in the close look at the strange vision of this great artist.
- 60The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThe movie comes alive only when the camera lingers over the actual paintings and allows their power to speak for itself.
- 60Village VoiceDiana ClarkeVillage VoiceDiana ClarkeThe most fascinating moments in Hieronymous Bosch come from art historians once they’ve turned to the work of history: creating meaning and context, wrestling with these questions. The film renders this conversation beautifully, and in moments begins to feel urgent in spite of itself.
- 50Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinDeeper socio-historical context and a more electric approach could have helped us better appreciate the far-flung impact of this visionary artist.