The Nelson-Atkins
Tivoli

Discover exceptional storytelling, new releases, documentaries, restored classics, foreign and art films at Tivoli.
Curated by Jerry Harrington, the Nelson-Atkins is honored to be the home of the beloved theater.

 


Anselm

Dir. Wim Wenders
2023 | NR | 93 Minutes
German with English Subtitles | Shown in 2D
$13 Public | $10 Members
Friday, March 8 | 7 p.m.
TICKETS
Sunday, March 10 | 2 p.m.
TICKETS

In Anselm, Wim Wenders creates a portrait of Anselm Kiefer, one of the most innovative and important painters and sculptors of our time. The film presents a cinematic experience of the artist’s work which explores human existence and the cyclical nature of history, inspired by literature, poetry, philosophy, science, mythology and religion. For over two years, Wenders traced Kiefer’s path from his native Germany to his current home in France, connecting the stages of his life to the essential places of his career that spans more than five decades. 


Laurel and Hardy Collection

With Live Original Score | NR | 100 Minutes
$13 Public | $10 Members
Sunday, March 24 | 2 p.m.
TICKETS

Immerse yourself in Hollywood’s golden era with a newly restored collection of short films from the infamous slapstick duo. The screening will be accompanied by a live original score performed by local organist Marvin Faulwell.

Includes:
Battle of the Century
Do Detective Think
The Second Hundred Years
Putting the Pants on Philip
Soup to Nuts


The Peasants

Dir. Hugh Welchman & Dorota Kobiela
2023 | R | 114 Minutes
Polish with English Subtitles
$13 Public | $10 Members
Friday, April 5 | 7 p.m.
TICKETS
Saturday, April 6 | 2 p.m.
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Sunday, April 7 | 2 p.m.
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From the animation studio that brought you the Oscar-nominated Loving Vincent and based on the Noble Prize-winning novel by Wladyslaw Raymont.

The Peasants is an epic story of a peasant girl forced to marry a much older, wealthy farmer, despite her love for his son. With time, the girl becomes the object of envy and hate of the villagers and has to fight to preserve her independence. Set in the Polish countryside on the cusp of the 20th century, the story’s dramatic turns tie into the changing seasons, hard labor in the fields, and traditional local holidays.


Niki de Saint Phalle, Who is the Monster… You or Me?

Dir. Peter Schamoni
1996 | NR | 97 Minutes
$13 Public | $10 Members
Sunday, April 28 | 2 p.m.
TICKETS
Sunday, May 5 | 2 p.m.
TICKETS

Note: This documentary contains scenes with nudity. 

In the sixties, artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s career started with a bang – her bullet-riddled “Shooting Paintings” captivated the art world. Her “Nana” sculptures went on to be iconic symbols of female empowerment. Niki de Saint Phalle, Who is the Monster … You or Me? paints a suitably idiosyncratic portrait of the artist, a personality as ripe for camera scrutiny as her colorful, often outrageous artwork.
Screening in conjunction with the exhibition Niki de Saint Phalle: Rebellion and Joy.


Beauty and the Beast (1946 Film)

Dir. Jean Cocteau
1946 | NR | 95 Minutes
French with English Subtitles
$13 Public | $10 Members
Sunday, May 12 | 7 p.m.
TICKETS

Experience Jean Cocteau’s landmark adaptation of the timeless fantasy – the story of a gentle-hearted beast in love with a simple and beautiful girl. She is drawn to the repellent but strangely fascinating Beast, who tests her fidelity by giving her a key, telling her that if she doesn’t return it to him by a specific time, he will die of grief. She is unable to return the key on time, but it is revealed that the Beast is the genuinely handsome one. A simple tale of tragic love that turns into a surreal vision of death, desire, and beauty.


They Shot the Piano Player

Dir. Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal
2022 | PG-13 | 103 Minutes
$13 Public | $10 Members
Friday, May 17 | 7 p.m.
TICKETS
Saturday, May 18 | 2 p.m.
TICKETS
Sunday, May 19 | 2 p.m.
TICKETS

In this vibrant animated film, music journalist Jeff Harris sets out to uncover the truth about Francisco Tenório Júnior, a young Brazilian samba-jazz pianist who disappeared in Buenos Aires on March 18, 1976. Part love letter to bossa nova music and part chronicle of the political state of Latin America in the 1970s, They Shot the Piano Player is a magical blend of gritty realism and musical bliss.

 


About

Shortly after The Tivoli theater closed its doors in Westport, former theater owner Jerry Harrington approached the Nelson-Atkins with an innovative idea. With a little work, the museum’s beautiful and historic Atkins Auditorium could transform into an arthouse theater and become the new home for Tivoli Cinemas. Jerry himself would lend his film and audience expertise and curate a compelling programming plan.

Thanks to the visionary leadership of The Sunderland Foundation, Shirley and Barnett C. Helzberg, Jr., Neil D. Karbank, Estelle and Morton Sosland, G. Kenneth and Ann Baum, Evelyn Craft Belger and Dick Belger, Robert & Phyliss Bernstein Family Foundation, Donald J. Hall, Sara and Bill Morgan, and Mark and Lynne O’Connell Tivoli at the Nelson-Atkins was created.

Tivoli Under the Stars–2024 Season begins June 7

Experience films in an unparalleled setting! Tivoli Under the Stars is an outdoor cinema providing safe movie experiences for all ages.

Learn More