Home › Tivoli at The Nelson

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.

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

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

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.

MUXE: The Language of Art & Culture

Dir. Hugo Ximello-Salido
2024 | NR | 105 Minutes
$13 Public | $10 Members
Friday, June 28 | 7 p.m.
TICKETS
Join us for the screening of the new documentary with an introduction and Q & A with the producer and director, Hugo Ximello Salido. Muxe: The Language of Art & Culture documents his efforts to learn about Muxe culture, appreciate its singular history and contemporary expression, and to help share its beauty with the world. The film illustrates Ximello–Salido’s artistic journey through the perception of gender fluidity in the state of Oaxaca, directly connecting with his artistic approach through 2D & 3D artwork. Presented in commemoration of Ximello–Salido’s Muxe sculptural work on display in the featured exhibition, A Layered Presence / Una presencia estratificada featuring 22 local artists at the Nelson-Atkins and Pride Month. 

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