Hollywood stardom re-lived at gallery near Leamington

The gallery near Kineton is holding the exhibition to celebrate the release of Gambit, which was filmed at the art gallery last summer.

The film stars Academy Award winner Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Sir Tom Courtenay and Stanley Tucci and will be released nationwide by Momentum Pictures on November 21.

Compton Verney’s director Dr Steven Parissien said: “We have been eagerly awaiting the launch of Gambit in cinemas and are delighted to be hosting a display to mark this.

“All the staff at Compton Verney thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the filming although we were sworn to secrecy whilst it was taking place.

“The fact that the storyline has a strong link to art was an added bonus for us.

“Whilst they were at Compton Verney I was lucky enough to give the stars a private tour of the gallery and we all hope that one day they might return.

“The feedback from the crew was very positive and with a gallery that houses so many flexible spaces which lend themselves to a modern of historic setting we are positive that this will be the first of many movies which will be filmed here.”

Directed by Kichael Hoffman and based on a screenplay written by Academy Award-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, Gambit tells the story of British art curator Harry Deane, who devises a finely-crafted scheme to con England’s richest man and avid art colllector Lionel Shabandar into purchasing a fake Monet painting.

In order to bait his buyer, Deane recruits a Texan rodeo queen to pose as a woman whose grandfather liberated the painting at the end of the Second World War.

Items on display at the gallery include plans and a scale model of the Compton Verney film set, exclusive film stills and signed photos by the stars.

Visitors can also have their photo taken on the spot where the Hollywood stars stood filming.