In Leningrad in 1956, Valentina Nrovka has been invited to the Hermitage to offer her opinion on the authenticity of a Matisse painting, as she knew the great artist personally. Her daughter Sophia, also a painter, meets her there to seek her mother’s help, both financially and politically. This first London revival of David Hare’s play since its premier at the National Theatre in 1986 explores a mother and daughter’s fight for personal ideals and domestic responsibilities, as well as the choices made both in life and art.
