Which painting is central to the plot of the 1997 film Bean?

Whistler’s Mother is the painting central to the plot of the 1997 film Bean.

The work is formally titled Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 and was painted by James McNeill Whistler in 1871. It is widely known by its nickname, Whistler’s Mother, after the woman shown seated in the composition.

In the film, Mr. Bean is sent to Los Angeles in connection with the painting’s transfer to an American gallery. His lack of artistic expertise and unpredictable behavior create the central comic complications surrounding the artwork.

The painting is sometimes confused with other famous museum images, particularly the Mona Lisa because both are internationally recognized works used in popular culture. Whistler’s painting is not in the Louvre; it is associated with the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and belongs to a different artistic and national context.