Podcasts · Arts

Stories of Art

HENI Talks

38 episodes

Stories of Art brings together art historian Dr. James Fox and art critic Alastair Sooke to uncover the most inspiring and compelling stories from the history of art.

More about the show

From the lives of the world’s greatest artists to the turning points that changed art, to the hidden histories of great masterpieces, James and Alastair are your guides to the extraordinary characters and fascinating stories that have shaped art history.

Full of insight, expert opinion and humour, Stories of Art is the ultimate deep dive into the history of art.

Episodes

  1. The Scream

    · 1 h 14 min · Episode 37

    Why has The Scream become one of the most famous artworks in the world? And what happened when this ghoulish image was stolen - not just once, but twice? Join Alastair and James as they explore the remarkable story and…

  2. Seurat's Masterpiece: A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - 1884

    · 1 h 10 min · Episode 36

    What makes Georges Seurat's masterpiece 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte -1884' so revolutionary? What does the picture mean? And why did it become so famous? Join Alastair and James as they explore the mysteries of one of…

  3. William Hogarth: The Rise and Fall of a Phizmonger (Part 2)

    · 1 h 18 min · Episode 35 · Explicit

    How did William Hogarth help create the modern art world as we know it? Did he really stage the first conceptual art exhibition? And why in the final years of his life was he the subject of ridicule? Join Alastair and…

  4. William Hogarth: The First Modern Artist (Part 1)

    · 1 h 13 min · Episode 34 · Explicit

    How did William Hogarth transcend his humble origins to become one of the wealthiest artists in 18th century Britain? And in doing so, did he invent a new kind of art? Join Alastair and James as they chart the life and…

  5. Hieronymus Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights

    · 1 h 20 min · Episode 33 · Explicit

    Is The Garden of Earthly Delights the strangest painting in all of art history? Is Bosch's bizarre masterpiece a vision of paradise or apocalyptic doom? And what's with all the giant fruit? Join Alastair and James as…

  6. Lee Miller: Witness to the Holocaust (Part 2)

    · 1 h 08 min · Episode 32 · Explicit

    How did Lee Miller find her way into Hitler's apartment on the day his death was announced? And did what she witness in the Nazi concentration camps change her forever? Join Alastair and James as they conclude the…

  7. Lee Miller: The Supermodel Surrealist (Part 1)

    · 58 min · Episode 31 · Explicit

    How did Lee Miller transform herself from Jazz Age beauty to Surrealist photographer in 1930s Paris? And what lay behind her extraordinary capacity for reinvention? Join Alastair and James as they tell the first part…

  8. 1066 and All That: The Bayeux Tapestry

    · 1 h 12 min · Episode 30

    What does the Bayeux Tapestry tell us about the events of 1066? Did King Harold really get an arrow in the eye? And does the Tapestry really depict a bizarre medieval sex scandal? Join Alastair and James as they tell…

  9. Vincent van Gogh: Endgame in Auvers (Part 4)

    · 1 h 07 min · Episode 29 · Explicit

    Did Vincent van Gogh intend to kill himself? How would his art have developed if he had lived even just a few months more? And what role did his sister-in-law, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, play in establishing his reputation?…

  10. Vincent van Gogh: Disaster in Arles (Part 3)

    · 56 min · Episode 28 · Explicit

    What led to Vincent van Gogh's breakdown in December 1888? What role did Paul Gauguin play in Vincent's mental health crisis? And just how much of his ear did Vincent cut off? Join Alastair and James as Stories of Art…

  11. Vincent van Gogh: Becoming Vincent (Part 2)

    · 56 min · Episode 27

    How did Vincent van Gogh find his signature style? And what inspired him to create his famous sequence of Sunflowers paintings in 1888? Join Alastair and James in the second of four episodes charting the life and work…

  12. Vincent van Gogh: The Outcast (Part 1)

    · 1 h 05 min · Episode 26

    Why are the paintings of Vincent van Gogh so universally popular? And how close did Vincent come to being a preacher instead of an artist? Join Alastair and James in the first of four episodes charting the life and…

  13. Alberto Giacometti: The Rise of Stick Man (Part 2)

    · 49 min · Episode 25 · Explicit

    How does the art of Alberto Giacometti manage to encapsulate the angst of the human condition? And did he really have an affair with one of the greatest film stars of the 20th century - Marlene Dietrich? Join Alastair…

  14. Alberto Giacometti: The Boy from the Mountains (Part 1)

    · 53 min · Episode 24 · Explicit

    Why do many regard the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti as the greatest sculptor of the 20th century? And why did he spectacularly fall out with the leader of the Surrealist movement, André Breton? Join Alastair and…

  15. Vermeer's First Masterpiece: The Milkmaid

    · 1 h 09 min · Episode 23 · Explicit

    Who was Vermeer? And why is his painting of a humble kitchen maid considered one of the greatest achievements of the Dutch Golden Age? Is The Milkmaid laden with hidden religious and erotic meanings, or simply a…

  16. Frida Kahlo: A Star is Born (Part 3)

    · 57 min · Episode 22 · Explicit

    What led to Frida Kahlo's early death? And with Frida mania in full swing, have we now reached peak Frida? Join Alastair and James in the final episode on the life and work of the great Mexican artist, as they explore…

  17. Frida Kahlo: The Elephant and the Dove (Part 2)

    · 1 h 07 min · Episode 21 · Explicit

    How did Frida Kahlo manage to emerge from the shadow of her husband, the artist Diego Rivera? And how did a dog with a sock in its mouth lead to the discovery of an affair? Join Alastair and James in the second of…

  18. Frida Kahlo: The Girl on the Bus (Part 1)

    · 51 min · Episode 20 · Explicit

    How did a bus crash change the course of art history? And what is the truth behind Frida Kahlo's family origins? Join Alastair and James as they embarked on a new three part series on the life and work of one of the…

  19. Michelangelo: The Master of Rome (Part 4)

    · 1 h 03 min · Episode 19 · Explicit

    Why was Michelangelo's Last Judgement seen as so controversial in his lifetime? And what, ultimately, has been his influence on the history of art? Join Alastair and James as they tell the story of the last few…

  20. David Hockney Tribute

    · 33 min · Episode 18

    David Hockney, who died last week, was a giant of British art. In this special episode, Alastair and James pay tribute to the late, great artist. Photo Credit: Jean-Pierre Goncalves De Lima Artworks in this episode…

  21. Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling (Part 3)

    · 1 h 03 min · Episode 17

    The Sistine Chapel ceiling is arguably the most famous work of art in the world, but why was Michelangelo so reluctant to take on the commission? And just what is it about his art that has led so many regard him as a…

  22. Michelangelo: The Making of David (Part 2)

    · 1 h 04 min · Episode 16

    Why was Michelangelo's David such a revolutionary work of art? And what happened when Michelangelo and Leonardo went head to head on a commission? Join Alastair and James in the second of four episodes charting the…

  23. Michelangelo: The Birth of a Genius (Part 1)

    · 1 h 00 min · Episode 15

    Was Michelangelo the greatest artist that ever lived? And where did he learn his unrivalled mastery of marble? Join Alastair and James as they embark on the first of four episodes charting the epic story of the life…

  24. A Revolution in Ancient Art: The Bust of Nefertiti

    · 1 h 17 min · Episode 14

    It's one of the most recognisable artworks of the ancient world, but who was Queen Nefertiti? And how did she and her consort, the Pharaoh Akhenaten, revolutionise the art and religion of Ancient Egypt? Join Alastair…

  25. Francis Bacon: Triumph and Tragedy (Part 3)

    · 53 min · Episode 13 · Explicit

    Following the death of his lover, did Bacon paint one of the darkest paintings in the history 20th century art? And why is opinion so split on Bacon's late work? Join Alastair and James as they argue it out in the last…

  26. Francis Bacon: Post War Success (Part 2)

    · 55 min · Episode 12 · Explicit

    Which portrait by the 17th century Spanish master Velázquez inspired one of Bacon's most celebrated works? And why is his painting Two Figures considered a groundbreaking image? Join Alastair and James as they chart…

  27. Francis Bacon: The Emerging Artist (Part 1)

    · 49 min · Episode 11 · Explicit

    How did the horrors of the Second World War influence Francis Bacon's first great masterpiece? And what impact did his troubled childhood have on his life and art? Join Alastair and James as they explore the early life…

  28. Géricault's Disaster Piece: The Raft of the Medusa

    · 1 h 18 min · Episode 10 · Explicit

    How did the gruesome aftermath of a shipwreck inspire a masterpiece of Romantic art? And did Théodore Géricault really acquire body parts so he could capture the appearance of rotting flesh? Join Alastair and James as…

  29. Katsushika Hokusai: The Endless Creative (Part 2)

    · 54 min · Episode 9

    Why is Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji so popular? And just how influential were his images on the development of Western art? Join Alastair and James as they explore the final tumultuous, and endlessly…

  30. Katsushika Hokusai: The Man Behind the Wave (Part 1)

    · 53 min · Episode 8 · Explicit

    It’s one of the most recognisable images in all of art history, but who was the artist behind The Great Wave? And how did the military dictatorship of the Tokugawa shogunate create the conditions for his art to…

  31. Artemisia Gentileschi: Painter to the Medici and Charles I (Part 2)

    · 47 min · Episode 7 · Explicit

    How did Artemisia Gentileschi become the first woman to be elected to Florence's Academy of Arts? And why did she end up in London working as court painter to Charles I? Join Alastair and James as they explore how…

  32. Artemisia Gentileschi: Talent and Torment (Part 1)

    · 38 min · Episode 6 · Explicit

    What lies behind the powerful artworks of Artemisia Gentileschi, one of history's greatest female artists? And how did the trauma of a horrifying rape impact her life and work? Join Alastair and James as they explore…

  33. Jean-Michel Basquiat: 80s Art Superstar

    · 1 h 10 min · Episode 5 · Explicit

    He was the star of the 1980s New York art scene, but was Jean-Michel Basquiat a truly great artist or the product of a booming art market? And why did one of his works sell for more than $110 million? Join Alastair and…

  34. Hans Holbein the Younger: Painter to Henry VIII (Part 2)

    · 54 min · Episode 4

    How did Hans Holbein survive the court of Henry VIII when so many around him were executed? What was his influence on how we see the Tudors? Join Alastair and James to find out how Holbein survived one of the most…

  35. Hans Holbein the Younger: From Basel to the Tudor Court (Part 1)

    · 47 min · Episode 3

    How did Hans Holbein become court painter to Henry VIII, one of the most notorious monarchs in British history? Without his stunning portraits would the Tudor period burn so brightly in the imagination? Join Alastair…

  36. Monet and the Birth of Impressionism (Part 2)

    · 52 min · Episode 2

    When Monet’s Impression, Sunrise was displayed at the First Impressionist Exhibition in 1874 it inspired one critic to scornfully describe the artists on show as ‘Impressionists’. And so the name of one of the most…

  37. Monet and the Birth of Impressionism (Part 1)

    · 45 min · Episode 1

    In 1870s Paris a group of radical young artists led by Monet, Degas and Renoir decide to take on the art establishment and stage their own exhibition, independent of the enormous state-run art show - the Salon. It was…

  38. Introducing Stories of Art

    · 2:24 · Trailer

    Stories of Art brings together art historian Dr. James Fox and art critic Alastair Sooke to uncover the most inspiring and compelling stories from the history of art. From the lives of the world’s greatest artists to…

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