David Hockney, generally considered one of Britain's most popular artists, has enjoyed worldwide success throughout his life, with exhibitions in London, New York, Paris and elsewhere attracting millions of visitors. This film reveals intimate, previously unseen interviews and focuses on two successful exhibitions that took place in 2012 and 2016 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Leader of the School of Pont-Aven, Paul Gauguin, the most exotic of French artists, paved the way for modern painting. There were two main themes which marked his work: Brittany and Tahiti. A rebel, he rejected copying reality in favour of exploring more delicate painting techniques. You will discover here the most important milestones in his work: from “Four Breton Girls” to “Tahitian Women on the Beach”, by way of the surprising “Self Portrait with Yellow Christ”. Enjoy your visit!
Reputed to be the inventor of oil painting, the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck (1390-1441) is a major 15th century artist. He is considered to be the founder of western portraiture and practised this art meticulously. Look closely at the famous “Arnolfini Portrait” exposed at the National Gallery, where the circular mirror at the back of the room shows the artist’s reflection, or the beautiful “Virgin of Chancellor Rolin” exposed at the Louvre, a picture in which three arches open onto a river landscape. Enjoy your visit!
Raphael Federici (street artist), Marine Goodmorning (illustrator), Luca Fiore (cartoonist) and Harry Boudchicha (drawing teacher) reveal their best drawing techniques. Each episode focuses on a specific subject: movement, oil painting, shadows, hair... For the first 10 minutes, each artist gives a theoretical lesson illustrated by sketches. Then they each start working on their creation. Finally, they end with a debrief, comparing and explaining their techniques
In 64 episodes, fun and educational, you will know how to draw an airplane, a fireman, a haunted mansion, a soccer player, a sunset, a lion, the Eiffel Tower, seashells, a fairy... Our master draftsman Gia-Haï Phan will show you the basics of a successful drawing: proportions, perspectives, values, contrasts, volumes, blending, everything is covered.
The Caisse d'Épargne building in Vienna, designed by architect Otto Wagner, is an iconic example of Viennese Art Nouveau. Built between 1904 and 1912, it stands out for its functional design and use of modern materials such as glass and steel. The facade, minimalist and adorned with geometric patterns, reflects Wagner’s intention to combine aesthetics and utility. The interior is equally innovative, with large open spaces designed to improve ventilation and the circulation of natural light. This building represents a synthesis of tradition and modernity, laying the groundwork for modern European architecture.
"I envy the Japanese", wrote Van Gogh to his brother Theo. Thanks to the exhibition on which this film is based, at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, we understand why. Although Vincent van Gogh never visited Japan, it remains the country that had the greatest influence on him and his work. By visiting Japanese art galleries in Paris and creating his own image of Japan after extensive research, print collections and lengthy discussions with other artists, the discovery of Japanese art took van Gogh's career in an exciting new direction.
The National Gallery of London is offering a fresh look at arguably one of the greatest artists of all – Johannes Vermeer, painter of the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring. In an exhibition entitled ‘Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure’, The National Gallery has chosen to focus on Vermeer’s relationship with music. It is one of the most popular themes of Dutch painting and reveals an enormous amount about this most fascinating of artists.
Multi-award-winning director Phil Grabsky takes a fresh look at arguably the world's most beloved artist, using the words of the painter himself. I, Claude Monet reveals new facets of the man who gave birth to the Impressionist movement with one painting, and who was certainly one of the most influential and renowned painters of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Shot on location across Europe, I, Claude Monet is an unprecedented, intimate film exploration of some of Western art's most beloved cult settings.
In the second half of the 19th century, Edouard Manet (1832-1883) showed great originality in his painting of historic scenes and portraiture of well-known figures, such as the novelist Zola and the poet Mallarmé. Even if we cannot call him the first Impressionist, his leading role in the history of modern art must be emphasised. The scandals in 1863 caused by “The Luncheon on the Grass” or “Olympia” both exposed at the Orsay Museum effectively mark the beginning of modern painting. Enjoy your visit!
Discover or rediscover Chaim Soutine's masterpieces, each one more surprising than the last.
Graffiti World is a short program dedicated to contemporary urban art around the world. Each episode explores a specific city, highlighting iconic works of street art. Local soundscape accompanies the images for an authentic, commentary-free immersion. The program showcases the creativity and diversity of artistic expression in public spaces. An invitation to discover the richness of graffiti as an art form in its own right.
Prog rocker Rick Wakeman and best mate Ian Lavender, loved as Pike from Dad’s Army, enjoy a jolly B-road ride around Norfolk. In the company of experts Raj Bisram and David Harper the two antique hunting celebrities scour the county for treasure to take to auction in Nottingham. Rick also uncovers some hidden medieval graffiti in Norwich Cathedral while Ian detours to north Norfolk to see the world’s largest collection of model soldiers. But, will an wise old Japanese man help Ian win at auction?
A lover of Tibet and high mountains, painter Qiu Xiaoqiu has made more than twenty journeys across the Tibetan highlands. He brought back striking portraits of nomads wandering through the mineral vastness of the Himalayas. The first Chinese artist to paint animals in their natural habitat, one of his works depicting pandas inspired the world-famous WWF logo.
Painted in 1911, Pablo Picasso’s "La Coiffeuse" is an iconic work of Cubism. The painting was last seen in 1998, following a loan for an exhibition in Munich. On its return to Paris, it was stored in the Centre Pompidou’s storerooms… until the day it was discovered to be missing, in 2001. Had it been stolen from the storerooms? Sixteen years after the theft, in 2014, a ship docked at the port of Newark, in New Jersey, USA. The artwork was on board…
In 2010, five masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Modigliani and Léger went missing. A year into the investigation, the police arrested the burglar, Vrejan Tomic. A repeat offender, with 11 art thefts to his name, he usually works to order. In this case, the client was Jean-Michel Corvez. Wrapped in bin bags, these unsellable works were found at the home of a third man, Yonathan Birn. How? Why?
Kimiko Yoshida has settled in a working-class neighborhood in the northeast of Paris. Her house is at the same time an exhibition gallery, a reception room and a studio. Initially a photographer, she has become a visual artist. The self-portrait is a motif that punctuates the artist's work. But paradoxically, she flees vanity to aim at disappearance.
Who was Frida Kahlo? Journey into the life of a true icon, discover her art and the truth behind her often turbulent life. The combination of interviews, commentary and a detailed exploration of Kahlo's art offers a treasure trove of color and a feast of vitality. This intimate, personal documentary provides privileged access to her works, and sheds light on her feverish creativity, resilience and unparalleled thirst for life.
Francisco Goya, considered the founder of modern art, is Spain's most acclaimed artist. As well as a gifted observer of Spanish life and its turbulent past, he is a gifted portraitist and social commentator. With Goya, the art of portraiture reached new heights. This major exhibition at London's National Gallery brings his genius back into the spotlight. Through a formidable collection of unique works and letters by Goya, we analyze the man himself and the world he painted.
Graffiti World is a short program dedicated to contemporary urban art around the world. Each episode explores a specific city, highlighting iconic works of street art. Local soundscape accompanies the images for an authentic, commentary-free immersion. The program showcases the creativity and diversity of artistic expression in public spaces. An invitation to discover the richness of graffiti as an art form in its own right.
In this episode, we will meet Richard Bellia, photographer. He published a book called "An Eye on Music" in which he captured the faces of thousands of rock stars with his lens. He has photographed Kurt Cobain, Alain Bashung... He has covered the national and international music scene since the 1980s.
TV chefs Aldo Zilli and Ching He-Huang do battle on this Road Trip around South Eastern England, aided by experts Natasha Raskin and Paul Laidlaw. Aldo plumps for a gold ring despite expert advice while Ching hopes antiques with an eastern origin will far well at auction in north London. Aldo stops off to meet a 200 year old named ‘Jill’ to hear how she supplied locals with flour. And animal lover Ching learns how one man faced ridicule and ruin while trying to protect cattle in the 19th century.
It’s a journey into antiquity with glamorous historians Suzannah Lipscomb and Kate Williams. Paired with experts David Harper and Catherine Southon they Road Trip from Bletchley in Buckinghamshire to an auction in London. There’s also opportunity to hear how Mrs Beeton became the first ‘domestic Goddess’ and why Luton played a critical role in the fashion world when hats were de rigueur daily wear. David and Suzannah gamble on a giant ant while Catherine and Kate plump for a very large tea urn.
For 5 years, the Masterpiece team has beckoned to make a reconstruction of the famous work 'The Tower of Babel' by Pieter Bruegel (the elder). Due to its complexity and the size (with about 1033 figures the no less than 9 double floors) they never dared. But this year, the team picked up the gauntlet and got the job done, thanks to their extreme perseverance.
In many ways, it is in Antwerp that Vincent begins the remarkable evolution that will ultimately make him one of the most important painters in modern art. Explore his journey at the Antwerp Academy, where he slowly sheds the darkness of Hague and begins to play with light and color. Did you know how much the Impressionist movement in Paris depended on Vincent’s brother, Theo? Find out the truth behind Theo’s enormous influence in promoting and establishing the movement and bringing together the Impressionist artists of the day, with scenes from Jean-Pierre Isbouts’ television drama Manet in Love. What would you do if a difficult relative dropped in without warning and announced they would be living with you from now on? Learn how Theo manages the situation when Vincent arrives in Paris, and revel in the way that Vincent inhales the wonderful new movements of Montmartre. By the 1880s, the Impressionists have slowly begun to drift apart after the deaths of Frédéric Bazille and Édouard
Start by gathering several fascinating facts about Van Gogh’s life, which will then lead you to ask questions that uncover mysteries: What aspects of his life influenced his unique body of work—which is now worth hundreds of millions on the art market—and what ultimately drove him to commit an act of desperation? Discover Vincent van Gogh’s early years. From learning French and English to his very first art class, Brabant and its landscapes left an indelible mark on the young Vincent. Discover how Van Gogh made a sudden shift in his path, moving from the ministry and missionary work to a life devoted to art, aided in this by two influential men in his family. You’ll also begin to understand how his difficulties with his parents and scandals involving women would affect him. What is it about the modest Protestant community in Nuenen that inspired Van Gogh to find his artistic voice, and why did he leave behind his extensive body of work when he moved away? This lecture explores how the
Exhibition on Screen takes us through the streets of Paris and then to the heart of a superb exhibition at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum, whose impressive collection of Degas works is the most representative in Britain. Having benefited from exclusive access to a wide variety of rare works, the film tells the story of Degas' quest for perfection through experimentation.
Through some works of Fragonard, Boucher, Watteau (among others), here is the rococo current whose works go back to the end of the XVIIIth century. The theme of the fêtes galantes also evokes the fact that the setbacks of love are inseparable from its pleasures.
A key artist of the Italian Renaissance, Raffaello Santi (1483-1520) developed a classical art form, based on drawing, which made him the model for many painters in the following centuries. His favourite theme was the Madonna: you can admire, for example, “The Sistine Madonna” in Dresden and the “The Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist” in the Louvre. Notice the gentle harmony and the delicate sensuality in “The Three Graces” or the powerful human presence in “The Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione”. Enjoy your visit!
In 1995, the City of Luxembourg decided to build a large concert hall on the Kirchberg plateau, the new district of banks and major European institutions. The aim of the commission was to bring together three major public performance spaces in a single complex: a large philharmonic hall, a small chamber music hall and a discovery space. Architect Christian de Portzamparc, admirably assisted by the experience of acoustician Xu Yaying, made this hall his great musical instrument. The elliptical shape, with its filter of white columns and coloured cliffs, reveals the auditorium as a real jewel in its setting, one of the architect's most beautiful buildings.
Jean-Michel Othoniel has set up his studio in the Marais district, in the heart of Paris. He is a visual artist who loves the metamorphoses that are imprinted in his sculptures with reversible materials. Known for having transformed the Palais Royal metro station into a "kiosk for night owls", the artist favors materials with poetic and sensitive properties.
Myriam Mechita has set up her studio in the little-known Lichtenberg district of Berlin, in an old disinfected factory that has become a creative sanctuary for over 200 artists. Meticulous and passionate visual artist, Myriam Mechita approaches her art above all as an extension of her emotions and feelings.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Zoe Ball and Ian Waite are quickstepping their way across the south West of England in a bid to turn a profit at auction in Hampshire. Experts Margie Cooper and Paul Laidlaw are on hand to guide. Paul shares a secret with Zoe about buying antique hair brushes. Ian, though, offers dancing lessons to dealers to secure a discount. Lordy! Zoe also hears how one village became world famous for lace production while Ian ends up meeting a giant horse with its own boat.
Today, we invite you to Lyon. The two candidates of the day, Christophe Boulair and Julien Arnaud, will have one hour to compete on the theme of Old Lyon. They will have to walk around the old town in search of the best spot to take the most beautiful picture as possible.
In this episode, we meet the artist Alain Godon. From the shores of France to the English countryside, from parachutist to nightclub manager, Alain Godon has had a thousand and one lives. But he has always remained a painter. He is a figurative painter with a naive and cheerful pencil stroke, who, far from fashions, trends and museum fads, is acclaimed by many collectors for whom he works from his workshop in Waltham in Kent.
Take an hour break to discover the work of a Franco-Danish painter, Camille Pissarro. You will discover his labour with View from Louveciennes, A path through the fields, Pontoise or Peasant girl making a fire.
Take an hour break to discover the work of a Prussian painter, Caspar David Friedrich. You will discover his labour with The Wanderer above the mists, Greifswald port or the Lone tree.
