The Private Life of a Masterpiece

The Private Life of a Masterpiece

20015.0/10
Documentary

Ratings

🎬TMDb
5.0/10(4)

Private Life of a Masterpiece is a BBC arts documentary series that tells the stories behind great works of art reaching from the Renaissance to modern art. David by Michelangelo, The Scream by Edvard Munch, The Third of May 1808 by Francisco Goya, The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn, Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso, The Annunciation by Jan van Eyck, ... The Art of Painting by Johannes Vermeer. For behind the beautiful canvases and sculptures are tales of political revolution, wartime escapes, massive ego clashes, social scandal, financial wrangling and shocking violence. The series reveals the full and fascinating stories behind famous works of art, not just how they came to be created, but also how they influenced others and came to have a life of their own in the modern world.

Production

Fulmar TV & Film

Language

EN

Status

Ended

First Aired

December 8, 2001

Last Aired

October 25, 2010

Networks

BBC Two

Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
Edvard Munch: The Scream
E1
Edvard Munch: The Scream
Air date: 2001-12-08
First of two films on the stories behind famous artworks. This documentary traces the eventful existence of Edvard Munch's notorious piece, from its late-19th-century origins to its present-day significance. A disturbing image of an androgynous screaming figure, the work has nonetheless become one of the world's most familiar and reproduced pictures. Artist Tracey Emin is among those who testify to its continuing power.
Michelangelo: David
E2
Michelangelo: David
Air date: 2001-12-15
It is one of art's most noted pieces, but it took failures by two sculptors before Michelangelo Buonarroti completed the work in the early 16th century. This documentary reveals the techniques Michelangelo used to re-create the human body so accurately on such a vast scale, and how contrasting interpretations view it as a symbol of either military might or of freedom.

Cast

Samuel West

Samuel West

Narrator

Recommended