Art documentaries
The Beauty of Anatomy
How has what’s inside us been depicted on canvas over the centuries? In this series, Dr Adam Rutherford examines the close relationships between discoveries in anatomy and the works of art that illustrate them.
In this passionate and informed program, he meets artists, art critics and art historians, as well as collectors and anatomists, to help him uncover the meaning and power of these pieces.
This show is not currently available on BBC Select but browse through the previous titles for more Art documentaries available to stream on BBC Select.
Art of America
In this Art of America documentary, Andrew Graham Dixon details the darker history behind the sublime art of the American pioneers.
British historian Andrew Graham Dixon sets out on a quest to explore the rich history of American art. Its canvases boast an array of ideals, adventure and heroism, but as Dixon travels to Massachusetts to marvel at the majestic art of the American pioneers, he discovers a more tragic tale detailing the destruction of the cultural heritage of Native Americans. Continuing to delve into the country’s artistic past, he looks at the impact of the twentieth century’s creative visionaries – the pioneering architects and pop artists who propelled the USA out of Europe’s cultural shadow.
This show is not currently available on BBC Select but browse through the previous titles for more Art documentaries available to stream on BBC Select.
Apples Pears And Paint: How To Make A Still Life Painting
This journey through the epic history of still-life painting features a range of delights from the earliest mural paintings discovered at Pompeii to the cubist masterpieces of Picasso.
Awash with rich imagery of fruit, flowers and humble domestic objects, it’s a genre that has attracted some of arts greatest geniuses. Why are artists driven to repeatedly reproduce images of the ordinary?
This show is not currently available on BBC Select but browse through the previous titles for more Art documentaries available to stream on BBC Select.
A Brief History of Graffiti
We’ve been doing it for centuries. From prehistoric cave paintings to gladiatorial fan worship to New York subway trains; we make our mark on any available surface. But what drives us to graffiti?
Dr Richard Clay hunts for the reasons why we scratch messages and mementoes of our lives onto the walls. Is it pure vandalism or an important creative impulse?
This show is not currently available on BBC Select but browse through the previous titles for more Art documentaries available to stream on BBC Select.
Hokusai: Old Man Crazy To Paint
You may think you don’t know Katsushika Hokusai, but you do.
His Great Wave is one of the most identifiable works of art on the planet. But who was the creator of this ubiquitous work? As this film discovers, he was a Japanese master who never gave up striving for perfection, despite tragedy and poverty. He influenced Van Gogh, is the father of manga and even has his own Great Wave emoji.
This show is not currently available on BBC Select but browse through the previous titles for more Art documentaries available to stream on BBC Select.