Art documentaries
Soup Cans and Superstars: How Pop Art Changed the World
All surface and no substance – or subversive and profound? Pop art has always divided tastes.
Art historian Alastair Sooke believes that the culture-drenched works of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein are era-defining masterpieces. But do the movement’s works still have the ability to shock?
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.
The Man Who Shot New York
More than just a photographer, New Yorker Harold Feinstein had an unquenchable thirst for life.
Some called him a guru. His zen-like attitude and unique, pleasure-seeking outlook on life endeared him to many who crossed his path. But it was only in his final years that Harold Feinstein’s genius as an NYC street photographer came to light.
Accessing his huge archive and using never before seen footage this BBC documentary explores the man who made New York City his muse and lived life to the fullest.
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.
Grayson Perry: Rites of Passage
This is the story of the landmark moments in our lives. How we mark them. And the emotional consequences if we don’t.
From birth, to marriage to death, beloved British artist Grayson Perry, despairs that the West has lost touch with its traditions and travels the world to see how other cultures celebrate these events, then devises new ceremonies at home that resonate with our modern lives.
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.
Extreme Combat: The Dancer and the Fighter
Mixed Martial Arts is one of the world’s fastest growing sports – violent, bloody, ultra masculine. He’s repelled by it, but dancer and choreographer, Akram Khan, has resolved to get under its skin and design a walk-on for its biggest star.
What motivates a person to train for ultra violence? Why are we drawn to its spectacle? And how much of MMA’s merciless attack mentality is inside all of us?
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.
Grayson Perry's Big American Roadtrip
Turner prize-winning artist turned critically-acclaimed broadcaster Grayson Perry takes to the road to observe a nation in transition.
Award-winning artist and broadcaster Grayson Perry roars across the south, east and Midwest of America on a spectacular multi-coloured Harley Davidson on a mission to meet people from both sides of the racial divide in this BBC art and travel documentary.
As the genial Grayson investigates the Land of the Free’s deepening cultural and political fault-lines, he doesn’t only cover the miles, he also gets to grips with a multitude of thorny issues from class and economic divisions to identity politics.
He’s committed to travelling the nation to record the disparate viewpoints of a cross-section of its citizens including talking to young black professionals in Atlanta and farmers in Wisconsin. But how will Grayson come up with a unifying artwork which channels the real-life experience of a hugely-divided America?
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.