Big Sky, Big Dreams, Big Art: Made in the USA

The Impressionists: Painting and Revolution

July 2025 •English

Art writer Waldemar Januszczak explores the revolutionary achievements of the Impressionists.

The Joy of Painting

July 2025 •English

The Joy of Painting was an American television show hosted by painter Bob Ross that taught its viewers techniques for landscape oil painting. Although Ross could complete a painting in half an hour, the intent of the show was not to teach viewers "speed painting". Rather, he intended for viewers to learn certain techniques within the time that the show was allotted. The show began on January 11, 1983, and lasted until May 17, 1994, a year before Ross' death.

Museums in Quarantine

July 2025 •English

Series that explores national museum collections at a time of enforced closure.

ARTEdì

July 2025 •Italian

Simon Schama's History of Now

July 2025 •English

In his most personal project to date, Simon Schama looks back at the dramatic history that has played out in his lifetime. Best known for writing history, he has lived a fair bit of it too. Born in 1945, on the night of the bombing of Dresden, Simon grew up as part of a generation determined to rebuild the world from the ashes of war. In this film, he reveals the stories of artists and writers who have been at the forefront of the fight for truth and democracy, often at great personal cost.

Art of the Western World

July 2025 •English

First broadcast on October 2, 1989, these 18 original 30-minute episodes provide a panorama of 2000 years of architecture, painting and sculpture, and studies the art masterpieces as reflections of the Western culture that produced them.

The Phenomenon of Czech Glass

July 2025 •Czech

The mythical properties of light in glass captivated not only Czech medieval culture. History of Czech glassmaking from centuries-old traditions to modern techniques.

Treasures of Ancient Rome

July 2025 •English

Treasures of Ancient Rome is a 2012 three-part documentary written and presented by Alastair Sooke. The series was produced by the BBC, and originally aired in September 2012 on BBC Four. In the documentary Sooke sets out to "debunk the myth that Romans didn't do art and were unoriginal". This is based on the view that Romans heavily incorporated Greek style in their art, and hence produced nothing new or original. Sooke has received some criticism from the media owing to the fact that there is no consensus among academics on this topic, and hence no 'myth' exists in the first place.

Becoming Frida Kahlo

July 2025 •English

A look into Frida Kahlo's world, revealing an artist driven by politics, power, sex and identity, with her epic love affair with Diego Rivera at the heart of it all.

Rebuilding Ancient Rome

July 2025 •English

Supported by stunning 3D graphics, Dr. Darius Arya explains the purpose and architectural significance of ancient Roman buildings.

Ways of Seeing

July 2025 •English

John Berger's Ways of Seeing changed the way people think about painting and art criticism. This watershed work shows, through word and image, how what we see is always influenced by a whole host of assumptions concerning the nature of beauty, truth, civilization, form, taste, class and gender. Exploring the layers of meaning within oil paintings, photographs and graphic art, Berger argues that when we see, we are not just looking - we are reading the language of images.

Inside Culture

July 2025 •English

How does the art we consume reflect the times we live in? A topical look at the latest film, TV, music, books and theatre - through the eyes of their creators and their audiences.

Art's Wildest Movement: Mannerism

July 2025 •English

Art critic Waldemar Januszczak delves into the heart of Mannerism, as he explores the development of the art style, examines its characteristics, and questions what it achieved.

Meraviglie - La penisola dei tesori

July 2025 •Italian

The beautiful Italy

Manifeste

July 2025 •French

The Art of Russia

July 2025 •English

Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon travels through time to unlock the world of Russian art.

Vile Bodies

July 2025 •English

Documentary miniseries about contemporary artists who create challenging views of the human body. One of a 3-part series exploring how contemporary photography is challenging some of our deepest-held taboos about the human body. "American photographer Joel-Peter Witkin discusses his dark visions of human bodies.

American Masters

July 2025 •English

American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.

Simon Schama's Power of Art

July 2025 •English

Documentary series in which historian Simon Schama recounts the story of eight moments of high drama in the making of eight artistic masterpieces.

Handmade in Mexico

July 2025 •English

An intricate look at the creation process of three Mexican art forms.