Artworks

Imaginative documentaries about culture and the arts from BBC Radio 4. Explore creativity from Michelangelo to Manga, and Beethoven to Beyoncé. Available only on BBC Sounds.

Radio 4,131 episodes

Episodes

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Art That Conquered the World
Guernica
James Fox asks how Picasso's Guernica became so famous.
23 Jul 2026,28 mins
Art That Conquered the World
David
James Fox asks how Michelangelo's David became so famous.
16 Jul 2026,28 mins
Art That Conquered the World
Ophelia
James Fox asks how John Everett Millais's Ophelia became so famous.
09 Jul 2026,28 mins
Art That Conquered the World
The Mona Lisa
James Fox asks how the Mona Lisa became the most famous painting in the world.
22 Apr 2025,28 mins
Art That Conquered the World
The Scream
James Fox asks how Munch's The Scream became one of the most famous artworks in the world.
15 Apr 2025,28 mins
Art That Conquered the World
The Great Wave
James Fox asks how Hokusai's The Great Wave became so famous.
08 Apr 2025,28 mins
Art That Conquered the World
The Hay Wain
James Fox asks how Constable's The Hay Wain became so famous.
23 Jul 2024,28 mins
Who Did We Think We Were?
1. National Remembrance and the 1924 Empire Exhibition
Neil MacGregor on past expressions of British identity and how they shape our identity now
09 Jul 2026,29 mins
Who Did We Think We Were?
2. The 1938 Empire Exhibition in Glasgow
Neil MacGregor on past expressions of British identity and how they shape our identity now
16 Jul 2026,29 mins
Who Did We Think We Were?
3. The Festival of Britain 1951 and the Coronation 1953
Neil MacGregor on past expressions of British identity and how they shape our identity now
23 Jul 2026,29 mins
The Writing Life of Sylvia Plath
1. Childhood, Youth and Motherhood
A major three-part series on Sylvia Plath, presented by Mariella Frostrup.
21 Jul 2026,28 mins
Where’s Michael Clark?
Nick Grimshaw speaks to innovative dancer and choreographer Michael Clark.
14 Jul 2026,28 mins
The Art of Isolation: Hikikomori Stories
Christopher Harding explores the world of socially isolated Hikikomori through art.
07 Jul 2026,28 mins
Fairy Tales: The Stories That Shape Us
Sian Williams talks to mythologist and storyteller Martin Shaw about why fairytales matter
30 Jun 2026,28 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
1. The Orphan
Who was the real Marilyn Monroe? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
01 Jun 2026,15 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
2. The Dumb Blonde
Was Marilyn Monroe really just a 'dumb blonde'? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
02 Jun 2026,15 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
3. The Diva
Was Marilyn Monroe really difficult to work with? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
03 Jun 2026,15 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
4. The Sex Symbol
Did Marilyn Monroe like being a sex symbol? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
04 Jun 2026,15 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
5. The Tragedy
Was Marilyn Monroe a victim? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
05 Jun 2026,15 mins
Allen Ginsberg’s Last Soup
Ian Sansom tells the story of one of poet Allen Ginsberg's last great works - a fish soup.
02 Jun 2026,28 mins
LA: Rising from the Ashes
Jonathan Glancey meets architects leading LA's recovery from 2025's catastrophic fires.
26 May 2026,28 mins
Mother: 100 years of Martha Graham Dance
Is Martha Graham the mother of modern dance?
19 May 2026,28 mins
A Century in a Click: 100 Years of the Photobooth
Click, whirrrr, whoosh! Alan Dein celebrates a century of the photobooth in four snaps.
12 May 2026,29 mins
Uneasy Listening
Celebrating the challenging music of Stockhausen, Cage and Feldman and why it's overlooked
05 May 2026,28 mins
Band of Mothers
Can an all-female Oxfordshire band in their mid-50s recreate their student success?
03 Apr 2026,30 mins,
Stoppard at Work
Actors, directors and more share insights on working with the playwright Tom Stoppard.
31 Mar 2026,28 mins
The Last Sweeping Beams
Helen Mort explores the allure of the lighthouse as their sweeping beams are modernised.
24 Mar 2026,28 mins
Under a Cloud
The poet laureate, Simon Armitage, gets his head in the clouds.
17 Mar 2026,28 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
1. Decline and Fall - You're Not One of Us
Russell Kane delves into seven of Evelyn Waugh’s most important works - Decline and Fall.
02 Mar 2026,14 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
2. Vile Bodies - When the Party Stopped
Russell Kane delves into seven of Evelyn Waugh’s most important works: Vile Bodies.
03 Mar 2026,14 mins