The Private Life of a Masterpiece
| The Private Life of a Masterpiece | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Art documentary |
| Narrated by | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 29 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Original release | 2001 – 2010 |
The Private Life of a Masterpiece was a BBC arts documentary series which told the stories behind great works of art; 29 episodes of the series were broadcast on BBC Two, commencing in 2001 and ending in 2010. It initially ran for five seasons from 2001 to 2006, for a total of 22 episodes; each episode was 50 minutes long. A seven-DVD box set of the first five series was released in 2007, which re-arranged the documentaries into genres from art history. A further seven episodes were broadcast between 2006 and 2010. The series has been widely broadcast around the world, often in re-voiced into national languages. The original narrations were done by the actor Samuel West. Works of art featured range from Michelangelo's David for the first episode to Filippo Lippi's Adoration of the Christ Child for the last.
The series was produced by independent TV production company Fulmar Television & Film, based in Cardiff.[1] The series producer, who also devised the concept of the programme, was Jeremy Bugler.[2]
The series was praised by the TV critic of The Times, David Chater, who listed it at Number 30 in The top 50 TV shows of the Noughties. [3]
Episode guide
- Series 1 (2001)
- Series 2 (2002)
- Series 3 (2004)
- Auguste Rodin: The Kiss
- Francisco Goya: The Third of May 1808
- Auguste Renoir: Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre
- Rembrandt van Rijn: The Night Watch
- Sandro Botticelli: La Primavera
- James McNeill Whistler: Whistler's Mother
- Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers
- Edgar Degas: Little Dancer Aged Fourteen
- Pablo Picasso: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
- Katsushika Hokusai: The Great Wave
- Series 4 (2005)
- Georges Seurat: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
- Gustav Klimt: The Kiss
- Eugène Delacroix: Liberty Leading the People
- Johannes Vermeer: The Art of Painting
- Paolo Uccello: The Battle of San Romano
- Series 5 (2006)
- Leonardo da Vinci: The Last Supper
- Salvador Dalí: Christ of Saint John of the Cross
- Piero della Francesca: The Resurrection
- The Private Life of a Christmas Masterpiece (2006)
- Jan van Eyck: The Annunciation
- Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Census At Bethlehem
- Paul Gauguin: God's Child
- The Private Life of an Easter Masterpiece (2009)
- The Private Life of a Christmas Masterpiece (2009)
- The Private Life of an Easter Masterpiece (2010)
- The Private Life of a Christmas Masterpiece (2010)
