Stories of Art
Stories of Art brings together art historian Dr. James Fox and art critic Alastair Sooke to uncover the most inspiring and compelling stories from the history of art.
From the lives of the world’s greatest artists to the turning points that changed art, to the hidden histories of great masterpieces, James and Alastair are your guides to the extraordinary characters and fascinating stories that have shaped art history.
Full of insight, expert opinion and humour, Stories of Art is the ultimate deep dive into the history of art.
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Stories of Art
Episodes
39 results
52.54
Sandro Botticelli: The Golden Age of Florence (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell first part in the story of the life and times of Sandro Botticelli.
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Sandro Botticelli: The Golden Age of Florence (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell first part in the story of the life and times of Sandro Botticelli.
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1.14.43
The Scream
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of Edvard Munch's The Scream
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The Scream
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of Edvard Munch's The Scream
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1.10.18
Seurat's Masterpiece: A Sunday on La Grand Jatte - 1884
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of Georges Seurat's masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte -1884
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Seurat's Masterpiece: A Sunday on La Grand Jatte - 1884
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of Georges Seurat's masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte -1884
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1.17.34
William Hogarth: The Rise and Fall of a Phizmonger (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell final part of the story of the life and times of William Hogarth.
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William Hogarth: The Rise and Fall of a Phizmonger (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell final part of the story of the life and times of William Hogarth.
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1.12.59
William Hogarth: The First Modern Artist (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell first part in the story of the life and times of William Hogarth.
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William Hogarth: The First Modern Artist (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell first part in the story of the life and times of William Hogarth.
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1.20.02
Hieronymus Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights
In this episode Alastair and James explore Hieronymus Bosch's masterpiece The Garden of Earthly Delights
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Hieronymus Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights
In this episode Alastair and James explore Hieronymus Bosch's masterpiece The Garden of Earthly Delights
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01.07.58
Lee Miller: Witness to the Holocaust (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second and final part in the story of the life and work of Lee Miller.
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Lee Miller: Witness to the Holocaust (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second and final part in the story of the life and work of Lee Miller.
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57:23
Lee Miller: The Supermodel Surrealist (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part in the story of the life and work of Lee Miller.
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Lee Miller: The Supermodel Surrealist (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part in the story of the life and work of Lee Miller.
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1:11:38
1066 and All That: The Bayeux Tapestry
In this episode Alastair and James explore the story of the Bayeux Tapestry.
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1066 and All That: The Bayeux Tapestry
In this episode Alastair and James explore the story of the Bayeux Tapestry.
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01.07.08
Vincent van Gogh: Endgame in Auvers (Part 4)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part in the story of the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
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Vincent van Gogh: Endgame in Auvers (Part 4)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part in the story of the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
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56.08
Vincent van Gogh: Disaster in Arles (Part 3)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the third part of the story of the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
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Vincent van Gogh: Disaster in Arles (Part 3)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the third part of the story of the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
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55.56
Vincent van Gogh: Becoming Vincent (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
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Vincent van Gogh: Becoming Vincent (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
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1.05.28
Vincent van Gogh: The Outcast (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James begin the first in a four part series about the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
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Vincent van Gogh: The Outcast (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James begin the first in a four part series about the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
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49:23
Alberto Giacometti: The Rise of Stick Man (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of the Swiss artist, Alberto Giacometti.
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Alberto Giacometti: The Rise of Stick Man (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of the Swiss artist, Alberto Giacometti.
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52.45
Alberto Giacometti: The Boy from the Mountains (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of the Swiss artist, Alberto Giacometti.
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Alberto Giacometti: The Boy from the Mountains (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of the Swiss artist, Alberto Giacometti.
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1.09.05
Vermeer's First Masterpiece: The Milkmaid
In this episode Alastair and James explore Vermeer's masterpiece The Milkmaid.
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Vermeer's First Masterpiece: The Milkmaid
In this episode Alastair and James explore Vermeer's masterpiece The Milkmaid.
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57.14
Frida Kahlo: A Star is Born (Part 3)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the third and final part of the story of the life and work of Frida Kahlo.
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Frida Kahlo: A Star is Born (Part 3)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the third and final part of the story of the life and work of Frida Kahlo.
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01.06.42
Frida Kahlo: The Elephant and the Dove (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of Frida Kahlo.
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Frida Kahlo: The Elephant and the Dove (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of Frida Kahlo.
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51.16
Frida Kahlo: The Girl on the Bus (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Frida Kahlo.
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Frida Kahlo: The Girl on the Bus (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Frida Kahlo.
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01.02.31
Michelangelo: The Master of Rome (Part 4)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part of the story of the life and work of Michelangelo.
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Michelangelo: The Master of Rome (Part 4)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part of the story of the life and work of Michelangelo.
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33.03
David Hockney Tribute
In this special episode Alastair and James pay tribute to the late David Hockney.
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David Hockney Tribute
In this special episode Alastair and James pay tribute to the late David Hockney.
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1.03.20
Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling (Part 3)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the third part of the story of the life and work of Michelangelo.
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Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling (Part 3)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the third part of the story of the life and work of Michelangelo.
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1.03.58
Michelangelo: The Making of David (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of Michelangelo.
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Michelangelo: The Making of David (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of Michelangelo.
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1.00.02
Michelangelo: The Birth of a Genius (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Michelangelo.
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Michelangelo: The Birth of a Genius (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Michelangelo.
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1.16.30
The Bust of Nefertiti
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of the Bust of Nefertiti.
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The Bust of Nefertiti
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of the Bust of Nefertiti.
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53.17
Francis Bacon: Triumph and Tragedy (Part 3)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part of the story of the life and work of Francis Bacon.
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Francis Bacon: Triumph and Tragedy (Part 3)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part of the story of the life and work of Francis Bacon.
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54.36
Francis Bacon: Post War Success (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of Francis Bacon.
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Francis Bacon: Post War Success (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the second part of the story of the life and work of Francis Bacon.
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49.20
Francis Bacon: The Emerging Artist (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Francis Bacon.
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Francis Bacon: The Emerging Artist (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Francis Bacon.
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1:16:45
The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of a single artwork - The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault.
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The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of a single artwork - The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault.
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54.17
Katsushika Hokusai: The Endless Creative (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part of the story of the life and work of Katsushika Hokusai.
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Katsushika Hokusai: The Endless Creative (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part of the story of the life and work of Katsushika Hokusai.
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53.24
Katsushika Hokusai: The Man Behind the Wave (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Katsushika Hokusai.
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Katsushika Hokusai: The Man Behind the Wave (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Katsushika Hokusai.
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46.33
Artemisia Gentileschi: Painter to the Medici and Charles I (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part of the story of the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi.
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Artemisia Gentileschi: Painter to the Medici and Charles I (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the final part of the story of the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi.
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37.49
Artemisia Gentileschi: Talent and Torment (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi.
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Artemisia Gentileschi: Talent and Torment (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi.
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1:10:05
Jean-Michel Basquiat: 80s Art Superstar
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
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Jean-Michel Basquiat: 80s Art Superstar
In this episode Alastair and James tell the story of the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
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47.24
Hans Holbein the Younger: Painter to Henry VIII (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Hans Holbein the Younger.
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Hans Holbein the Younger: Painter to Henry VIII (Part 2)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Hans Holbein the Younger.
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47.24
Hans Holbein the Younger: From Basel to the Tudor Court (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Hans Holbein the Younger.
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Hans Holbein the Younger: From Basel to the Tudor Court (Part 1)
In this episode Alastair and James tell the first part of the story of the life and work of Hans Holbein the Younger.
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51:38
Monet and the Birth of Impressionism (Part 2)
In this episode Dr James Fox and Alastair Sooke conclude the story of Claude Monet's ‘Impression, Sunrise’ and the First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874.
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Monet and the Birth of Impressionism (Part 2)
In this episode Dr James Fox and Alastair Sooke conclude the story of Claude Monet's ‘Impression, Sunrise’ and the First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874.
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44:44
Monet and the Birth of Impressionism (Part 1)
In this episode Dr James Fox and Alastair Sooke tell first part of the story of Claude Monet's ‘Impression, Sunrise’ and the First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874.
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Monet and the Birth of Impressionism (Part 1)
In this episode Dr James Fox and Alastair Sooke tell first part of the story of Claude Monet's ‘Impression, Sunrise’ and the First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874.
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2:20
Trailer
Stories of Art brings together art historian Dr. James Fox and art critic Alastair Sooke to uncover the most inspiring and compelling stories from the history of art.
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Trailer
Stories of Art brings together art historian Dr. James Fox and art critic Alastair Sooke to uncover the most inspiring and compelling stories from the history of art.
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About the hosts
Dr James Fox is a Cambridge art historian, bestselling author and multi award-winning broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation. His critically-acclaimed books on art and culture have been translated into fourteen languages. His most recent title and best-seller Craftland: a journey through Britain’s Lost Arts and Vanishing Trades (2025) has been named Waterstones Book of the Year, BBC’s book of the week and shortlisted for the Nero Book Prize. James is perhaps best known for his many arts documentaries for the BBC, including A History of Art in Three Colours, The Art of Japanese Life The Age of the Image and Nature and Us: a history through Art
Alastair Sooke is an author and broadcaster, and chief art critic at The Telegraph, for which he has been covering art since 2003. He has presented more than 60 hours of television and radio for the BBC (Modern Masters, Treasures of Ancient Egypt, An Art Lovers’ Guide) and written several books, including studies of Henri Matisse and Georges Seurat, and a history of Pop art. He is a trustee of The Ampersand Foundation and was educated at the University of Oxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art.