Hieronymus Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights
Is The Garden of Earthly Delights the strangest painting in all of art history? Is Bosch's bizarre masterpiece a vision of paradise or apocalyptic doom? And what's with all the giant fruit? Join Alastair and James as they dive headlong into the weird and wonderful world of Hieronymus Bosch.
Featured Artworks:
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Artworks in this episode: Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1490-1500, Museo del Prado, Madrid Hieronymus Bosch, Christ Mocked (The Crowning with Thorns), c.1490/1510, The National Gallery, London Hieronymus Bosch, The Adoration of the Magi, c.1494, Museo del Prado, Madrid Salvador Dalí, The Great Masturbator, 1929, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid
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.
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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.
