The Birth of Venus - Sandro Botticelli (Part 2)
The Birth of Venus is one of the most famous paintings in the world. So what makes Botticelli's masterpiece so enduringly popular? And why did the artist disappear into obscurity for so long? Join Alastair and James as they conclude the story of the life and work of Sandro Botticelli.
Artworks in this episode: Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, c.1485, Uffizi, Florence Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, c.1480s, Uffizi, Florence Sandro Botticelli, The Youth of Moses, 1481-82, The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City Sandro Botticelli, The Temptation of Christ, 1481-82, The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City Cleomenes, son of Apollodorus of Athens, The Medici Venus, late 2nd century B.C.E., Uffizi, Florence Lorenzo Ghiberti, The Baptism of Christ, 1403-24, Baptistery, Florance Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Young Woman, 1480-85, Städel Museum, Frankfurt Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars, c.1485, The National Gallery, London Sandro Botticelli, Lamentation over the Dead Christ, 1490-92, Alte Pinakothek, Munich Sandro Botticelli, Mystic Nativity, 1500, The National Gallery, London
Recommended Reading: Anja Ulbrich, Liam McNamara et al, Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess, 2026 Ana Debenedetti, Botticelli: Artist and Designer, 2024 Mark Evans, Botticelli Reimagined, 2016 Walter Pater, Studies in the History of the Renaissance, 1873
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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