Shows
The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #26. Charlie Hall ~ Director Of John Hall VeniceJohn Hall is a passionate arts educator, lecturer and guide, based in London and Italy. Director of the John Hall Venice Course, tour leader for Kirker Holidays and of independent tours in Italy. Designer and host of a series of art talks and events for the Soho House group of private member's clubs.
2025-12-2449 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #25. Ralph Steadman ~ With A Studio Tour From His Daughter SadieRalph Steadman is a legendary and wildly inventive British illustrator best known for his explosive, ink-splattered drawings that helped define the visual identity of Hunter S. Thompson's Gonzo journalism. Born in 1936, Steadman's work spans everything from satirical takes on American politics to illustrated editions of Alice in Wonderland, always carrying that unmistakable mix of humour, darkness, and rebellious energy. His art doesn't just depict a scene; it punches through it, demanding the viewer feel the absurdity of the world as fiercely as he does.
2025-12-0424 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #25. Ralph Steadman ~ With A Studio Tour From His Daughter Sadie SteadmanRalph Steadman is a wildly inventive legendary British illustrator best known for his explosive, ink-splattered drawings that helped define the visual identity of Hunter S. Thompson's Gonzo journalism. Born in 1936, Steadman's work spans everything from satirical takes on American politics to illustrated editions of Alice in Wonderland, always carrying that unmistakable mix of humour, darkness, and rebellious energy. His art doesn't just depict a scene; it punches through it, demanding the viewer feel the absurdity of the world as fiercely as he does.
2025-11-2924 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #24. Andrew Graham-Dixon ~ Vermeer, A Life Lost And FoundAndrew Graham-Dixon is a British art critic, art historian, and broadcaster known for his passionate, eloquent storytelling about art and artists. Educated at Oxford and the Courtauld Institute, he has presented acclaimed BBC documentaries, blending deep scholarship with vivid narrative flair. His writing, insightful, witty, and often poetic, bridges the gap between academic analysis and emotional engagement, making the history of art feel alive, dramatic, and profoundly human. In this episode of ‘The Lives Of The Artists’ podcast we discuss Johannes Vermeer’s life and Andrew’s new book about him ‘Vermeer, A Life Lost And Found’.
2025-10-241h 12The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #23. Morag Caister ~ Winner Of Sky Art’s Portrait Artist Of The Year 2022Morag Caister, is a figurative artist who gained widespread acclaim as the winner of Sky Art's Portrait Artist of the Year TV series, and has been honoured with nominations for Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe: Art & Culture and inclusion in the Evening Standard's Art Power List 2023.
2025-09-061h 03The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #22. Eldin Smajlovic ~ Prehistoric Art Historian & Host Of The Immortal Art PodcastEldin Smajlovic is a Bosnian artist, art historian and writer from Srebrenica, raised in Sarajevo. Trained in classical art, in the tradition of the old masters (printmaking, painting, design and drawing) he was expelled from the Sarajevo Academy for his outspoken advocacy, particularly in defense of LGBTQ+ rights. He later relocated to Sweden, continuing his artistic education at Valand Academy. As the creator of The Immortal Art Podcast and the The Immortal Art YouTube channel, Eldin Smajlovic is presenting chronological art history, from 78,000 years ago to now. He is currently finishing European Upper Palaeolithic. He speaks with artists, historians...
2025-08-131h 00The Lives Of The ArtistsEp # 21. Erin Atlanta ~ Commissioning Editor For MyArtBroker, Art Historian & InfluencerErin is MyArtBroker's “Excuse Me” Girl, who asks the public what work of art they'd love to own and why. When she's not interviewing people with her paintbrush mic, she's the Commissioning Editor of Edition Magazine, devising content for art lovers and collectors. Erin joined MyArtBroker after completing her MA in Fashion History at the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2022, and graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2021 with a BA in History of Art.
2025-08-0646 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp # 20. Tim Benson ~ Award Winning Portrait & Landscape Artist, Helping Fight EbolaTim Benson (b. 1978, London) is a contemporary British oil painter renowned for his expressive figurative works, especially portraits, that go beyond mere likeness to evoke character and mood. Educated at Glasgow School of Art and Byam Shaw School of Art (1998–2001), he honed his craft through intense studio practice and self‑directed learning. Elected President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 2018 and a member of the New English Art Club the same year, Benson exhibits widely across the UK and often works with NGOs to create portraits that amplify marginalized voices.
2025-07-291h 06The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #19. Tatyana Kalaydjian Serraino ~ Art Historian, Author & PresenterArt Historian, Author, Content Creator, and Presenter. Tatyana brings art to life with engaging books, videos, blog posts, podcast episodes, online courses, and more, offering a fresh perspective on works of art from across the globe.
2025-07-2144 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #18. Sara Frazetta ~ Granddaughter Of Frank Frazetta The Godfather Of Fantasy ArtSara Frazetta is the granddaughter of legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta and a key figure in preserving and promoting his artistic legacy. As co-founder of Frazetta Girls, a company she helped create to celebrate and license her grandfather’s work, Sara has played a central role in reintroducing Frank Frazetta’s iconic imagery to new generations through apparel, books, exhibitions, and collaborations across pop culture. Beyond business, she’s become a vocal advocate for creative independence, often speaking about the power of imagination and the importance of family in stewarding an artist’s vision. With her blend of entrepreneurial spirit a...
2025-07-1653 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #17. Ru Knox ~ Neo Surrealist ArtistRu Knox is a British visual artist based in London, whose practice evolved from classical portraiture to immersive, abstract figurative painting. Originally trained in architectural interior design and academic oil painting in Italy, he began his career fulfilling private portrait commissions and exhibiting in respected venues like Mall Galleries and the Rijksmuseum. Seeking more creative freedom, he completed an MFA at City & Guilds in 2019, and his MA show led to his debut solo exhibition
"Rapture" at Waluso Gallery in Hackney. Since then, he has become known for his expressive, large-scale works that blend semi-figurative and abstract forms...
2025-07-0734 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #16. Lydia Pettit ~ American Artist Based In LondonLydia Pettit is a London‑based American artist whose arresting self‑portraits and textile‑infused paintings explore trauma, body politics, PTSD, and the objectification of women. Working across oil, embroidery, quilting, and occasionally video, her work embodies both vulnerability and confrontation—often appearing as a personal “battleground” where tenderness meets callousness. Pettit earned her MA from the Royal College of Art in 2020 and has exhibited widely, including solo shows at White Cube (2022), Galerie Sébastien Bertrand in Geneva (2021), and Galerie Judin in Berlin (2023), where she presented “In Your Anger, I See Fear”—a visceral, horror‑inspired exploration of female rage and bodily boundaries. A n...
2025-06-301h 00The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #15. Daniele Bolelli ~ Historian, Host Of ‘History On Fire Podcast’ & Caravaggio ExpertDaniele Bolelli is an Italian-born historian, writer, lecturer and podcaster. Known for his eclectic and rebellious approach to history, philosophy, and religion - he is a legend of the game. Born in Milan in 1974, he moved to the United States where he earned degrees from UCLA and Cardiff University, and has taught at several institutions including California State University, Long Beach. Bolelli is the author of several books, such as On the Warrior’s Path and Create Your Own Religion, blending academic insight with a fiercely independent voice. He gained wider popularity through his podcasts History on Fire and Th...
2025-06-221h 01The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #14. Emil Oskar Andersson ~ Curator Of Daily Paintings & Cultural WriterEmil Oskar Andersson runs and curates the hugely popular Instagram page Daily Paintings, where he posts and writes about paintings that move him every day. He is also a cultural writer for Corren a Swedish national newspaper and media outlet.
2025-06-1350 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #13. Kay Gasei ~ London Based British Zambian ArtistKay Gasei is a London-based artist born in 1991 who traverses the intricacies of narratives and myths in his artistic practice, illuminating a realm of profound artistic exploration. Employing symbolism, recurring motifs, and enigmatic characters set within abstract spaces. Gasei breathes life into the narratives on his canvases, evoking an enigmatic allure that bewitches viewers.
2025-06-0853 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #12. LUAP ~ Contemporary British ArtistPaul Robinson, better known by his alias of LUAP, is a Contemporary British Artist based in London. He is known for his depiction of ‘The Pink Bear’ which he uses as a muse within his artworks. His work spans the creative fields of photography, painting, sculpture and performance art.
https://www.luapstudios.co.uk
2025-06-0249 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #11. Paola Vojnovic ~ Leonardo Da Vinci’s Life, Drawings & Vitruvian ManPaola Vojnovic is an art historian with two master’s degrees and more than two decades of research and writing about Renaissance artists. Paola brings an exceptional level of expertise about Renaissance Europe and passion to her work as lecturer, teacher, and tour guide.
2025-05-261h 42The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #10. Michael Shane Neal ~ America’s Leading Portrait PainterMichael Shane Neal (born November 23, 1968) is an American portrait artist who currently serves as the chairman of the Portrait Society of America. Since beginning a full time career as an artist at the age of 21, Neal has completed more than 600 private and public commissioned portraits on display around the world. His work includes seven U.S presidential cabinet members, four former U.S. Ambassadors, seven U.S. senators, over a dozen Federal Judges, four U.S. governors, actors, and heads of universities. He has painted notable figures such as President George H.W. Bush, actor Morgan Freeman, jazz great...
2025-05-191h 29The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #9. Toto Bergamo Rossi ~ Director Of Venetian HeritageToto Bergamo Rossi is a restorer specializing in the conservation of stone, has restored important monuments in Italy and abroad. Since 2010 he has been the director of Venetian Heritage, an international nonprofit organization with offices in New York and Venice, which supports cultural initiatives through restorations, exhibitions, publications, conferences, studies, and research, with the goal of making the world more aware of the immense legacy of the art of Venice. He has led numerous restoration projects, exhibitions, and publications.
2025-05-1434 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #.8 Urban Larsson ~ Portrait Painter To The Swedish & Dutch Royal FamiliesUrban Larsson is an oil painter in the figurative tradition. Striving for beauty and universal human values, he paints only from life. He was born in 1966 in Stockholm and has lived and worked in Amsterdam for nearly three decades. Urban’s prestigious and numerous portrait commissions are international. He has for example painted the official portrait of HM Queen Silvia of Sweden and King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. What sets Larsson apart from most other painters is that he also masters other genres, such as still-lifes, landscapes and figures. He has exhibited extensively throughout Europe and USA...
2025-05-091h 06The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #7. Thelonious Stokes ~ African American Artist Collected By MadonnaThelonious Stokes is an academically trained oil painter, filmmaker, performance artist and designer based in Florence, Italy. He’s the first African American to graduate from the prestigious Florence Academy of Art and founder of The Black Academy of Art in Italy. Shaped by his Baptist culture and upbringing around jazz music on the Southside of Chicago, Stokes gravitated towards art at an early age as a means to express himself. Stokes’s work interrogates Western art history and Judeo-Christian themes – challenging and recontextualizing the canon to include themes and depictions of Black figuration that have been historically omitted. In thi...
2025-04-281h 14The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #6. Tania Rivilis ~ Winner Of The William Locke Portrait PrizeTania Rivilis began painting at the age of 27, after moving to Germany in 2012. Since 2015, she began taking part in art shows and exhibitions around the world. Tania’s paintings are now part of museum, gallery, and private collections all over the world, such as Jonathan and Stuart Hyman collection, State Museums of St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg Museum, Vladimirskiy Palace and Marble Palace), and Astoria Hotel (Rocco Forte Hotels). Since 2019 Tania is a permanent exhibitor at Bonnard Galerie, Netherlands, and Arcadia Contemporary, New York, as well as displaying work at LA Art Fair (presented by Arcadia Gallery), and Amsterdam First Ar...
2025-04-211h 10The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #5. Dr Stephen A. Murphy ~ Worlds Leading Expert On Buddhist & Hindu ArtDr Stephen A. Murphy specializes in the art and archaeology of Buddhism and Hinduism in first millennium CE Southeast Asia with a focus on Thailand and Laos. He has a particular interest in the 7th to 9th centuries CE as well as maritime connectivity between Southeast Asian cultures, Tang China, and the Indian Ocean world in general. His museological focus engages with issues of restitution and curation of Asian art. Stephen joined the SOAS University in November 2020. Prior to this he was Senior Curator for Southeast Asia and curator-in-charge of the Tang Shipwreck Gallery at the Asian Civilisations Museum...
2025-04-141h 05The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #4. Tom Richards ~ Director Of The Florence Academy Of Art, Artist & Art HistorianTom Richards is Director of the Florence Academy of Art, an Artist and Art Historian. In this insightful conversation we discuss his studio practice, his influences, commissions, inspirations, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Van Dyck, Titian, the influence that Rubens had over European art and much more!
2025-04-071h 06The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #3. Andy Woll ~ L.A Based Artist Represented By Night GalleryAndy Woll is an expressive painter whose work oscillates between abstraction and representation. The subject of many of his paintings over the past decade has been Mount Wilson in Los Angeles, horses in full profile, and Diego Velázquez’s paintings of Infanta Margaret Theresa from the 17th century. He has compulsively painted these subjects taking inspiration from artists who returned to similar subject matter throughout their careers such as Paul Cézanne with Mont Sainte-Victoire and 18th century painter George Stubbs famed for his horse portraiture. By fixing the subject matter Woll experiences the freedom to explore other aspe...
2025-04-021h 10The Lives Of The ArtistsEp #2. Sue Tilley ~ Lucian Freud's Iconic Model & MuseSue Tilley modelled for Lucian Freud from 1993-96. He painted several large nude portraits of Tilley, 'Evening in the Studio', 1993, 'Benefits Supervisor Resting', 1994, 'Benefits Supervisor Sleeping', 1995 and a fourth painting 'Sleeping by the Lion Carpet' was painted in 1996. Freud also produced a number of etchings featuring Tilley, including Woman with an Arm Tattoo which Tilley sold in 2005. In 1997, she published Leigh Bowery: The life and times of an Icon, a biography. This has been republished to coordinate with the Leigh Bowery retrospective exhibition at the Tate Modern on now. In this episode we discuss the inner working life of...
2025-03-2650 minThe Lives Of The ArtistsEp #1. Jan Six ~ Worlds Leading Rembrandt ExpertJan Six is a Dutch art dealer, art historian and world’s leading Rembrandt expert. In 2018, he identified ‘Portrait of a Young Gentleman’, this was the first new Rembrandt identified in 44 years. The experience was filmed for an award winning documentary called ‘My Rembrandt’. In this episode we discuss the life, work and legacy of one of the greatest artists to have ever lived, Rembrandt van Rijn.
2025-03-201h 21