02: How Do We Look? | Civilisations

01: Second Moment of Creation | Civilisations

Simon Schama looks at the formative role art and the creative imagination have played in the forging of humanity itself.

03: Picturing Paradise | Civilisations

Simon Schama explores the depiction of nature. Simon discovers that landscape painting is seldom a straightforward description of obse...

04: The Eye of Faith | Civilisations

Professor Mary Beard explores the controversial topic of religion and art. How, and at what cost, do different religions make the unseen...

05: The Triumph of Art | Civilisations

Simon Schama examines how traditions developed in the years following the Renaissances.

06: First Contact | Civilisations

David Olusoga shows how art was always on the frontline when distant cultures met.

07: Radiance | Civilisations

Simon Schama starts his meditation on colour and civilisation with the great Gothic cathedrals of Amiens and Chartres. He then moves to 16th-cen...

08: The Cult of Progress | Civilisations

David Olusoga explores the artistic reaction to imperialism in the 19th century.

09: The Vital Spark | Civilisations

Simon Schama explores the fate of art in the machine- and profit-driven world, looking at the rise of art as a tradeable commodity.

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère | Civilisations

David Olusoga explores the controversy of Manet's ''A Bar at the Folies-Bergère'' and its signalling of prostitution.

Anselm Kiefer | Civilisations

Anselm Kiefer discusses why his work is influenced so massively by German history.

Art from concentration camps | Civilisations

Simon Schama views the art that was made by children in concentration camps.

Aztec Double Headed Serpent | Civilisations

David Olusoga investigates the history of the Aztec Double Headed Serpent.

Benin Bronzes | Civilisations

David Olusoga visits the Benin Bronzes at the British Museum.

Cai GuoGiang | Civilisations

Simon Schama investigates Cai GuoGiang's ''fire'' art, where he uses fireworks, stencils and pigments to create form.

El Anatsui | Civilisations

Simon Schama explores El Anatsui's flowing sculptures made from scrap metal like bottle caps and tin cans.

El Greco | Civilisations

David Olusoga shows how art was always on the frontline when distant cultures met.

Impressionism | Civilisations

David Olusoga explores the beginnings of Impressionism and how ground-breaking the movement was at the time.

Islamic Art | Civilisations

Mary Beard explores Islamic artwork and the debates within Islam about the role of artists and images.

Jan Vermeer | Civilisations

David Olusoga explores Jan Vermeer's life and work, a man who barely ever left the small Dutch city of Delft.

Johan Zoffany | Civilisations

David Olusoga explores Johan Zoffany's work, which portrays a rare moment seen in the art of the time, depicting British traders cavorting with...

Marc Quinn - Alison Lapper Pregnant | Mary Beard's Shock of the Nude

Marc Quinn wanted to challenge the norm of form and decided to sculpt people with disabilities, leading ...

04: The Eye of Faith | Civilisations

Professor Mary Beard explores the controversial topic of religion and art. How, and at what cost, do different religions make the unseen...

Episode 2 | Mary Beard's Ultimate Rome: Empire Without Limit

Mary explores the physical world of the Roman Empire and finds surprising parallels with our own world.

Caligula with Mary Beard

Professor Mary Beard explores the life of Caligula. Many extraordinary stories surround the Roman emperor, but are they true? Mary attempts to peel ...

01: All Roads Lead to Rome | Meet the Romans with Mary Beard

Professor Mary Beard traces the story of several ordinary yet remarkable Roman citizens.