Art of France

Season 1

Andrew Graham-Dixon examines the history of French art, revealing how it emerged from a struggle between tradition and revolution, and rulers and citizens. He compresses centuries of culture into three thematically linked chapters.

Where to Watch Season 1

BBC Select Apple Tv channelSubscription

3 Episodes

Plus Ça Change
E1
Episode 1Plus Ça ChangeStarting with the invention of Gothic architecture, Andrew Graham-Dixon traces the development of French art up until the arrival of Classicism and the Age of Enlightenment - and the eve of the Revolution.
There Will Be Blood
E2
Episode 2There Will Be BloodAndrew explores how art in France took a dramatic turn following the French Revolution. From the execution of King Louis XVI and the rise of Napoleon through to the rise of Romanticism and an art of seduction, sex and high drama.
This is the Modern World
E3
Episode 3This is the Modern WorldIn the final episode, Andrew begins with the Impressionists. He plunges into one of the most wildly creative periods in the history of art, when France was changing at a rapid pace and angry young artists would re-invent how to paint, finding their muses in the bars, brothels and cabarets of Belle Epoque Paris and turning the world of art on its head. Monet, Degas and friends launched a febrile conversation about the role of painting in the modern world that would pave the way for just about every modern art movement of note, from the Cubists to the Fauves, from the Surrealists to the Existentialists and from conceptual artists to the Abstract Expressionists.