The world's most famous museums reveal their major collections and the fascinating stories of how they came to house them. This beautiful high-definition series shows what the royalty, nobility and fabulously wealthy inhabitants of France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and the USA, the original owners of the collections, found beautiful enough to acquire. The stories behind the works and their artists are an intriguing insight into the world and times from which they came. How did Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, arguably the most famous painting in the world, end up in a French museum?

Welcome to the world of the wild, anarchist girl band that is tackling the Russian government head on. Shot on the streets and in and out of jail cells this is a rare insider's look, following the group's every step as they take the fight to Putin. Singing, protesting and getting arrested, it's a bizarre odyssey. Through the band's struggle and the reaction of Russian society towards them, this doc skilfully captures the essence of modern Russia. "Blashphemers get behind me Satan," shouts an Orthodox protestor as he's lead away by police. Side by side religious protestors and the Pussy Riot girls stage their own protests as the police bear down on them. Suddenly, in a bizarre twist, protestors from both sides who've been arrested are thrown into the same police van. "You make your own performance and we do ours," one of the Orthodox boys says, laughing. But quickly the conversation becomes heated. "Hacked icons on Red Square, do you call this art?" They say. "Yes I think art must be free," the girls respond. "You can fuck each other, but don't touch the Church! I'd cut my own throat before I let this desecration happen." "Do you have a name for your movement; for your group?" The guitarist asks. "Pussy riot." The girls, all wearing their trademark colourful balaclavas, say one after the other, almost chanting it. "Riot - it's kinda revolt on the street... pussy - a tender name for a girl or kitty." In the intimate space of their changing room, they're setting out exactly what they're about. "Pussy cat made a mess in the house." And in the house that is Russia they're definitely making a mess. At an impromptu concert in the subway they sing, "Warm up the muscles on your hands and legs. A Cop is licking between the legs." The crowd love it, they clap and whistle, "Wow, fuck it." But when the come down, they're arrested and violently dragged off. As the crowds watch on silently, with no-one saying a word, the scene has the eerie sensation of a totalitarian nightmare. The girls' journey is full of striking scenes like this, as the girl's continually draw out a response from Putin's regime and divide a country where conservatism and anarchy both exist as powerful, potent forces. A stark image of today's Russia.

The works of the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte are unquestionably among the most recognizable images of the twentieth century. Magritte paintings create a surreal vision, utilizing familiar objects such as apples, cigars, birds, pipes, and bowler hats. This intriguing program explores Magritte's world, and presents many of the fascinating images created by this extraordinary artist.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

What was it like to be an artist in centuries past? What makes a painting or an artist 'great'? Tim Marlow presents this fascinating introduction to the works of the Old Masters as displayed in over fifty museums, churches, and palaces throughout Europe and the United States.

These four 25-minute documentaries explore the production of BBC 4 Learning's ‘Twelfth Night’, from initial idea to finished film. Packed with insights into the way that films are made, the series also challenges the common perception of Shakespeare as dull, dated or elitist by showing how ’Twelfth Night’ inspires a young, talented and multi-cultural team of film-makers and actors. In the style of a fly-on-the-wall documentary, we follow the team through each stage of the planning, filming and editing of the film. As people describe their jobs, wrestle with the creative challenges and confide their concerns, we build up an immensely rich and detailed picture of lives dedicated to film and the skills and temperament necessary to succeed. But we also gain in knowledge and understanding of Shakespeare’s achievement as we become absorbed in the process of transforming an Elizabethan stage play into a twenty-first century film. Associated Creators: BBC Channel 4

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and as the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown and a chronicler of history. The subversive and subjective element in his art, as well as his bold handling of paint, provided a model for the work of later generations of artists, notably Manet and Picasso.

In 1969, after revolutionizing the world of rock music and changing the rules about how the electric guitar could be played with his group the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jimi Hendrix was looking for new musical challenges and different perspectives. With this in mind, Hendrix formed a new group, Band of Gypsies, with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles. The group made their debut with four shows at New York's Filmore East on December 31, 1969, and January 1, 1970, which were recorded for a live album. One of the shows was also videotaped (in black-and-white), and this documentary combines concert footage from the Filmore performance with interviews in which several of Hendrix's collaborators discuss working with him, and a number of noted rock musicians -- including Lenny Kravitz, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, and Living Colour leader Vernon Reid -- share their thoughts on Hendrix's influence and musical legacy.

The First World War has been examined in many programs from a political and military point of view but it has rarely been seen through the eyes of painters. The period 1914-1918 was a virtual catalogue of art movements: Impressionists, Expressionists, Realists, Cubists and Futurists all contributed images from the battlefields which were both accurate and intense. These styles often reflected avant garde movements in a number of countries, particularly Britain, France, Germany and Russia. The list of painters includes Braque, Derain, Bonnard, Chagall, Kandinsky, Hitler, Otto Dix, Schiele, Picasso, Augustus John, Wyndham Lewis, David Jones and Stanley Spencer. Before 1914 pictures of soldiers were patriotic or heroic. They were subjects of national pride but this war was different. It was mechanized. Technology enabled armies to kill each other on an industrial scale and the levels of destruction were unprecedented in history. This shows how the First World War transformed the world of art and changed the way images of war are conveyed.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

NZTrio, New Zealand’s leading piano trio, thrives on connecting with audiences through intimate and exhilarating performances of a fascinatingly diverse repertoire. Violinist Justine Cormack, cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Sarah Watkins first joined forces in 2002 and were Ensemble in Residence at The University of Auckland from 2004-2009. From the outset their artistry, intensity and approachability has captivated music lovers throughout the world. The trio perform music by Jack Body, Ross Harris and Ernst Chausson.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Mark Wallberg. Mark Wahlberg recalls his criminal past as a troubled youth in Boston, his days as a male model and his work in “Boogie Nights,” “Three Kings,” “The Perfect Storm” and “I Heart Huckabees.” Wahlberg also reflects on his former musical career, in which he acquired a bad-boy image rapping under the moniker Marky Mark; his parents' divorce; and filmmaker David O. Russell. In addition, Wahlberg does a rap and describes his tattoos.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Josh Brolin. Season 15, ep. 4. Josh Brolin has been on the acting scene for over 20 years. He debuted in the beloved 1985 classic, The Goonies and has gone on to star in over 20 films. In the last 5 years he has become one of the Hollywood's most sought after actors, taking roles in such critically acclaimed films as, In the Valley of Elah, The Dead Girl, and, American Gangster. Last year Brolin picked up an ensemble cast SAG award for the 2007 Academy Award winning film, No Country For Old Men. Currently you can catch him on the big screen in Gus Van Sant's Milk, in which he portrays former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White, a role which has garnered much acclaim as well as another two SAG nominations. He has already received a Best Supporting Actor win at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards for the outstanding performance.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Daniel Radcliffe. Season 15, ep. 3. Best known for playing Harry Potter in the big screen adaptation of the famed book series, Daniel Radcliffe is an accomplished young actor with a growing resume. Dan, who showed interest in acting from a young age, got his start playing a young David Copperfield in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' prized novel. He got his big break when he was cast as the title character in 2000's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.He has since gone on to play Harry in all eight of the Harry Potter films, but his work isn't limited to screen. He received rave reviews for his role as Alan Strang in the controversial play "Equus." The play began on London's West End, but he can currently be seen on Broadway in the New York production.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Dustin Hoffman. Season 12, ep. 16. A star-studded audience attends to see the beloved, talented leading man who gives a rare in-depth interview with humor and honesty.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Colin Firth. Season 17, ep. 4. As the Oscars quickly approach, James Lipton sits down with favored Best Actor nominee Colin Firth. Looking back at his start, including some of his earlier films like Bridget Jones' Diary, all the way up to The Kings Speech.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Hilary Swank. Season 16, ep. 1. James interviews Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, and Hilary Swank after the Oscars. Hilary shares that portrayal of Tina Brandon was a very emotional for her due to the brutality, that being directed by Clint Eastwood was a dream come true, and what drew her to portray Amelia Earhart.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with James Franco. Season 17, ep. 2. James Franco, star of 2010's "127 Hours," 2008's "Milk" and the Spider-Man film franchise, chats about his life and career.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Ralph Fiennes. Season 12, ep. 8. Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days and Maid in Manhattan. He is also well known for his portrayals of four infamous villains: Nazi war criminal Amon Göth in Schindler's List; serial killer Francis Dolarhyde in the 2002 film Red Dragon; Rameses II in The Prince of Egypt; and Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series. Most recently, he appeared in The Reader (2008), In Bruges (2008) The Hurt Locker (2009) and as Hades in Clash of the Titans (2010). He won a Tony Award and has been nominated twice for Academy Awards. He is also a UNICEF UK ambassador. He was praised by many for being a "perfect fit", for playing the role of Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter saga.

Programme 6: Chicago, Illinois to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The week’s riches include an extraordinary collection of modern architecture in the tiny mid-west town of Columbus, Indiana, and the world’s largest ball of paint. We meet artist Ann Hamilton and Andy Warhol’s brother in Pittsburgh. Plus we visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s stunning Fallingwater house and see Diego Rivera’s masterful murals in Detroit.

Programme 8: Boston, Massachusetts to Vinalhaven, Maine. The last week begins in Boston with some stunning architecture on the MIT campus and with the nearby Museum of Bad Art. We encounter the Shakers and smart public art both in the libraries of Portland, Maine and in the public transit system of Montreal. And finally we take a chopper across to the tiny island of Vinalhaven to meet artist Robert Indiana.

Programme 4: Denver, Colorado to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The great plains offer Carhenge at Alliance, Nebraska (Stonehenge but made from cars) and the world’s largest easel. Photographer Alec Soth makes a photograph and we tour the General Mills Art Collection. Great buildings include the Des Moines Art Center and the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, graced with a new extension by Herzog & de Meuron.

Programme 5: Minneapolis, Minnesota to Chicago, Illinois. St John’s Abbey outside Minneapolis was designed by modernist Marcel Breuer. St Louis’ Memorial Arch is a great feat of engineering, and Richard Serra’s Joe is pretty good too. Michael Eastman shows us how he photographs America’s vanishing buildings, and in Chicago we visit Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House and the glorious new Millennium Park.

Programmes 9-12: reprise the highlights of the series with each programme taking a theme: Artists, Architecture, Collections and what we call Only in America – the quirky and strange aspects of the trip that were among the most memorable people and places that we encountered.

Programmes 9-12: reprise the highlights of the series with each programme taking a theme: Artists, Architecture, Collections and what we call Only in America – the quirky and strange aspects of the trip that were among the most memorable people and places that we encountered.

The Palazzo Pitti, in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The Palatine Gallery on the first floor contains a large ensemble of over 500 principally Renaissance paintings, which were once part of the Medicis' and their successors' private art collection. The gallery, which overflows into the royal apartments, contains works by Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Rubens, and Pietro da Cortona.

Donald Judd’s Chinati Foundation in Marfa is simply extraordinary. We see classic Cadillacs buried near Amarillo (the artwork Cadillac Ranch). Santa Fe and Taos are en route, along with paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe and the ceramics of Tammy Garcia. The USAF Academy Chapel is visionary architecture, as is Daniel Liebskind’s extension to the Denver Art Museum.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam contains the largest collection of van Gogh's paintings in the world. The collection features the works of Vincent van Gogh, and the works of other artists. Van Gogh's work is organised chronologically into five periods, each representing a different phase of his life and work: The Netherlands, Paris, Arles, Saint-Remy and Auvers-sur-Oise.

Programmes 9-12: reprise the highlights of the series with each programme taking a theme: Artists, Architecture, Collections and what we call Only in America – the quirky and strange aspects of the trip that were among the most memorable people and places that we encountered.

We drive through the desert from the mighty Hoover Dam, just outside Las Vegas, to the art town of Marfa. Along the way we stop at Michael Heizer’s earthwork Double Negative; we check out “nose art” on airforce planes near Tucson; we hear about the art of Ansel Adams and Tom Lea; and we find a Prada store in the desert (in fact, it’s an art installation).

The world's most famous museums reveal their major collections and the fascinating stories of how they came to house them. This beautiful high-definition series shows what the royalty, nobility and fabulously wealthy inhabitants of France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and the USA, the original owners of the collections, found beautiful enough to acquire. The stories behind the works and their artists are an intriguing insight into the world and times from which they came.

Season 2, ep, 1. Toby Amies joins Mame McCutchin for a new road trip around America's great art treasures, beginning with a journey from Key West in Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. Along the way, they examine the Art Deco architecture of South Beach and take a look at the world's largest oil painting.

The second series of our "art road trip", Artland: USA. From late April to mid-July, hosts Mame McCutchin and Toby Amies drove 15,000 from Miami to Anchorage looking at the best of American art and architecture along the way. Covering 50 cities, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Mount Rushmore, Robert Smithson's earthwork Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, we reveal the life-changing experiences that unfold during their three-month quest to map art along the road in the US.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna numbers among the most important European museum buildings put up during the 19th century. The monumental structure, built at the behest of Emperor Franz Joseph I as part of his expansion of the city in 1858, was intended to both unite and appropriately represent the artistic treasures that had been collected by the Habsburgs over the centuries. The Kunsthistorisches Museum is housed in its festive palatial building on Ringstraße, crowned with an octagonal dome, is one of the premier museums of fine arts and decorative arts in the world.

The world's most famous museums reveal their major collections and the fascinating stories of how they came to house them. This beautiful high-definition series shows what the royalty, nobility and fabulously wealthy inhabitants of France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and the USA, the original owners of the collections, found beautiful enough to acquire. The stories behind the works and their artists are an intriguing insight into the world and times from which they came. This episode features the Museum dedicated to the works of artist Gustave Moreau.

The world's most famous museums reveal their major collections and the fascinating stories of how they came to house them. This beautiful high-definition series shows what the royalty, nobility and fabulously wealthy inhabitants of France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and the USA, the original owners of the collections, found beautiful enough to acquire. The stories behind the works and their artists are an intriguing insight into the world and times from which they came.

Tate Britain displays the collection of British art from 1500 to the present day. This episode focues on 19th century landscape artist Joseph Mallord William Turner, one of Britain's most celebrated artists.

Season 2. Highlights of the second series in which Toby Amies and Mame McCutchin took a road trip around America's greatest art treasures, meeting various stars along the way.

An exploration of museum collections, focusing on Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, whose catalogue includes Rembrandt's The Night Watch.

Readers and movie fans worldwide know the land of Narnia and the magical beings who dwell there. But few know the genius who created this beloved fantasy. Now meet C.S. Lewis, an extraordinary creative force, in this engaging biography, filmed in Oxford, England, where he lived, worked and imagined 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe', 'The Magician's Nephew' and the other tales that make up the beloved 'Chronicles of Narnia'.

The Musée d'Orsay is a museum on the left bank of the Seine, housed in the former railway station, the Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts edifice built between 1898 and 1900. It holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography, and is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces (the largest in the world) by such painters such as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Seurat, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Many of these works were held at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume prior to the museum's opening in 1986.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Forest Whitaker. Season 13, ep. 1. Forest Whitaker, actor, producer and director Forest Whitaker sheds light on his career endeavors and personal life in an interview with James Lipton. Whitaker chats about his feature-film directorial debut for 1995's “Waiting to Exhale” and playing Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 2006's “The Last King of Scotland.”

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with John Cusack. Season 13, ep. 15. Original air date: 3 November 2007. John Cusack talks to James Lipton about his 25-year acting career.

Tucked away in Paris near Les Invalides, and dwarfed in reputation by galleries such as the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Rodin is a gem for any sculpture enthusiast. The year before he died, Rodin donated all his works to the French government on the condition that the state establish a permanent museum dedicated to his work, and in 1919, the former hotel where he had lived opened as the Rodin Museum. It now houses a great selection of his works, from small busts to the more monumental, such as the famous pieces, The Kiss, The Thinker and the monumental The Gates of Hell.