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Behind the Artist

Behind the Artist is a ten-part art documentary series which takes a deeper look at the art world through interviews with artists, art historians and curators as they look at unique artists and venues. The series paints portraits of the lives of some of history's greatest painters, architects, sculptors and other artists and presents some of their best-known masterpieces like they haven't been seen previously. Le Corbusier, Roy Lichtenstein, Parreno, Van Gogh, Soulages, Rodin, Picasso. Everyone knows their names, but the stories of how they rose to fame aren't as well-known.

Episode 01 Episode 02 Episode 03 Episode 04 Episode 05

Episode 06 Episode 07 Episode 08 Episode 09 Episode 10

Episode 01 - Van Gogh: The Absolute Painter
How did van Gogh, son of Dutch middle class parents, become Vincent the painter? Explore the roots of his life, and the progress of his incredible talent despite many failures both personal and professional.

Episode 02 - Rodin
Auguste Rodin followed his intuition and was inspired as well by the relationships with his models. Behind each of his works there was either a scandal or a controversy. He left us "The Thinker" and "The Kiss", two of the most famous sculptures in the world.

Episode 03 - Le Corbusier: Modern, Absolutely Modern
Becoming a central figure in Parisian life in the 1920's when in his early 30's, Le Corbusier was a writer, essayist, editor, painter, lecturer, but more than anything else, an architect of the Modern Era.

Episode 04 - Picasso
Picasso - You think you know him, but do you really? Take an in-depth look at his art, his turbulent life, and the lasting impact he made on the art of the 20th Century.

Episode 05 - Paparazzi: Art or Exploitation
Federico Fellini coined the term "paparazzi". The curse of celebrities, the bane of existence of the indiscreet, do photographers like Ron Galella contribute to our understanding of the lives of the famous or are they voyeurs? And do they influence and create art?

Episode 06 - Roy Lichtenstein: Behind the Mirror
Approaching 40 years of age, Roy Lichtenstein finally finds his artistic inspiration for his unique works in his son's comic books and begins the Pop Art movement.

Episode 07 - Pompidou
Meet Georges Pompidou, a bank director who became PM of France. His vision of modernizing France pushed the avant garde design of the Paris art and cultural center which is now home to the modern arts of France.

Episode 08 - Philippe Parreno
Philippe Parreno has radically redefined the exhibition experience. Rather than as a collection of individual works, Parreno sees an exhibit as a coherent whole and works in many different media including film, text, sculpture and drawing.

Episode 09 - Soulages: The Radiance of Black
Pierre Soulages, the painter of the anti-image, who uses a palette of black, is the subject of this fascinating documentary. The preeminent painter of contemporary France, his paintings are stark and plain and painted with unconventional materials.

Episode 10 - Monumenta: The Imaginary City of the Kabukovs
"Monumenta" is an ephemeral art construction happening yearly since 2007, with art filling the vast space of the Grand Palais in Paris in a unique moment. This year the exhibit is the imaginary, complex world of two Russian artists, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov.