Andrew Graham-Dixon gains an exclusive private view of John Trumbull’s series of paintings depicting the American Revolutionary War and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The collection is on permanent display inside the Rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. A rather incongruous sight greets visitors who glance up at the inside of this iconic dome.
Art theft is big business, valued by Interpol at 3 billion pounds a year. Museum director Sandy Nairne and novelist Ian Rankin discuss the rising trade in stolen artworks, and Nairne reads from his own new book 'Art Theft: The Case of the Stolen Turners' which chronicles his efforts over many years to recover two Turner originals.
Alastair Sooke explores the often overlooked history of Britain's wartime renaissance. Alastair Sooke speaks to Alf Morris, a Blitz survivor about his involvement in the Bethnal Green tube disaster.
Graham-Dixon charts the dark and dangerous life of Caravaggio, and the models, patrons and popes behind some of the most dramatic paintings of the Italian renaissance.
One of John Hoyland's closest friends and contemporaries was Sir Anthony Caro, now also a fellow RA, who shares his fond memories of the rebellious artist with Andrew Graham-Dixon.