Stories of Art

Following the death of his lover, did Bacon paint one of the darkest paintings in the history 20th century art? And why is opinion so split on Bacon's late work? Join Alastair and James as they argue it out in the last episode on the life and work of one of art history's most colourful characters - Francis Bacon.

To see the artworks from this episode, click switch to video wherever you get your podcasts.

Artworks in this episode include:
Micheal Andrews, The Colony Room I, 1962, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
Francis Bacon, Portrait of Lucian Freud, 1951, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
Francis Bacon, Henrietta Moraes, 1966, Private Collection
Francis Bacon, Version No. 2 of Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe, 1968, Private Collection
Francis Bacon, Miss Muriel Belcher, 1959, Private Collection
Francis Bacon, Triptych, May–June 1973, 1973, Private Collection
Francis Bacon, Study of the Human Body, 1981-82, Musée national d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris
Francis Bacon, Second Version of Triptych 1944, 1988, Tate Gallery, London
Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944, Tate Gallery, London
Francis Bacon, Blood on the Floor - Painting, 1986, Private Collection
Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Self-Portrait, 1983, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu

For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

Which portrait by the 17th century Spanish master Velázquez inspired one of Bacon's most celebrated works? And why is his painting Two Figures considered a groundbreaking image? Join Alastair and James as they chart Bacon's life and work in the decades after the Second World War.

If you want to see the artworks referenced in this episode - check the images out by switching to video on your podcast app.

Artworks in this episode include:
Francis Bacon, Head VI, 1949, Arts Council Collection, London
Francis Bacon, Painting 1946, 1946, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Francis Bacon, Portrait of Lucian Freud, 1951, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
Lucian Freud, Portrait of Francis Bacon, 1952
Francis Bacon, Head I, 1949, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Francis Bacon, Head II, 1949, Ulster Museum, Belfast
Francis Bacon, Head III, 1949, Private Collection
Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
Diego Velázquez, Portrait of Innocent X, 1650, Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome
Francis Bacon, Man in Blue I, 1954, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Francis Bacon, Two Figures, 1953, Private Collection

For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Head VI
• 00:02:43 Painting 1946: Consolidating Success
• 00:09:13 Meaning in Bacon's Art
• 00:11:47 Graham Sutherland and Erica Brausen
• 00:13:44 Monte Carlo: Gambling and Drift
• 00:19:04 Lucian Freud: An Intense Friendship
• 00:26:00 The 1949 Hanover Gallery Show
• 00:30:59 Velázquez's Pope Innocent X
• 00:35:25 Head VI
• 00:42:02 Peter Lacy: The Love of His Life
• 00:51:54 The Tate Retrospective and Tragedy

How did the horrors of the Second World War influence Francis Bacon's first great masterpiece? And what impact did his troubled childhood have on his life and art? Join Alastair and James as they explore the early life and work of one Britain's greatest artists.

If you would like to see the artworks James and Alistair reference in this episode, please switch to video in your podcast app.

Artworks in this episode include:
Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944, Tate Gallery, London
Francis Bacon, Crucifixion, 1933, Private Collection

For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

How did the gruesome aftermath of a shipwreck inspire a masterpiece of Romantic art? And did Théodore Géricault really acquire body parts so he could capture the appearance of rotting flesh? Join Alastair and James as they tell the true story of a doomed ship and an extraordinary painting that laid bare the depths of humanity - The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault.

If you want to see the artworks referenced in this podcast, remember you can switch to video wherever you are listening to your podcasts.

Artworks in this episode include:
Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1819, Louvre, Paris
Horace Vernet, Portrait of Théodore Géricault, c.1823, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Théodore Géricault, An Officer of the Imperial Horse Guards Charging, 1812, Louvre, Paris

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

Why is Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji so popular? And just how influential were his images on the development of Western art? Join Alastair and James as they explore the final tumultuous, and endlessly creative, decades of Hokusai's long life.

If you would like to see the artworks included in this episode, switch to video in your podcast app at any time.

Artworks in this episode include:
Hokusai, Ejiri in Suruga Province, 1830
Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave), 1831
Hokusai, Fine Wind, Clear Morning, 1831
Katsushika Ōi, Nightscene in the Yoshiwara, 1860
Tsuyuki Kōshō, Hokusai and Eijo in their lodgings, before 1893
Hokusai, Tiger in the Snow, 1849

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:19 Hokusai's Artistic Credo
• 00:03:52 36 Views of Mount Fuji
• 00:14:58 The Great Wave off Kanagawa
• 00:30:02 Fire and Tragedy
• 00:39:13 Final Years
• 00:43:13 Death and Legacy
• 00:51:41 The Eternal Wave

It’s one of the most recognisable images in all of art history, but who was the artist behind The Great Wave? And how did the military dictatorship of the Tokugawa shogunate create the conditions for his art to flourish? Join Alastair and James as they travel to Edo era Japan to explore the truly extraordinary life and work of Katsushika Hokusai.

If you want to see the artworks being discussed in this podcast, please switch to video in your podcast app at any time.

Artworks in this episode include:
Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1831
Keisai Eisen, Portrait of Katsushika Hokusai, before 1848
Hokusai, The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, 1814
Hokusai, Manga, 1814-19

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

How did Artemisia Gentileschi become the first woman to be elected to Florence's Academy of Arts? And why did she end up in London working as court painter to Charles I? Join Alastair and James as they explore how Artemisia continued to forge her own path in the final decades of her remarkable life.

If you would like to see the artworks being discussed in this podcast, switch to video in your podcast app at anytime.

Artworks in this episode include:
Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1616, National Gallery, London
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes c. 1620, Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Orazio Gentileschi, Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes, 1624, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes c. 1599, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome
Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as an Allegory of Painting, c. 1638, The Royal Collection

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction: The Spirit of Caesar in the Soul of a Woman
• 00:02:34 Judith Beheading Holofernes
• 00:09:25 The Revenge Debate: Art and Biography
• 00:14:38 The Love Letters: Francesco Maria Maringhi
• 00:21:14 Return to Rome and Marriage Breakdown
• 00:23:03 Venice and the Plague: Moving Through Italy
• 00:27:11 Naples and the Cabal
• 00:33:20 Journey to England: Painting for Charles I
• 00:35:07 The Self-Portrait: Artemisia or Prudentia?
• 00:39:00 Final Years in Naples and Legacy

What lies behind the powerful artworks of Artemisia Gentileschi, one of history's greatest female artists? And how did the trauma of a horrifying rape impact her life and work? Join Alastair and James as they explore the truly extraordinary life and art of Artemisia Gentileschi, today recognised as one of the key figures of the Italian Baroque.

If you would like to see the artworks being discussed in this podcast, feel free to switch to video in your podcast app at anytime.

Artworks in this episode include:
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes c. 1620, Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Orazio Gentileschi, Annunciation, 1623, Galleria Sabauda, Turin
Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders, 1610, Schloss Weißenstein, Pommersfelden

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Artemisia Gentileschi
• 00:03:55 Early Life in Rome: A Family of Artists
• 00:06:49 Childhood Tragedy and Growing Up Fast
• 00:08:07 Becoming an Artist: Determination and Talent
• 00:10:06 Susanna and the Elders: A Remarkable First Painting
• 00:20:52 The Rape
• 00:27:34 The Trial
• 00:31:22 Escape to Florence: Marriage and New Beginnings
• 00:34:08 Florence Years: Tragedy and Triumph

He was the star of the 1980s New York art scene, but was Jean-Michel Basquiat a truly great artist or the product of a booming art market? And why did one of his works sell for more than $110 million? Join Alastair and James as they explore the meteoric rise and tragic fall of one of the most distinctive artists of the 1980s.

If you want to see the artworks being discussed in this podcast, please switch to video in your podcast app at any time.

Artworks in this episode include:

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled, 1982
Acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on canvas, 183,2 × 173 × 4,8 cm
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s, Inc. 2025

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled, 1982
Oilstick on paper, 75.9 x 56.5 cm.
Private Collection.
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Colour Themes.

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Mosquito Coil, 1982
Oilstick, graphite and charcoal on paper, 76.2 x 109.2 cm,
Private Collection.
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Colour Themes.

The exhibition "Basquiat-Headstrong" is on at Louisiana, Denmark between 30 January - 17 May 2026.

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:06:19 Middle Class Brooklyn Beginnings
• 00:08:15 Car Accident and Grey's Anatomy
• 00:11:38 Family Breakdown and Teenage Rebellion
• 00:16:42 SAMO: The Birth of a Street Artist
• 00:15:45 New York in Crisis
• 00:24:01 Breakthrough: New York New Wave
• 00:34:15 The Breakthrough Year: 1982
• 00:37:37 Analyzing Untitled, 1982
• 00:44:05 Stardom: From Street to Celebrity
• 00:47:36 Warhol: Mentor, Friend, and Collaborator
• 00:53:45 Drugs and Decline
• 00:57:03 Death and Legacy

How did Hans Holbein survive the court of Henry VIII when so many around him were executed? What was his influence on how we see the Tudors? Join Alastair and James to find out how Holbein survived one of the most tumultuous periods in English history and emerge as one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance.

If you want to see the artworks discussed in this episode you can switch on video in your podcast app at any time.

Artworks in this episode include:
Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of the Artist's Family, 1528-9, Kunstmuseum, Basel
Hans Holbein the Younger, The Ambassadors, 1533, The National Gallery, London
Remigius van Leemput, after Hans Holbein the Younger, Whitehall Mural, 1667, The Royal Collection
Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Christina of Denmark, 1538, The National Gallery
Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Anne of Clèves, 1539, Musée du Louvre, Paris

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Holbein's Portrait of Henry VIII
• 00:01:59 Recap: Holbein's First Journey to England
• 00:02:46 Return to Basel: The Reformation and Iconoclasm
• 00:05:44 Family Life and Departure for England
• 00:10:33 England in Crisis: Henry VIII and the Break from Rome
• 00:13:35 The Hanseatic Merchants
• 00:14:32 The Ambassadors: Holbein's Masterpiece
• 00:25:24 Becoming the King's Painter
• 00:27:21 The Whitehall Mural: Creating the Iconic Image of Henry VIII
• 00:34:23 The Pimp's Scout: Painting Potential Brides
• 00:37:31 Christina of Denmark
• 00:43:16 Anne of Cleves
• 00:45:06 Holbein's Genius
• 00:48:46 Death, Legacy, and the Double Family
• 00:52:34 Conclusion: The Power of Images