When the artist Louise Nevelson immigrated to America as a child, she was told that ‘the streets... would be paved in gold’. Obviously, they weren’t, but that hasn’t stopped modern artists turning pretty much everything else golden. Even a toilet. 

Join National Gallery Courses and Events Programmer Caroline Miller, Associate Curator of Contemporary and Modern Priyesh Mistry and host Beks in the final episode of our sparkling miniseries, where we look to uses of gold in modern and contemporary art. From glistening gold in Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’ to an artwork so valuable it has hardly ever been displayed. We explore what gold has meant for contemporary artists and how they have tested the limits of this sparkling colour and material. 

Caroline is the Courses and Events Programmer at the Gallery. She develops online and in-person courses that expand access and engagement for the National Gallery’s audiences worldwide. 

Priyesh is Associate Curator, Contemporary and Modern at the National Gallery where he works towards an ambitious programme to integrate contemporary art within the context of the museum and its historic collections. 

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Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3I4VzE_QPI

You can email us with any questions via [email protected] 

Find out more about the podcast on our website: www.nationalgallery.org.uk/podcast 

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Paintings mentioned:

Joseph Beuys, ‘How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare’, 1965. Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf [Performance art] https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/434.1997.9/  

Anselm Kiefer, 'Mein Rhine', 2024. Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg Villa Kast [Exhibition] https://ropac.net/online-exhibitions/171-anselm-kiefer-mein-rhein/ 

Jan van Eyck, ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’, 1434. The National Gallery, London https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait 

Anselm Kiefer, 'Field of the Cloth of Gold', 2021. Gagosian, Le Bourget [Exhibition] https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2021/anselm-kiefer-field-of-the-cloth-of-gold/ 

Anselm Kiefer, ‘Aus Herzen und Hirnen sprießen die Halme der Nacht (From Hearts and Brains the Stalks of Night Are Sprouting)’, 2019-2020. Emulsion, oil, acrylic, shellac, straw, gold leaf, wood, and metal on canvas, 185 ⅛ x 330 ¾ inches (470 x 840 cm) https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2021/anselm-kiefer-field-of-the-cloth-of-gold/  

Gustav Klimt, 'Pallas Athene', 1898. Wein Museum, Vienna https://sammlung.wienmuseum.at/en/object/102991-pallas-athene/    

Gustav Klimt, 'The Kiss (Lovers)', 1908 (completed 1909). Belvedere Museum, Vienna https://sammlung.belvedere.at/objects/6678/der-kuss-liebespaar 

Barkley L. Hendricks, ‘Lawdy Mama’, 1969. Studio Museum in Harlem https://www.studiomuseum.org/artworks/lawdy-mama-2  

Barkley L. Hendricks, ‘Father, Son, and...’, 1969. Art Bridges https://artbridgesfoundation.org/artworks/hendricks-father-son-and  

Louise Nevelson, ‘Royal Tide II’, 1961–1963. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York https://whitney.org/collection/works/428  

Chris Burden, ‘Tower of Power’, 1985. Exhibition: “Chris Burden: Extreme Measures” at New Museum, New York, 2013-14 https://archive.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/1861  

Maurizio Cattelan, ‘AMERICA’, 2016. Bowl: 18K Gold; Pipes and flushmeter: gold plated. 72,4 cm x 35,6 cm x 68,6 cm. Exhibition: ‘Maurizio Cattelan: “America”’ at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2016-17 https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/maurizio-cattelan-america 

[Episode artwork] Gustav Klimt, The Kiss (Lovers), 1908 (completed 1909). Belvedere Museum, Vienna https://sammlung.belvedere.at/objects/6678/der-kuss-liebespaar  

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Further reading:

Discover more on gold in the National Gallery’s collection on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diJUaHMnazU https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvb2y26xK6Y6T7IfNAc1jMa_zMoX231MX    

Find out more about Angela Davis here: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Angela-Davis  

Take a closer look at the artist Louise Nevelson and her assemblage art: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw72654/Louise-Nevelson 

Find out more about Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘America’ (2016): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjev7vn4qp0o https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1j8z6r8zl6o  

Find out more about artist Marcel Duchamp: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcel-Duchamp 

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Episode credits: 

Guests: Caroline Miller and Priyesh Mistry 

Host and executive producer: Beks Leary  

Producer: Harry Rosehill  

Researcher: Hannah Rogers  

Technician: Ian Warren 

Video editors: Jeanne Kenyon and Alessandro Sorenti 

Theme music: Theo Elwell