BBC – Museums in Quarantine (2020)

Exploring national collections at a time of enforced closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ch1. Tate Modern
beginning with Alastair Sooke examining Tate Modern’s Andy Warhol exhibition. Covering works from across the American artist’s career, he explores Warhol’s long-running commitment to experimental film and TV, as well as his fascination with advertising, pop music and commerce.

Ch2. Ashmolean
Simon Schama presents a virtual tour of the Young Rembrandt exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, which features works from the first 10 years of the Dutch master’s career. He reflects on how Rembrandt’s work is particularly relevant to the current crisis, with its portrayal of the fragile nature of human happiness.

Ch3. Tate Britain
Dr James Fox takes viewers on a tour of some of the most profound artworks from Tate Britain’s collection, including a self-portrait by 18th-century artist William Hogarth.

Ch4. British Museum
Art historian Janina Ramirez takes a virtual tour of the British Museum, whose galleries she has paced since she was a girl. Here she highlights objects as varied as an Aztec decorated skull, ancient Egyptian cat mummies and an 18th-century tea set.

Further Information

BBC

Related Documentaries

The Price of Everything
Great Art Series 1
Great Art Series 2
Great Art Series 3