The Art of Spain

Season 1

Italy and northern Europe’s art legacies are legendary. But what about Spain? In this absorbing and original three-part series, critic and historian Andrew Graham-Dixon goes on the road to reveal the fabulous art treasures of this country. He explores some of Europe’s most important artists, from Renaissance to Modernist – including Goya, Picasso, Dalí, El Greco and Velázquez.

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S1 E1 - The Moorish South
January 30, 2008
50min
TV-G
Under Moorish rule for 700 years, Spain became the most advanced, wealthy and populous country in Europe – and the south was its heart. Critic and historian Andrew Graham-Dixon travels across Spain to discover some of Europe’s most vital and exciting art. He visits Córdoba, Seville and Granada to tell the story of one of the most colorful and sophisticated cultures to ever appear in Europe.
Free trial of BBC Select
S1 E2 - The Dark Heart
February 6, 2008
50min
TV-G
From the mystical world of El Greco to the tender genius of Velazquez, Spain’s Golden Age was an extraordinary time. But what of the violent heart and history beneath its beautiful surface? In the second part of his series on some of Europe’s most exciting and vital art, critic and historian Andrew Graham-Dixon travels to the country’s centre to explore Spanish art in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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S1 E3 - The Mystical North
February 13, 2008
50min
TV-PG
Spain’s turbulent history has shaped its artists – from Francisco Goya and Pablo Picasso to Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí. Historian Andrew Graham-Dixon shows how northern Spain has produced some of the most dazzling and iconic art of the modern age. As well as the giants of painting, Graham-Dixon argues that Spanish architecture is the art form taking the nation forward into the new millennium.
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