Join me, Leslie Primo, and fellow art historian, Verity Babbs, psychotherapist, Joshua Fletcher, along with the author, Jeanette Winterson, and DJ, Stuart Marconi, as we delve into the story of the ‘matchstick man’ painter, one of Britain’s most beloved artists, revealed as never before through intimate and previously unheard hidden recordings. Recorded by a young […]
A look at the hidden psychology of renowned painter JMW Turner through his 37,000 private sketches, drawings and watercolours – an extraordinary archive that reveals the man behind the masterpieces. For the first time on television, these pages – including previously unseen erotic sketches – are used as a window into Turner’s inner world, exposing […]
Join me, Leslie Primo, and a host of fellow art historians and experts as we delve into the captivating world of competition, rivalry, and begrudging admiration among three of the Renaissance’s most iconic figures: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. These extraordinary personalities, each a towering genius in their own right, shared a momentous period […]
Remote Events Podcast The Foreign Invention of British Art: From Renaissance to Enlightenment, Leslie Primo (2025), with Miranda Kaufmann (EMPIRE LINES Live at the National Gallery, London) In this special episode, authors and historians Leslie Primo and Miranda Kaufmann join EMPIRE LINES live, to discuss migration, national identity, and the many heritages of Britain’s best-known […]
Join us at V&A South Kensington as we explore how in an age of conflict, strife and religious warfare one family more than any other would emerge and come to dominate Florentine culture and ultimately rise to power in Rome – The Medici. They, above all, would recognise early on the power of art to […]
Ever been to an art gallery and wondered around looking at paintings wondering what on earth they could possibly be all about? Ever felt ill equipped and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of works on display? If so my 10-week themed London gallery tours are just the ticket for you. Bookings are now open and […]
Art historian Leslie Primo examines six decades of BBC archive to explore what makes JMW Turner such a beloved name in British art. Almost everyone has good things to say about Turner – after all, he’s responsible for some of Britain’s greatest artistic treasures, like The Fighting Temeraire, and Rain, Steam and Speed. But exactly […]
Many thanks to all those watched, and are still watching this programme on BBC iPlayer, in which I made a contribution on the subject of Michelangelo. I very much appreciate your very kinds words and comments of praise regarding my contribution to this positive move forward in British television culture. I hope the BBC, and […]
This essay will attempt to unravel the myth and the iconography behind the proliferation of the story of the adoration of the magi from its Eastern and pagan roots to its current Christian interpretation. To aid my examination of this story, and to trace the changes in iconography and depictions of the kings themselves, I shall […]