In August 1911, an Italian handyman walked out of Paris' Louvre museum with the Mona Lisa tucked under his arm. It was an audacious theft that shocked the art world, aroused the attention of the world's greatest detectives and even saw Picasso eyed with suspicion. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, Dr Noah Charney separates fact from fiction in the story of what ... Show More
Apr 21
Mary Beard on why the classics still matter
What's the role of the classical past in the modern day? In this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, internationally renowned classicist Mary Beard reflects on her long career, and discusses the ongoing importance of the subject. Speaking to Charlotte Vosper about her new book, ... Show More
41m 34s
Apr 20
Elizabeth II: life of the week
This April marks the centenary of the birth of Elizabeth II. In this special episode of our Life of the Week series, historian Kate Williams guides Charlotte Vosper through the late Queen’s life, picking a key moment from each decade that illuminates the monarch's personality, pu ... Show More
49m 44s
Aug 2024
The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa (Replay)
HISTORY This Week returns with new episodes starting September 16th! In the meantime, listen to a favorite classic from the archives.
August 21, 1911. On a Monday morning, a department store employee on a Paris street sees a man hurrying by. He carries a white-wrapped package an ... Show More
31m 30s
Mar 2025
Uncovering the Louvre’s Hidden Stories
The Louvre is among the largest, most-visited, and best-known museums in the world, and for nearly too many reasons to count. It’s home to some of the most celebrated works of art, from the Venus de Milo to the Mona Lisa. Its blended contemporary and historic architecture is asto ... Show More
34m 43s
Nov 2024
Leonardo da Vinci with Ken Burns
<p>Leonardo da Vinci was a man like no other. A restless visionary and polymath, his paintings are some of the best known of all works of art.</p><br><p>To talk about Leonardo, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Ken Burns, the multi-award winning American filmmaker who has ... Show More
39m 26s
Aug 2024
Two Cops Walk Into a Museum: The Story of America’s Greatest Art Heist
In 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston was the site of a major art heist, where two thieves disguised as police officers gained entry and stole 13 pieces of art valued at around $500 million. Among the stolen works was "The Concert" by Vermeer, one of only 34 know ... Show More
34m 12s
Apr 2024
The history of art heists
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.It's 30 years since Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream, was stolen from the national gallery in Oslo, Norway. We hear from the man who helped to recover it.Our expert guest is hi ... Show More
50m 59s