National Gallery of Art | Audio

January 2008, Art Talk - Guest: Nicholas Penny, senior curator of sculpture and decorative arts, National Gallery of Art, and Dylan Smith, Robert H. Smith Research Conservator, National Gallery of Art. Robert H. Smith has amassed one of the most important private collections of Renaissance sculptures in the world. The Smith collection includes bronzes by masters such as Antico, Giovanni Bologna, and Antonio Susini, as well as eye-catching works in ivory and boxwood. Nicholas Penny�in his last podcast as National Gallery of Art curator of sculpture and decorative arts before he assumes directorship of the National Gallery, London�talks to Robert H. Smith Research Conservator Dylan Smith about these beautiful works of art, their composition, and how they were made.

January 2008, Backstory - Guest: Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art. Why do so many people love Dutch paintings? Whether it is the stunning landscapes, the seemingly familiar portraits, or the lush still lifes, these centuries-old paintings still resonate today. In the first part of this Backstory episode, curator Arthur Wheelock and host Barbara Tempchin discuss these masterpieces and why they continue to fascinate us.

January 2008, Backstory - Guest: Eleonora Luciano, associate curator of sculpture, National Gallery of Art. Medals, like those given out at the Olympics, are typically associated with feats of athleticism. However, during the Renaissance, medals were used for purposes of propaganda. The National Gallery of Art has released a two-volume, 1200-page catalogue of its Renaissance medals collection, one of the world's most outstanding. In this podcast, one of the authors, Gallery associate curator Eleonora Luciano, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about these intriguing works of art.

December 2007, Backstory - Guest: Peter Parshall, curator and head of old master prints, National Gallery of Art. Centuries before photography was invented, artists used woodcuts to reproduce their works for the public. The idea behind the woodcut is simple�an image is carved onto a wood block, dipped into ink, and pressed onto a surface. But creating a quality woodcut takes enormous skill. Peter Parshall, curator of old master prints, and host Barbara Tempchin talk about the baroque woodcut.

December 2007, Backstory - Guest: Neal Turtell, executive librarian, National Gallery of Art. Most people think that rare books are stashed away in the corners of museums, untouched and collecting dust. At the National Gallery of Art, not only are they given a special climate-controlled environment, but they're often on public display. In this podcast, executive librarian Neal Turtell talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the Gallery's rare books collection, in particular about those featured in the exhibition British Picturesque Landscapes, on view in the Gallery's West Building through February 24, 2008.

November 2007, Backstory - Guest: Charles Ritchie, associate curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, Host: Barbara Tempchin. Robert Rauschenberg has been at the forefront of American art for more than 50 years. His bold, innovative experiments in printmaking are the focus of an exhibition called Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections. In this Backstory, host Barbara Tempchin and Charles Ritchie, exhibition curator, discuss the impact Rauschenberg's prints have had on artists worldwide. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.

November 2007, Art Talk - Guest: Ian Warrell, curator of 18th- and 19th-century British art, Tate Britain, London, Host: Franklin Kelly, senior curator, National Gallery of Art. In this two-part podcast, Franklin Kelly, National Gallery of Art senior curator, and Tate Museum curator Ian Warrell discuss the life and work of J. M. W. Turner. Here, focusing on Turner's inventiveness, they talk about how the artist positioned himself within the history of art, the range of his subjects, and his open-ended process of discovery. In part 1, they discuss Turner's process.

November 2007, Art Talk - Guest: Ian Warrell, curator of 18th- and 19th-century British art, Tate Britain, London, Host: Franklin Kelly, senior curator, National Gallery of Art. In this two-part podcast, Franklin Kelly, National Gallery of Art senior curator, and Tate Museum curator Ian Warrell discuss the life and work of J.M.W. Turner. Here, focusing on Turner's process, they talk about the artist's use of sketchbooks and observation, his dramatic series of works depicting the burning of the Houses of Parliament, and his modernist aesthetic. In part 2, they discuss Turner's inventiveness.

November 2007, Backstory - Guest: Franklin Kelly, senior curator of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art, Host: Barbara Tempchin. J. M. W. Turner's innovative paintings and watercolors have fascinated collectors and artists for almost two centuries. In the United States, the British master's works were received with a sense of amazement, and eventually, with widespread admiration. Curator Franklin Kelly chats with host Barbara Tempchin about the impact that Turner had on American art.

October 2007, Art Talk - Guest: Robert E. Jackson, collector Host: Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art Robert E. Jackson has been collecting other people's snapshots for more than a decade. Some of the best works in his collection are on display in The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888�1978. In this podcast Jackson and Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, talk about why he collects snapshots and what makes an image capture his attention.

October 2007, Backstory - Guest: David Brown, curator of Italian paintings, National Gallery of Art. Since 1965 the National Gallery of Art and the United State Postal Service have collaborated to select a national Christmas stamp. In 2007 Bernardino Luini's The Madonna of the Carnation (c. 1515) will grace envelopes across the country.

October 2007, Backstory - Guest: Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Since the first Kodak camera was sold in 1888, American amateur photographers have taken billions of snapshots. In this Backstory episode, curator Sarah Greenough and host Barbara Tempchin discuss how anonymous photographers experimented with the medium, creating artfully crafted images. They also talk about the exhibition The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888-1978: From the Collection of Robert E. Jackson

October 2007, Art Talk - Guest: Carol Troyen, curator emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Edward Hopper's depictions of 20th-century America continue to engage and fascinate the public. Shortly after the opening of the Edward Hopper exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Deputy Director Alan Shestack spoke with Carol Troyen, curator emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, about Hopper's captivating paintings and etchings. They also discuss the theme of solitude prevalent in his works.

September 2007, Art Talk - Guest: Sarah Greenough, curator and head of the department of photographs. National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art has presented memorable exhibitions of photographs through the years, ranging from monographic shows on the work of such well-known photographers as Ansel Adams and Robert Frank to historically based exhibitions such as Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945. The Gallery's deputy director Alan Shestack speaks with curator Sarah Greenough about the history of the photography collection and the gallery space devoted to the medium.

September 2007, Conversations - Listen to engaging conversations between Gallery staff and top cultural figures. Guests: Michael Kahn, artistic director, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Franklin Kelly, senior curator, National Gallery of Art. Although separated in life by 150 years, the playwright William Shakespeare and artist Joseph William Mallord Turner share more than just a name, and possibly a birthday (April 23). Michael Kahn, artistic director of the world-renowned Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, and Gallery senior curator Franklin Kelly take time out from their busy schedules to discuss how the Bard influenced the one of Britain's most celebrated artists.