The Way I See It

Latest Episodes:

John Waters on Lee Lozano's Untitled 1963 Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

Art critic Alastair Sooke, in the company of some of the leading creatives of our age, continues his deep dive into the stunning works in the Museum of Modern Art's collection, whilst exploring what it really means “to see” art.

Today's edition features film director John Waters. He chooses Lee Lozano's depiction of a head of a hammer, "Untitled 1963", but what will cult film specialist and director of Pink Flamingos make of such an apparently utilitarian subject?

Producer: Tom Alban

Main Image: Lee Lozano, Untitled, 1963. Oil on canvas, two panels, 7' 10" x 8' 4" (238.8 x 254 cm). Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 26.2004.a-b. © 2019 Estate of Lee Lozano

Michael Bierut on Ed Ruscha's OOF Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

Today's edition features graphic designer Michael Bierut selects Ed Ruscha's large blue and yellow painting of the word "OOF". Will the man who designed the Visa credit card symbol see three letters?

Producer: Paul Kobrak

Main Image: Edward Ruscha, OOF, 1962 (reworked 1963). Oil on canvas, 71 1/2 x 67" (181.5 x 170.2 cm). Gift of Agnes Gund, the Louis and Bessie Adler Foundation, Inc., Robert and Meryl Meltzer, Jerry I. Speyer, Anna Marie and Robert F. Shapiro, Emily and Jerry Spiegel, an anonymous donor, and purchase, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 256.1988. © 2019 Edward Ruscha

Duro Olowu on William H Johnson's painting Children Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

Today's edition features London-based fashion designer Duro Olowu. Duro chooses the 1941 painting 'Children' by William H Johnson from MoMA's collection. Johnson depicted scenes of everyday African American life in Harlem and in the south - but what will a modern fashion-conscious eye spot in the work?

Producer: Tom Alban

Main Image: William H Johnson, Children, 1941. Oil and pencil on wood panel, 17 1/2 × 12 1/2" (44.5 × 31.8 cm). Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (by exchange), Agnes Gund, Marlene Hess and James D Zirin, and the Hudgins Family, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 6.2016

Margaret Cho and Lady Vengeance Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

Today's edition features stand-up comedian and author Margaret Cho. She has chosen the film "Lady Vengeance", a South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook. How does she react to rewatching this psychological thriller?

Producer: Tom Alban

Main Image: Park Chan-wook, Lady Vengeance, 2005. 35mm film. Gift of CJ Entertainment, The Museum of Modern Art, NY, F2014.35

Steve Reich on Richard Serra’s Equal Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

Today's edition features composer, and chief exponent of Minimalism, Steve Reich. As he stands in front of eight steel boxes stacked in pairs, each box weighing forty tons, he reflects on the effect Richard Serra's work, "Equal" has on our sense of space. But does it change the way he thinks about his own work?

Producer: Paul Kobrak

Main Image: Richard Serra, Equal, 2015. Forged weatherproof steel, 8 blocks, each block 60 x 66 x 72" (152.4 x 167.6 x 182.9 cm). Gift of Sidney and Harriet Janis (by exchange), Enid A. Haupt Fund, and Gift of William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. J. Hall (by exchange), The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 504.2015.a-d

Steven Pinker and Picasso Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

Today's edition features Harvard professor Steven Pinker. As an experimental psychologist, Steven has written extensively about violence - and for his choice from the gallery's collection he has selected two of Pablo Picasso’s most gruesome depictions of man's inhumanity, Charnel House and Guernica, now housed in Madrid.

Producer: Tom Alban

"The Way I See It" is a co-production of the BBC and the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Main Image: Pablo Picasso, The Charnel House, 1944-45. Oil and charcoal on canvas, 6' 6 5/8" x 8' 2 1/2" (199.8 x 250.1 cm). Mrs. Sam A. Lewisohn Bequest (by exchange), and Mrs. Marya Bernard Fund in memory of her husband Dr. Bernard Bernard, and anonymous funds, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 93.1971. © 2019 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Neri Oxman and the Endless House Oct 17, 2019

Show notes

Today's edition features Professor Neri Oxman from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She's a world expert in combining art and architecture with biology, computing, and materials engineering. Little wonder, perhaps, she chooses Frederick Kiesler’s design for a project called Endless House - an organic structure that was never built.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

"The Way I See It" is a co-production of the BBC and the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Main Image: Frederick Kiesler, Endless House Project, 1950–1960. Ceramic, 20 x 11 1/2 x 6" (50.8 x 29.2 x 15.2 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York, MC 25

Jason Moran and Piet Mondrian Oct 16, 2019

Show notes

Today's edition features jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran. He shares his view of Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie and feels moved to music by its straight lines and blocks of colour.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

"The Way I See It" is a co-production of the BBC and the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Main Image: Piet Mondrian, Broadway Boogie Woogie, 1942-43. Oil on canvas, 50 x 50" (127 x 127 cm). Given anonymously. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 73.1943

Steve Martin and the Lonely Synchromists Oct 15, 2019

Show notes

Today's edition features award-winning comedian and actor Steve Martin - he finds two "lonely" works that speak to him; Stanton Macdonald-Wright’s Synchromy and Morgan Russell’s Color Form Synchromy.

Producer: Tom Alban

"The Way I See It" is a co-production of the BBC and the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Main Image: Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Synchromy, 1917. Oil on canvas, 31 x 24" (78.8 x 61 cm). Given anonymously. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 346.1949

Starry Night and Janna Levin Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

Art critic Alastair Sooke, in the company of some of the leading creatives of our age, takes us on a deep dive into the stunning works in the Museum of Modern Art's collection, whilst exploring what it really means “to see” art.

Leading cultural figures in the series include Grammy- and Emmy-award-winning Hollywood actor and comedian Steve Martin, the author of the New York Times best-selling essay collection Roxane Gay, one of the founders of minimalism – composer Steve Reich and stand-up comedian Margaret Cho. Each episode introduces us to an important art work in the collection, but asks how our own perspective affects our appreciation of the piece.

So, how does a jazz pianist see Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie? How does one of the first black women to write for Marvel comics see the difficult truths in Kara Walker’s sweeping image of African-American history? What does a top fashion designer decode from the clothes painted by an artist in Harlem in the 1930s?

But we start with possibly the most iconic piece in MoMA's collection - Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. Professor Janna Levin is one of America's leading cosmologists; her specialism is understanding black holes. How does she see Van Gogh's night sky, painted from inside an asylum as he battled mental illness?

Producer: Paul Kobrak

"The Way I See It" is a co-production of the BBC and the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Image Credit: Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, June 1889. Oil on canvas, 29 x 36 1/4" (73.7 x 92.1 cm). Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest (by exchange). The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 472.1941

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