Produced in 2007 (the only time the Kimbell uploaded anything), this series focuses on the portrait of the Modern era of art with artists such as Picasso (they feature him a lot), Dubuffet, Sickert, Kahlo, and Cezanne. Throughout the series, an unnamed woman narrator and Malcolm Warner explains how portraiture changed incredibly in the Modern world. Instead of artists taking commissions from patrons, a lot of them focus on themselves, people they knew, thus creating a new sense of intimacy. This series also contemplates the idea of who has control over portrait, the subject or the artist? A good little series, but the constantly changing narrators besides the woman and Warner make the listening disorienting, crowded and a little rushed. It feels rushed especially since the longest podcast clocks in at two minutes and twenty seconds. On the plus side, they do feature a funny French artist Francois whom Picasso used to paint. She will delight you. They do add a musical soundtrack occasionally, with mostly somber orchestral pieces that sometimes distract from the narration. On the downside, if you download this, you will not receive the portraits mentioned. Also, they incorrectly label their podcasts. In other words, if you click on one expecting them to talk about Picasso, you will instead hear one about Jean Dubuffet.
Professionally done, I recommend subscribing this for the great historical context and encapsulation of modern portraits.
Art History Ramblings 