Intelligence Squared: Arts & Culture
Episodes
The Specialist | Yo, Picasso, with Samuel Valette
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | Louise Bourgeois's Spider, with Katia Mindlin Leite-Barbosa
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Fabergé Imperial Coronation Egg and Coach, with Helen Culver Smith
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Coin Worth More Than Its Weight in Gold, with Selby Kiffer and David Tripp
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | From Canvas to Canon: Joan Mitchell’s King of Spades, with Courtney Kremers
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | Frederic Edwin Church’s Lost Masterpiece, with Stefany Morris
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | When Photography Became Art, with Emily Bierman
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Original Birkin, with Morgane Halimi
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | Jackie O's Faux Pearls, with Frank Everett
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Manet and The Auction Maestro, with Harry Rosebery
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work t...
The Specialist | Tiffany Windows: From Sanctuary to Spotlight, with Jodi Pollack
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work t...
The Specialist | Codex Sassoon: Jewel of the Judaica Library, with Sharon Liberman Mintz
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | Oprah and Agnes Gund: Art for the Next Generation, with Charlotte Van Dercook
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work t...
The Specialist | The Declaration of Independence: 250 Years of the United States, with Selby Kiffer
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work t...
The Specialist | The Ostrich that François-Xavier Lalanne Hid in his Bedroom, with Florent Jeanniard
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | Collecting Time: The Market Life of a Patek Philippe, with Sam Hines
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Anonymous Altarpiece: Decoding a Renaissance Enigma, with Alex Bell
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work t...
The Specialist | The Contingency Lunar Sample Return Bag: An Apollo 11 Treasure, with Cassandra Hatton
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Collector and the Ceramicist: Sydney Denton and Magdalene Odundo, with Julia Fischel
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | Virgil Abloh’s Reimagining of the Iconic Nike Air Force 1 for Louis Vuitton, with Brahm Wachter
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Lost Seal of the Emperor Qianlong, with Nicolas Chow
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Secret Pendant of Marie Antoinette, with Andres White Correal
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
Sotheby’s Talks | The Leonard A. Lauder Collection: Klimt and the Art of Connoisseurship
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's exploring the remarkable collection of Leonard A. Lauder, one of the greatest collector...
The Lost Portrait of One of the Last Aztec Emperors, with Lulu de Creel
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
Sylvester Stallone's Patek Philippe, with Geoff Hess
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
Princess Diana and the Black Sheep Jumper, with Morgane Halimi
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
Deborah Devonshire’s Chickens and Four Eggs on a Plate, with Tom Eddison
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Most Valuable Car in the World, with Gord Duff And Marcus Breitschwerdt
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work thr...
The Specialist | The Art of Seeing: Two Brueghel Discoveries, with George Wachter
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. On today's episode, George Wachter, Sotheby's ...
The Specialist | The Forgotten Swaminathan Triptych, with Manjari Sihare-Sutin
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. On today’s episode, how a paper brochure beg...
The Specialist | The Multi-Million Dollar Banana, with David Galperin
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. On today’s episode, Maurizio Cattelan’s Co...
The Specialist | S. Sudjojono and the Awakening of Indonesian Modern Art, Jasmine Prasetio
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. On today’s episode, the emergence of a monum...
The Specialist | Fabergé’s Rediscovered Imperial Flower, with Helen Culver-Smith
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. On today’s episode, the beauty of nature sus...
The Specialist | David's Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis, with Benjamin Doller
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. On today’s episode, how Benjamin Doller, Cha...
The Specialist | Bahman Mohassess’ Enduring Legacy, with Ashkan Baghestani
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. On today’s episode, Ashkan Baghestani, Head ...
The Specialist | The Greatest Persian Manuscript: A Story Fit For Kings, with Benedict Carter
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. On today's episode, the legendary Shahnameh—...
From Orsay to Auction: The Turbulent Journey of Vollard’s Gauguin, with Aurélie Vandevoorde
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and...
The Specialist | The Scream Heard Around the World, with Simon Shaw
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and...
The Specialist | The Rise of Carrington and the Female Surrealists, with Julian Dawes
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, producing by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and...
The Specialist | A Ten Year Vermeer Attribution Project, with Gregory Rubinstein
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
The Specialist | The Chicken Cup: Mankind’s Most Faked Object, with Nicolas Chow
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
The Specialist | Clyfford Still: The Mission to Establish a Museum, with Lisa Dennison
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
The Specialist | Beyond Black: Pierre Soulages’ Market Turning Point, with Grégoire Billault
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
The Specialist | The Untold Story of the Shredded Banksy, with Alex Branczik
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
The Specialist | Jenny Saville and the Art of the Sale, with Ottilie Windsor
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
The Specialist | The Cabinet Detective of Urbino, with Mario Tavella
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
The Specialist | The Rediscovery of Rubens’ The Massacre of the Innocents, with George Gordon
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
The Specialist | A Masterpiece by Kandinsky: A Story of Restitution, with Helena Newman
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and ...
Sotheby's Talks | Shakespeare: A Man For All Time, with Tracy-Ann Oberman
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's, exploring the world of Shakespeare. Sam Leith, author, journalist and literary editor ...
Sotheby's Talks – Radical Modernity: From Bloomsbury to Charleston, with Kim Jones and Darren Clarke
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, writer, academic and critic Frances Wilson is joined by Artistic Director of Dior Homme and Vice President of Charleston, Kim Jones, ...
Sotheby's Talks – Imaginary Conversations: An ERDEM Collection, with Lady Burlington
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In celebration of Imaginary Conversations: An ERDEM Collection inspired by Duchess Deborah, join British fashion journalist Charlie Porter in conver...
Sotheby's Talks – Creative London: An Artistic Crossroads, with Grayson Perry
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Has London's cultural power essentially radiated outwards, influencing artists and creatives across the world? Or is London's creative preeminence dep...
London: An Artistic Crossroads | Gallery Open House
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
London has long been a cultural melting pot for artists from around the world who, in their own unique ways, have revealed with each touch of a brush,...
William Blake: Artist, Poet and Visionary, with Andrew Graham-Dixon and John Higgs
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With a rare first edition of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience about to go under the hammer, in this episode a panel of experts ...
Living Heritage, with Olafur Eliasson and Hans Ulrich Obrist
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Artistic Director of the Serpentine Galleries Hans Ulrich Obrist moderated a conversation between philanthropist and Creative Directo...
Women and Power, with Mary Beard and Shahidha Bari
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For millennia, female power has been portrayed, mediated and exerted through visual art. But to what extent have women been packaged to fit a male tem...
Artemisia Gentileschi, with Katy Hessel and Letizia Treves
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, art historian Katy Hessel is joined by former National Gallery London curator Letizia Treves and Sotheby’s Edoardo Roberti for a co...
Image-Makers, with Mary McCartney and Sonia Boyce
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of the artist’s muse conjures up a glamorous but passive woman portrayed by a male artist. Yet many women who are commonly identified as mu...
Celebrating (Women) Artists, with Marina Abramović
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marina Abramović is one of our greatest living artists: an art world icon and a performance art pioneer. In 2023, Marina presented her solo exhibitio...
Jane Austen, with Helen Fielding and Gill Hornby
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, which was originally recorded as a live event, we are joined by two literary icons for a conversation about the beloved 19th-century ...
Portraiture, with Simon Schama and Eleanor Nairne
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Human beings have been making visual depictions of human life for tens of thousands of years. Fascination with our own likeness is one of the great co...
Women Artists in the City, with Lubaina Himid
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, art historian and broadcaster Carrie Scott is joined by Turner Prize-winning artist and activist Lubaina Himid, writer Lauren Elkin a...
Shaping Taste and Shaping Society, with Paloma Picasso and Iwona Blazwick
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There has never been a better time than now for women working in art, fashion and design. But female artists, gallerists, and collectors have always s...
Twentieth Century Design, with Julianne Moore
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Julianne Moore is one of our greatest living actors: an Academy and Emmy award winner, and the first American woman to be awarded top acting prizes at...
Munch, with Tracey Emin
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Edvard Munch pioneered Expressionism and embraced life’s most painful experiences to create art: his pursuit of emotional truth changed art forever....
Surrealism, with Celeste and Tim Marlow
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, originally recorded at Sotheby’s in London, award-winning singer-songwriter Celeste is joined by Sotheby’s Helena Newman for a co...
The Joys and Struggles of Disabled Parenting
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When writer and musician Eliza Hull was pregnant with her first child, like most parents-to-be she felt a mix of nerves and excitement. But as a disab...
Robert Macfarlane on Landscape and the Human Heart
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For several years and more than a thousand miles, celebrated travel writer Robert Macfarlane has been following the vast network of old paths and rout...
Welcome to VS
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New from Intelligence Squared. Introducing VS, a light-hearted podcast about the little debates that are always a big deal to someone. Arsenal VS Spur...
Bach vs Beethoven - Part 1
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven are without doubt two of the most sublime musical geniuses who ever lived. But which of the two was the...
Bach vs Beethoven - Part 2
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part two of our live Bach vs Beethoven. The BBC’s Reeta Chakrabarti was joined by world-renowned cellist Steven Isserlis and acclaim...
Martin Amis on Love, Loss and Death
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To mark the passing of one of Britain's most celebrated writers, we’re replaying an event recorded with us in November 2020. Martin Amis was often c...
Gloria Estefan on a childhood in communist Cuba and bringing Latin-flavoured music to the world stage
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we bring you an episode from one of our sister podcasts, How I Found My Voice, where host Samira Ahmed speaks to the incredible Gloria Estef...
The Life, Loves and Hates of Christopher Hitchens with Stephen Fry and Friends
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this historic event, Stephen Fry and other friends of Christopher Hitchens came together to celebrate the life and work of this great writer, icono...
Steven Pinker on Good Writing, with Ian McEwan
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Steven Pinker is one of the world’s leading authorities on language, mind and human nature. A professor of psychology at Harvard, he is the bestsell...
Between You and I The English Language Is Going To The Dogs
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Speaking and writing correct English are the hallmarks of an intelligent person. No one who cares about language wants to be caught splitting an infin...
Graham Norton on living with hippies and becoming a household name
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we bring you an episode from one of our sister podcasts, How I Found My Voice, where Samira Ahmed speaks with one of the biggest names in Br...
Marina Abramović on art, performance, time and nothingness
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Marina Abramović is one of the most celebrated performance artists in the world. Over a career spanning four decades she has pioneered performance as...
Salman Rushdie on the touchstones of his life, with Razia Iqbal
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Acclaimed novelist Salman Rushdie joins journalist Razia Iqbal to take us back in time and discuss three influential touchstones of his life: a silver...
The Power of Poetry, with William Sieghart, Jeanette Winterson and Helena Bonham Carter
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Poetry is the perfect medication against some of life’s challenges, so William Sieghart has found. In this accessible and warming exchange, from tea...
Benjamin Zephaniah on the moments that shaped and inspired his voice
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we bring you an episode from one of our sister podcasts, How I Found My Voice, where host Samira Ahmed speaks to poet and activist Benjamin ...
From Bridgerton to Peaky Blinders: Historic Houses in Film & TV
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode is made in partnership with international heritage charity World Monuments Fund Britain. Together we explore the fascinating world...
Letters That Changed The World
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Intelligence Squared: Arts & Culture brings you Letters That Changed The World, a celebration of the written word, giving us an insight into some of h...
The Transformative Power of Music with Armando Iannucci and James Rhodes
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Armando Iannucci and James Rhodes met on the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss the transcendent power of music, using the concert grand at Cadogan...
Mary Beard on Women and Power in Western Culture
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we explore the ways Western culture has depicted powerful women down the ages. To what extent have they been packaged into a male template? ...
Revere or Remove? The Battle Over Statues, Heritage and History
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Statues and memorials to famous figures of the past adorn our towns and cities but what should be done when some of these figures have come to be seen...
Words that Changed The World, with Jeremy Irons and Carey Mulligan
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate some of the most influential and impactful speeches ever made, we invited Barack Obama’s director of speechwriting, Cody Keenan and Ton...
Hip Hop vs Shakespeare
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Created in partnership with Sotheby's, in a debate that spans the centuries, Peabody Award-winning spoken word performer George the Poet and Booker Pr...
Introducing...Intelligence Squared: Arts & Culture
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the new Arts & Culture podcast from Intelligence Squared. Join us every week as we delve into the artistic and cultural moments, movements ...