Ben Luke

Ben Luke is a contributing editor and podcast host at The Art Newspaper

Podcastspodcast

Should looted colonial art be returned?

We weigh up the arguments for and against the restitution of African art taken during the colonial period with Vicky Ngari-Wilson, Nicholas Thomas and Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

Olafur Eliasson's latest work is melting away on the bank of the Thames in London

Public sculpture unveiled to coincide with the COP24 climate summit in Poland

The year in heritage: conservators become art

The conservation of masterpieces is happening in the full glare of the public

Podcastspodcast

Olafur Eliasson on climate change. Plus, Art Basel in Miami Beach

The artist tells us about bringing ice blocks to London, we discuss the threat of sea level rise on heritage sites, and trace the changing cultural landscape of Miami. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

'A moment of total crisis in Europe' prompted Edmund de Waal to sell his prized netsuke collection

The artist and author tells The Art Newspaper podcast about his motives behind selling the Japanese figures and lending them back to Vienna—the city from which his family fled

Podcastspodcast

Exclusive interview with Edmund de Waal, plus Roma persecution

How artists fight persecution is explored with the artist and author of the Hare with Amber Eyes and Krzysztof Gil, who describes the chilling history of "Roma hunting". Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

How Paul McCartney helped Richard Hamilton create the Beatles' iconic White Album

On The Art Newspaper podcast, we celebrate 50 years of one of the world's greatest records of all time with a look at how the distinctive plain cover was designed

Edward Woodman: the light and space of a golden era

UK retrospective freeze-frames often ephemeral works from the 1980s and 1990s

Podcastspodcast

The Beatles' White Album: the band, the artist, the dealer. Plus, art in Dubai

We talk to Andrew Wilson at the Tate and Harriet Vyner about one of the greatest albums, and album covers, of all time. And we visit the new Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Hosted by Ben Luke and Aimee Dawson. Produced by Julia Michalska and David Clack
Podcastspodcast

David Hockney: exclusive interview with the world's most expensive living artist

We talk to David Hockney about Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), which broke an auction record this week, selling at Christie's New York for $90.3m with fees. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Podcastspodcast

Andy Warhol (part two): Jeremy Deller, Shadows

The British artist tells us about hanging out in the Factory and we get the story behind the Shadow paintings on show in New York . Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Podcastspodcast

Andy Warhol (part one): Whitney curator Donna De Salvo on the key moments of the king of Pop art's career

From his early life as a commercial artist to his celebrity portraits, as well as his relationship with a certain Donald Trump. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

Surreal ideas about sex: how Dorothea Tanning and Leonor Fini resisted being pigeonholed by their gender

On The Art Newspaper podcast this week, we explore the life and work of two women connected to Surrealism whose work had until recently been overlooked

Podcastspodcast

Don’t call me a woman artist: overlooked Surrealists. Plus, Klimt/Schiele

We talk to Alyce Mahon, the curator of the Dorothea Tanning exhibition in Madrid, and adviser for the Leonor Fini show in New York about the art and life of the two surrealist artists. Plus, as a spate of shows open in Europe and the US, we discuss how Klimt and Schiele compare. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Dull, dim and dusty no more: British Museum's new Islamic galleries bring collection out of the shadows

Light and spacious Albukhary Foundation Gallery is a huge transformation for the London institution, says Jane Jakeman

Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend

From the idealistic beauty of Edward Burne-Jones to the dystopian nightmares of Cold War Steve

Podcastspodcast

Bruce Nauman’s New York takeover. Plus, the British Museum dusts down its Islamic art galleries

We talk to the curator Kathy Halbreich about the giant two-part Bruce Nauman retrospective at MoMA and MoMA PS1. Plus, the specialist in Islamic studies Jane Jakeman reviews the new Islamic displays at London’s British Museum. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Podcastspodcast

Gainsborough murder mystery. Plus, RoseLee Goldberg on performance art

We travel back to the 18th century and delve into the grisly family murders that helped Gainsborough gain fame. Plus, RoseLee Goldberg tell us all about her new book Performance Now: Live Art for the 21st century. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

A monument to the Holocaust in textile: Anni Albers’s Six Prayers

On this week’s podcast, we hear about the solemn memorial at the heart of Tate Modern’s survey of the Bauhaus artist

Podcastspodcast

In the Sotheby’s saleroom with the self-destructing Banksy, plus Bauhaus pioneer Anni Albers

We go behind the scenes of one of the most publicised stunts in auction history with our correspondent Anny Shaw who was there that evening. Then we get a tour of Tate Modern's Anni Albers retrospective with its curator Briony Fer, speak to the artist's biographer Charles Darwent and the head of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Nicholas Fox Weber. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

In pictures: six budding stars at Frieze London

The Focus section for younger galleries and artists is always the most dynamic element of the fair

Artists’ battle for refugees is beginning to pay off

Amid the din of cynical populists the voices of these fragile communities are needed more than ever

Podcastspodcast

Frieze special: the fair and the top shows, with Doris Salcedo and Ragnar Kjartansson

We talk to the art market specialist Melanie Gerlis about the fair, to Doris Salcedo and Ragnar Kjartansson about their shows, Massimiliano Gioni about the New Museum’s video-art pop-up in London—and Louisa Buck discusses Frieze's special Social Work section. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Francis Upritchard: the confessions of a magpie Kiwi

The New Zealand-born artist’s show at the Barbican Art Gallery reflects her diverse approach to materials, including a rare Brazilian rubber called balata

Podcastspodcast

Special: the rise and rise of contemporary African art

On the eve of the 1-54 fair for contemporary African art, we talk to an artist, a curator, an art fair founder, a gallerist and an auctioneer about the long overdue recognition of the diverse art of a continent. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

Van Gogh’s postman didn't deliver: how Samuel Courtauld swapped portrait for famous Sunflowers

In this week’s podcast, hear how the British collector changed his mind and acquired the National Gallery's star attraction