Sebastian Bolesch
MONET – Century of Change
Impressionism was founded more than 150 years ago - and yet its works of art, which seek to capture the fleeting moment on canvas, continue to touch, amaze and inspire people. One of impressionism's most important representatives was Claude Monet (1840 –1926): From a youthful caricature painter who wanted to revolutionize art, he developed into one of France‘s most important artists. We know a lot about the painter Claude Monet – but who was the man? The six-part documentary podcast MONET – Century of Change traces the artist‘s eventful live. Already successful with German-speaking audiences, it is now available in English for international listeners.
Historian, presenter and bestselling author Alice Loxton hosts the podcast and leads the audience into the universe of Monet. Actor James d'Arcy, who co-starred in Hollywood productions such as Dunkirk, Oppenheimer, or Cloud Atlas, as well as in TV series like Broadchurch or Homeland, lends his voice to Claude Monet, bringing the artist to life in a mesmerizing way.
International experts on the artist and his time share insights on his emotional and intellectual world and his networks of friends and family, but also into the historical circumstances of the painter, marked by a spirit of optimism and industrialization, war and exile.
"What fascinates me about the world of Claude Monet is that he lets us see the world through his eyes, at specific moments in time. As a historian, I find it thrilling to explore the past in this way. What’s more, his artworks are endlessly fascinating, with layer upon layer of surprising details, light which dances across the surface, brushstrokes bristling with energy, and thick, spirited, dabs of paint. Taking people into the world of Monet in a documentary podcast is a wonderfully exciting experience for me, and I hope it encourages listeners to immerse themselves in his art and share the moments he captured across the centuries, together."
David von Becker
Alexandra Cameron
Podcast host Alice Loxton
"Claude Monet's paintings continue to move people worldwide almost 100 years after his death. We are very happy to be able to present the work of this exceptional artist through all creative periods in Potsdam with 40 works by Monet in our Impressionist collection. As a center of Impressionist landscape painting, it is important for us to convey the truly revolutionary artistic legacy of the these artists in a variety of ways. With the magnificently produced podcast, we have a completely new access route for us to get people interested in art, whether they are on their way to work, just cooking their lunch, or sitting on the sofa at home."
Alice Loxton is passionate about bringing history to mainstream audiences, having worked with many charities and organisations such as BBC News, BBC Radio London, Meta, Sky Arts, Channel 5, Channel 4, Times Radio, BBC Bitesize, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, The National Trust, Hamilton, Wicked, History Hit, 10 Downing Street, LADBible, PBS, Minecraft, Xbox, Manchester Museum, and Liverpool Museum.
Her debut non-fiction history book, UPROAR!, was released on 2nd March 2023, positively reviewed by, among others, The Times, The New Statesman, London Review of Books, The Spectator, BBC History Magazine, Country Life and The Mail on Sunday. Her second book, Eighteen, was published in August 2024, becoming an instant Sunday Times bestseller. Her latest book, ELEANOR: A 200 MILE WALK IN SEARCH OF ENGLAND’S LOST QUEEN, is bound to be published in November 2025.
The podcast was elaborately realized by the production team of Studio Jot around Janis Gebhardt. The six episodes "New Masters", "Friends for Life", "Flights of Fancy", "Art and Peace", "Garden of Eden" and "Water Lilies and Self-Doubt" are released weekly on all common podcast platforms.
MONET – Century of Change
Featuring:
Alice Loxton, podcast host
James d'Arcy, voice of Claude Monet
Felicitas Klein, conservator
Felix Krämer, director, Museum Kunstpalast
Marianne Mathieu, Monet expert and art historian
Lionel Pissarro, art trader
Richard Thompson, art historian
Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet expert, art historian and curator
Jakob Vogel, historian, professor at the Sciences Po University, Paris
Ortrud Westheider, director, Museum Barberini
Academic advisors:
Ortrud Westheider, director, Museum Barberini
Daniel Zamani, Artistic director, Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden; former curator and Head of Collection at Museum Barberini
