The Secret History of Art: Valdes Leal: Secret History of Art Podcast

Nov 23, 2010

Valdes Leal: Secret History of Art Podcast

Juan de Valdés Leal
“In Ictu Oculi” & “Finis Gloriae Mundi”
(1670-1672)

This week's podcast examines a macabre pair of paintings found in Seville, "In Ictu Oculi" and "Finis Gloriae Mundi" by Juan de Valdes Leal. Learn why coffin-carrying skeletons and decomposing bishops in open tombs makes for comforting hospital decoration.

Praise for Charney's "Stealing the Mystic Lamb"

The author…with specialty expertise to spare…[provides] an intriguing blend of reportage and art history, providing what is in effect a remarkable “biography’ of this beautiful and tough survivor [The Ghent Altarpiece]. -The Sunday Times UK

Well-written and thorough, this book reminds us of the influence and fragility of art, our veniality and heroism, and the delights found in both the beautiful and the strange. -Cleveland Plain Dealer

A brisk tale of true-life heroism, villainy, artistry and passion. -Kirkus Reviews

In scrupulous detail, Charney divulges the secrets of the revered painting’s past, and in doing so, gives readers a history lesson on art crime, a still-prospering black market. -Christian Science Monitor

I am awed by the magnitude of the things I don’t know. Although art is surely a subjective experience, expertise is often required to nudge one along to appreciation. I would not have paused to look at 'The Mystic Lamb' without Charney’s backstory. It still does not appeal to me as a thing of beauty or as inspiration. But I confess, Charney has me wishing I could see the Altarpiece in Ghent. -The Providence Journal

Deftly narrated. -Los Angeles Times

Wonderfully learned and entertaining…innovative and elegant. -Catholic Herald

Praise for Charney's "The Art Thief"

Fascinating details about Caravaggio and Vermeer, the lucrative business of art forgery and the sophisticated thieves who steal priceless paintings. -USA Today

An engaging whodunnit. -Financial Times

Descriptively brilliant and filled with witticisms, this fine romp features a clever and well-drawn cast of characters, as well as educates readers about real masterpieces and the artists behind them. -Rocky Mountain News

Clever and addictive...A first-class example of literate escapism...[Charney] might do for the art world what Tom Clancy has done for the military-espionage milieu. -Richmond Times-Dispatch

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Nov 23, 2010

Valdes Leal: Secret History of Art Podcast