The World According to Colour with James Fox
Channel: British Library
Date: 2021-11-11

A beguiling cultural history of colour

BAFTA-nominated broadcaster and art historian James Fox explores humankind's extraordinary relationship with colour. Going deep into the primary colours of black, red, yellow, blue, white, purple and green he ranges across the world and throughout history, to reveal the meanings that have been attached to the colours we see around us and the ways these have shaped our culture and imagination.

Understanding colour allows us to see works of art in a new way, from Bronze Age gold-work to Turner, Titian to Yves Klein. It helps us relate to the characteristics of different eras, whether the blue horizons which framed the Age of Discovery; the pristine aspirations of Enlightenment or the technicolour innovation of the Industrial Revolution and the colour which most embodies the environmental crisis which now faces us.

James’s talk is followed by a conversation hosted by Ferren Gipson and the chance to ask your own questions.

James Fox is an art historian, broadcaster and Fellow of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. His many acclaimed BBC television documentaries include programmes on the history of Cornish art, the British Renaissance and the culture and politics of Vienna in 1908, Paris in 1928 and New York in 1951.

Ferren Gipson is an art historian, writer, and presenter based in London. She is the author of The Ultimate Art Museum (Phaidon), hosts the Art Matters podcast, and is a doctoral researcher at SOAS, University of London.

The British Library is a charity. Your support helps us open up a world of knowledge and inspiration for everyone. Donate today.

First Broadcast: Fri 1 Oct 2021