Reading the Art World: Martin Gayford

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Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Martin Gayford, art critic and author of Venice: City of Pictures, published by Thames & Hudson. Gayford’s book brings the richness and complexity of Venice's centuries of history to life with his rumination on the city’s paintings, sculpture, and architecture that are both familiar to us and new revelations.

The conversation shines a special spotlight on the magical, cultural city in advance of the Venice Biennale, opening April 20, 2024.

“So there were all these people passing through, actually almost the same piece of space, looking at exactly the same view. And so there were social connections, and it also established a reputation for what it really still has, which is being the city of art. It was a city where people who were interested in the arts were drawn to go and stay.”
– Martin Gayford

Martin Gayford is an author and journalist. He studied philosophy at Cambridge and art history at the Courtauld Institute of London University. He's written prolifically about art and jazz, contributed regularly to the Daily Telegraph, and also to many art magazines and exhibition catalogs. He was art critic of the Spectator from 1994 to 2002, subsequently at the Sunday Telegraph before becoming chief art critic for Bloomberg News until 2013.

Martin's publications and writings include studies of the lives and works of van Gogh, Gauguin, Constable, Michelangelo, Lucian Freud, Antony Gormley and several beautiful collaborations with David Hockney.

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Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.