Episodes

  • Stealing Beauty: The Great Museum Heist That Changed Art Forever

    Stealing Beauty: The Great Museum Heist That Changed Art Forever
    May 8 2026
    In 1911, the Mona Lisa vanished from the Louvre—and suddenly became the most famous painting in the world. We're diving into how this audacious theft turned a relatively obscure Renaissance portrait into a global icon, and why sometimes the best thing for art is a really good scandal. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    17 mins
  • The Starving Artist is a Marketing Scam: When Painters Were Rich as Hell

    The Starving Artist is a Marketing Scam: When Painters Were Rich as Hell
    May 7 2026
    Before the Romantic era convinced everyone that suffering equals authenticity, artists were basically medieval CEOs—running workshops, playing politics, and getting filthy rich. We're talking about when painters had more clout than nobles and commissioned palaces for themselves, not garrets to die in. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    15 mins
  • Blood, Sweat, and Ultramarine: The Pigment Wars That Changed Art Forever

    Blood, Sweat, and Ultramarine: The Pigment Wars That Changed Art Forever
    May 6 2026
    Before artists worried about gallery pranks, they were literally going to war over paint. We're diving into the brutal history of pigments—from the monopolized blues that cost more than gold to the toxic greens that killed their makers. Turns out the most beautiful colors have the ugliest stories. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    15 mins
  • The Great Banana Heist: When Art Becomes a Joke Worth $120,000

    The Great Banana Heist: When Art Becomes a Joke Worth $120,000
    May 5 2026
    From Maurizio Cattelan's duct-taped banana to Banksy's self-destructing Girl with Balloon, we're diving into the wild world of conceptual art pranks that somehow became million-dollar masterpieces. Spoiler alert: the art world takes itself way too seriously, and some artists are having way too much fun with that fact. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    18 mins
  • The Painting That Stopped a War (And Other Lies Museums Tell You)

    The Painting That Stopped a War (And Other Lies Museums Tell You)
    May 4 2026
    Ever wonder why that museum placard sounds like it was written by someone who's never had fun? We're diving into the mythology machine that turns decent paintings into 'priceless masterpieces' and reveals how auction houses, curators, and art dealers collaborate to sell us stories that are way more interesting than the truth. Spoiler: that Monet didn't actually launch Impressionism, and nobody cried when they saw it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    21 mins
  • The Forger Who Made Vermeer Too Good: How a Nazi Collaborator Accidentally Saved Art

    The Forger Who Made Vermeer Too Good: How a Nazi Collaborator Accidentally Saved Art
    May 3 2026
    Meet Han van Meegeren, the mediocre painter who became history's most successful art forger by selling fake Vermeers to Hermann Göring himself. When the war ended and he faced execution as a Nazi collaborator, his only defense was admitting to one of the greatest cons in art history—and proving it by painting another masterpiece in court. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    18 mins
  • The Dictator's Wet Dream: How the Nazis Accidentally Created Modern Art History

    The Dictator's Wet Dream: How the Nazis Accidentally Created Modern Art History
    May 1 2026
    When Hitler declared war on 'degenerate art,' he thought he was purging culture of modernist filth. Instead, he accidentally launched the careers of Picasso, Kandinsky, and countless others while creating the greatest art fire sale in history. We're diving into how fascist stupidity reshaped what we consider 'good art' forever. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    17 mins
  • The Great Balloon Dog Heist (Or: How Jeff Koons Broke Art)

    The Great Balloon Dog Heist (Or: How Jeff Koons Broke Art)
    Apr 30 2026
    When a shiny balloon animal sells for $91 million, you know something's gone wonderfully wrong with the art world. We're diving into the rise of Jeff Koons, the factory-system artist who turned kitsch into cash and made critics lose their absolute minds—plus the wild story of how his work gets made, stolen, and worshipped by billionaires. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    16 mins