Looking for resources to teach Art History to your children? We are providing this guide to the best podcasts for parents !
Museum trips nourish your soul, they are also beneficial to your children’s education; perhaps not on the same visit. Did you know that EFBA accompanies students to museums on certain weekends? While we introduce them to an aesthetic and cultural experience, you can wander through the exhibition at your leisure.
When you are the one who accompanies them, you will want to know how to answer the questions of your dear ones; without having to go back to the École du Louvre because of lack of time. We created a list of children’s Art History podcasts in French as a free popular education tool and as an invitation to travel. We hope they will delight and uplift your household!
After having immersed yourself in Art History through these podcasts, you can instill a love of art in your children, all while educating them. Return to our blog next month to read the second article in this series: “The Best Art History Podcasts for Children.”
Vanessa Beecroft “Greatness and Humanity : Black Madonna with Twins” (2006) Exposition “The Human Image”, Caixa Forum Madrid (Summer 2021)
Jérémie Thomas offers virtual tours and addresses various subjects related to art history. In particular, if you left France a long time ago, discover the new French museum scene that is constantly growing. This program is wonderful! Level of difficulty in French: B2-C1.[i]
Many episodes of this podcast by Fabrice Drouelle on France Inter are about art history. Selected pieces in 2021 “Patrimoine africain, les biens mal acquis du Musée du Quai Branly“, “Des faussaires de génie: François Legros et Elmyr de Hory“, “Les Halles de Paris 1974, le coeur brisé de la Capitale“, “Demain, j’enlève le haut“, “L’arche d’Alliance“, “Paris 1967, l’exposition Toutankhamon“. Level: B1-B2.
Do you like true crime and art? Listen to this series by Martin Quenehen. If at first glance, the two themes have nothing in common, the Louvre has convinced us otherwise by offering us five 30-minute audio episodes on the mysteries of great works of art. Follow in Géricault’s footsteps with The Raft of the Medusa, discover the fraud behind The Card Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds, and the terrible curse of the winged bulls of Khorsabad! Audience: 14 years and older and adults. Level: B2-C1.
“Venus s’épilait-elle la chatte ?”
Despite the provocative title, this podcast by Julie Beauzac is not pornographic. It deconstructs the history of traditional art, meaning “by men (artists) for men (collectors)” and where women have to settle for being stooges. And where, of course, everyone is white… A dazingly intelligent podcast to put between the ears of any adult who will take children to the museum. When your child will ask “Why is the lady naked?”, you will know how to give a constructed and simple answer. Level B2-C1.
This episode is not about rock’n roll but about rock art. Despite the title in English, to make it cool, it is a French program. Ok, we cheated (a little) because it is not a podcast but a vlog produced by the Musée de la Villette and its Moroccan partners. Level B1 and up.
France Culture: Art in Asia
Several programs broadcast on France Culture radio have dealt with art in Asia. Explore these art history podcasts. A selection: “Le wax” tells the story of a Javanese fabric that travelled as far as Africa; “Le mount Fuji, une icône pop” explains how this mountain, a source of artistic inspiration, became anchored in pop culture; “« Bouddha, icône d’art et d’esprit” takes us on a discovery of this religious figure that is now found everywhere; the program Le réveil culturel traces the history of Asian comics from 1874 to today. Level: B2 and up.
Shamsia Hassani, “Broken Voice” – Afghanistan (2016) Private Collection
This mythical program of France Culture of the no less legendary Adbelwahab Meddeb (1946-2014) – continued by Ghaleb Bencheikh until 2016 – was very often about the history of art. Anthology: “Les arts de l’Islam” (2016), “Miloudi, artiste peintre” (rerun 2014), “« Les fables de Bidpaï” (rerun 2014), “Quand le patrimoine architectural est mis à mal par le jihad” (2014), “Le prophète peint” (2014), “Palestine et photographie” (2014), “Les manuscrits de Tombouctou (XIII-XVII)” (2013), “De Fès à la peinture : Fouad Bellamine” (2013), “Autels ouïgours” (2013), “Désenclaver l’art” (2013), “L’image et la lettre, les arts d’Islam au Louvre” (2012), “Le mythe du Mogador” (2012) etc. Public: adults, level C1-C2.
African Art From the African Perspective
We wanted to offer you children’s art history podcasts that present African art from the African perspective. “La Revue Noire,” as its name suggests, was a paper publication from 1991 to 2000. The podcast FranceFineArt looks back on its singular history. Much more than a publication, during its 35 issues FranceFineArt revealed Africa’s modern culture concerning all artistic expressions, from visual arts to fashion, from literature to cinema, from photography to design and dance. “La recherche à l’œuvre” from the National Institute of Art History (INHA) offers a 2020 episode on “L’Afrique en regards.” For her part, Marion Dupuch-Rambert runs the podcast “En direct du marché de l’art” and has an episode dedicated to contemporary African art. Level B2
Where are Black representations in art? At a time when “African art” is particularly valued, this podcast asks the question of the place and representation of Black people on the international art scene, and explores the question of Black people as objects of curiosity in art, while giving voice to Black artists. We recommend that you listen to the episodes in order to follow the logical evolution of the program. Written and directed by Melissa Andrianasolo. Public: 13 years old and up, level B2-C1.
Your teenager dreams of studying art history and you’d like to help them understand the career opportunities. Listen to this podcast by Marianne de Fromencourt. From museographer to art critic, discover the jobs behind the exhibitions we all love! Level B1 and up.
Sculpture in San Francisco by artist Nicholas Scheoffer, « Chronos XIV »
Another podcast about the art professions stricto sensu: curator, artist, gallery owner and, of course, artists. By Victoria Le Boloc’h-Salama and Florian ChampagneLevel: B1 and up.
This series by Lisa Millet is the 3rd and last podcast that we would like you to discover on the lato sensu crafts: upholsterer, stained glass artist, framer, mosaicist etc. The length of the episodes varies between 10 minutes and one hour. Level: B1 and up.
By Jean Loisy on France Culture – How to talk about art without images? There are those who have all the paintings in their head and those who listen to this fantastic program while searching for the works on their iPad. This is a program for art history buffs that continues to deepen your knowledge and appreciation of art history. When it is said that the art world is exclusive to insiders, this program is a clear illustration of that; so mix it with Julie Beauzac, for your mental health and for the good education of your children. Levels C1-C2.
In each episode, led by hosts Marie Richeux and Lise-Marie Barré on France Culture, women and men share their thoughts, their representation of the world and their relationship to creation in the form of exchanges. Art and culture in all their forms are discussed: cinema, poetry, painting, music, theater, etc. There is something for everyone! Level: C1 and up.
The Judeo-Christian World
Without forcing the catechism on those who do not want it, the knowledge of the most important episodes of the Old and New Testaments as well as the adventures of the saints of Christianity is nevertheless indispensable to the understanding of Western art. We did not find many secular podcasts that did religious history for art lovers. “Ancien Testament” on France Culture, a podcast in 4 episodes is an exception. We therefore also recommend the two part documentary series “Corpus Christi et L’origine du Christianisme” by Jérôme Prieur and Gérard Mordillat. They present the most important episodes of the passion of Christ and the most significant stages of Christian history. You can watch them for free on Arte from the USA with a VPN. Level: B2-C2.
This topic was the subject of a year-long lecture in 2018 at the “Collège de France” by Bénédicte Savoy. You can listen to these lectures as a podcast (without the images, then), or if you prefer videos, access them for free here. Levels B2-C2.
“My museum of the third millennium will always be original, it can always surprise” thought Umberto Eco.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this guide for parents. The second part of this series, “The Best Art History Podcasts for Children In French,” will be published next month. Do you have other podcast suggestions you would like to share? Contact us at info@efba.us and we will add them below.
Written by Gabrielle Durana and Julia Peillon and translated from French by Noémie Larzul
“I don’t like museums much. […] I find myself in a tumult of frozen creatures, each of which demands, without obtaining, the inexistence of all the others […] This onset of independent and inimical marvels, and the more inimical the more they resemble one another, is paradoxical. […] The ear could not bear ten orchestras playing at once. The spirit cannot follow many distinct operations, there are no simultaneous arguments. But here the eye […] as soon as it perceives, finds itself obliged to admit a portrait and a seascape, a kitchen and a triumph, and characters in states and dimensions most dissimilar, and not just this, it must also embrace in the same glance harmonies and methods of painting that elude comparison with one another […] productions that devour one another. “
Paul Valéry « Le problème des musées » In Oeuvres, Paris, Pléiade, pp. 290ss.
[i] The levels are based on the Cadre Européen Commun de Référence des Langues.
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