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TV series

Civilisations

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S1 E9 · What is Art Good For?

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About Civilisations

Civilisations is a documentary TV series that premiered on BBC Two on April 17, 2018. It has 1 season and 9 episodes so far and has ended. The latest episode, Season 1 Episode 9 "What is Art Good For?", aired on July 3, 2018.

The story of art from the dawn of human history to the present day—for the first time on a global scale. Inspired by Civilisation, Kenneth Clark’s acclaimed landmark 1969 series about Western art, this series broadens the canvas to reveal the role art and the creative imagination have played across multiple cultures and civilizations.

  • Documentary

Last updated

Episodes

9 episodes · 1 season

Series 1

2018 · 9 episodes · Last episode: 8 years ago

Survey the history of art, from antiquity to the present, on a global scale. Civilizations reveals the role art and creative imagination have played in forging humanity, and introduce viewers to works of beauty, ingenuity and illumination across cultures. Liev Schreiber narrates.

Civilisations Series 1 release dates →
  1. Civilisations S1 E9 still E9

    9. What is Art Good For?

    Finale

    Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change and consider the question: Should art create a separate realm, a place of escape, or should it plunge into the chaos, transforming the way we see and live in the world?

  2. Civilisations S1 E8 still E8

    8. The Cult of Progress

    Examine the rise and fall of “progress” as an ideology, and see how the “civilizing” project that arose from Enlightenment ideas was fraught with contradictions that troubled European artists in different ways.

  3. Civilisations S1 E7 still E7

    7. Color and Light

    Explore the story of light and color in art—both in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy. Journey from Gothic cathedrals and Indian courtly painting to modern art.

  4. Civilisations S1 E6 still E6

    6. Paradise on Earth

    Explore one of humanity’s deepest artistic urges: the depiction of nature. But landscape painting is seldom a straightforward portrayal of observed nature; it's a projection of dreams, idylls, escapes and refuges—the elusive paradise on earth.

  5. Civilisations S1 E5 still E5

    5. Renaissances

    Travel east and west to explore the connections and rivalries between Renaissance Italy and the Islamic empires that experienced their own cultural flowering in the 15th and 16th centuries. Both spheres were open to influences flowing both ways.

  6. Civilisations S1 E4 still E4

    4. Encounters

    See how advances in seafaring and a thirst for trade and exploration sent human beings around the planet. Distant and disparate cultures met for the first time, and art became the great interface by which civilizations understood each other.

  7. Civilisations S1 E3 still E3

    3. God and Art

    Trace the relationship between religion and art, which has inspired some of the most ingenious, affecting, majestic and breathtaking works of art ever made. Yet beneath great works of religious art often lie conflict, intrigue and divine mysteries.

  8. Civilisations S1 E2 still E2

    2. How Do We Look?

    Explore the many functions of the human image in art. Portraits, paintings and sculptures, both life-size and colossal, perform a role—assuaging loss, expressing strength, inspiring fear—and were instrumental in depicting the human body today.

  9. Civilisations S1 E1 still E1

    1. Second Moment of Creation

    Examine the formative role of art and the creative imagination in the forging of humanity itself. Images and artifacts found in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and South America testify to the urge to develop civilizations. Liev Schreiber narrates.

Cast & crew

  • Mary Beard

    Mary Beard

    Presenter

  • Simon Schama

    Simon Schama

    Self - Columbia University

  • David Olusoga

    David Olusoga

    Presenter

  • Wulf Hein

  • Pablo Picasso

    Pablo Picasso

    Self(archive footage)

  • Antony Gormley

    Antony Gormley

    Self - Sculptor

  • Kehinde Wiley

  • Kira Perov

  • Maya Jasanoff

  • Soraya Syed

  • Eduardo Matos Moctezuma

  • Edgar Heap of Birds

  • Salima Ikram

    Salima Ikram

Civilisations FAQ

Will there be new episodes of Civilisations?

Civilisations has ended, so no new episodes are scheduled. The final episode aired on July 3, 2018.

When did the latest episode of Civilisations come out?

The most recent episode of Civilisations, Season 1 Episode 9 "What is Art Good For?", aired on July 3, 2018.

How many seasons of Civilisations are there?

Civilisations has 1 season with 9 episodes in total.

When did Civilisations first air?

Civilisations first aired on BBC Two on April 17, 2018.

How do I get notified when new episodes of Civilisations are released?

Download the Streambay app, follow Civilisations, and you'll get a push notification the moment each new episode is released.

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