Heritage Arts

Sand and clay, transformed by fire, become glass, earthenware, porcelain, or concrete—all types of ceramics. In this program, materials scientist Dr. Mark Miodownik delves into the history, production, and use of ceramics, and the large role they play in the creation of the 21st-century world. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)

The Krater of Heracles and Antaeus depicts a famous fight in Greek mythology and currently resides in the Louvre Museum. Euphronios, the painter, helped revolutionized pottery in Ancient Greece. Learn about his career and techniques in this episode of Palettes.

explores the work, creative process, and philosophical perspective of award-winning ceramist Paul Mathieu, whose multilayered works in porcelain defy conventional boundaries of craft, sculpture, and representation. Different stages of the ceramics-making process are spotlighted as Mathieu creates an intricate stacking dinner service called The Arrows of Time inspired by physicist Stephen Hawking’s book A Brief History of Time. Images of numerous other finished pieces—Le Souci de Soi, The Piece Is Not to Be Photographed, and The Mortal Secret of Immortality, to name only three—further emphasize the complexity of Mathieu’s work and the cerebral yet poetic nature of his aesthetics. The only thing missing from this classic program—and from the internationally acclaimed artist himself—is ego.