About this season
Throughout history, some of the world's most amazing works of art have simply disappeared. Through re-enactment, rare archive, and expert comment we see how these treasures were looted, stolen or vanished into the archives. Some have been recovered but many more are still waiting to be found
Episodes (12)
1. Stealing The Scream
Aired 11 May 2016
One of the world’s most famous works of art had been stolen on numerous occasions. Thieves in 1994 even left a message saying ‘thanks for the poor security’.
2. Klimt: Gustav's Gold
Aired 11 May 2016
Painted during Vienna’s cultural heyday, Gustav Klimt’s “Portrait of Adele” was confiscated by the Nazis during WWII.
3. The Many Faces of Rembrandt
Aired 18 May 2016
These works that span Rembrandt’s entire adult life have been scattered across the globe and had a life and history all their own.
4. El Greco: Lost in Time
Aired 18 May 2016
An artist so ahead of his time, it took centuries for the Impressionists to rediscover the brilliance of El Greco. Was this particular picture the inspiration behind Picasso's masterpiece Les Demoiselles d'Avignon?
5. The Lessons of Leonardo
Aired 25 May 2016
This program traces the history of a famous painting The Lady with an Ermine by Renaissance master artist Leonardo da Vinci. Lost for centuries, this masterpiece has revealed the workings of the ultimate genius, Leonardo da Vinci.
6. The Elusive Van Eyck
Aired 25 May 2016
Jan van Eyck is a truly great artist who remains a mystery. His elusive genius has meant many of his works have been desired and stolen.
7. Van Gogh's Seven Sunflowers
Aired 1 June 2016
Painted for the arrival of Paul Gaugin in Arles, this set of paintings by Vincent Van Gogh has gone on an astonishing journey ever since.
8. Monet: First Impressions
Aired 1 June 2016
It is the painting that started a whole movement: Impressionism. Claude Monet’s famous painting was stolen in 1985 and was missing for five years.
9. Vermeer: The Lost Pearl of Delft
Aired 8 June 2016
Johannes Vermeer was all but forgotten for centuries and this iconic work lay dormant, overlooked before it was rediscovered.
10. Capturing Cézanne
Aired 8 June 2016
One of the great post-Impressionistic works, Cezanne’s “Boy in the Red Vest” was stolen in 2008, but was recovered recently in Serbia.
11. Turner: Leading Light
Aired 15 June 2016
Turner showed his brilliance with this dazzling work. It was stolen in Frankfurt in 1998 and was bought back from the thieves in a curious deal.
12. Raphael The Relentless
Aired 15 June 2016
Painted for a Silician monastery, the boat it was transported on sunk in a storm. However it was miraculously recovered and then later stolen by Napoleon.