Guest
Andrew Graham-Dixon gets under the skin of the modern American metropolis. Beginning at the Statue of Liberty, he discovers how the ambitions of visionary artists and architects helped America remove itself from the shadow of Europe. In Manhattan he explores the grimy world of early 20th century painters John Sloan and George Bellows, and visits Stockbridge in Massachusetts to find out how Norman Rockwell’s oeuvre is not as sentimental as it may seem. In Chicago, he explores the visionary mind of architect Louis Sullivan and travels to the decaying outskirts of the city to see the underside of the American dream. He uncovers the impact the Great Depression had on artists such as Edward Hopper and Arshile Gorky, and finds out how it inspired America’s first major art movement - Abstract Expressionism. At Jackson Pollock’s studio in Long Island he discovers the secrets of his unique drip technique, and visits Mark Rothko’s chapel in Houston.
