When the artist Louise Nevelson immigrated to America as a child, she was told that ‘the streets... would be paved in gold’. Obviously, they weren’t, but that hasn’t stopped modern artists turning pretty much everything else golden. Even a toilet.
Join National Gallery Courses and Events Programmer Caroline Miller, Associate Curator of Contemporary and Modern Priyesh Mistry and host Beks in the final episode of our sparkling miniseries. From Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’ to an artwork so valuable it has hardly ever been displayed, we explore how artists have explored and tested the limits of gold.
____
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss an episode of 'Stories in Colour': http://bit.ly/1HrNTFd
You can email us with any questions via podcast@nationalgallery.org.uk
Find out more about the podcast on our website: www.nationalgallery.org.uk/podcast
____
? Find out more about artworks in the episode:
Joseph Beuys, ‘How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare’, 1965. Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf [Performance art] https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/434.1997.9/
Anselm Kiefer, ‘Aus Herzen und Hirnen sprießen die Halme der Nacht (From Hearts and Brains the Stalks of Night Are Sprouting)’, 2019-2020. Emulsion, oil, acrylic, shellac, straw, gold leaf, wood, and metal on canvas, 185 ⅛ x 330 ¾ inches (470 x 840 cm) © Anselm Kiefer / Photo: Georges Poncet. Courtesy the artist https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2021/anselm-kiefer-field-of-the-cloth-of-gold/
Anselm Kiefer, 'Mein Rhine', 2024. Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg Villa Kast [Exhibition] https://ropac.net/online-exhibitions/171-anselm-kiefer-mein-rhein/
Gustav Klimt, ‘Pallas Athene’, 1898. Wien Museum, Vienna. © Photo: Birgit and Peter Kainz, Wien Museum https://sammlung.wienmuseum.at/en/object/102991-pallas-athene/
Gustav Klimt, ‘The Kiss (Lovers)’, 1908 (completed 1909). Belvedere Museum, Vienna https://sammlung.belvedere.at/objects/6678/der-kuss-liebespaar
‘Emperor Justinian and Members of His Court’, early 20th century reproduction (original dated 6th century, Byzantine). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/466586
Barkley L. Hendricks, ‘Lawdy Mama’, 1969. Oil and gold leaf on canvas, 53 3/4 x 36 1/4 inches © Barkley L. Hendricks. Courtesy of the Estate of Barkley L. Hendricks and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York https://www.studiomuseum.org/artworks/lawdy-mama-2
Barkley L. Hendricks, ‘Father, Son, and...’, 1969. Art Bridges https://artbridgesfoundation.org/artworks/hendricks-father-son-and
Louise Nevelson, ‘Royal Tide II’, 1961-63. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York © Estate of Lousie Nevelson / 2025 ARS, NY and DACS, London / Photo Scala, Florence / Whitney Museum of American Art, New York https://whitney.org/collection/works/428
Installation view of ‘Tower of Power’ (1985) in “Chris Burden: Extreme Measures” at New Museum, New York, 2013. Courtesy New Museum, New York. © 2025 Chris Burden / Licensed by The Chris Burden Estate and DACS / Courtesy New Museum, New York. Photo: Benoit Pailley https://archive.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/1861
Maurizio Cattelan, ‘AMERICA’, 2016. Bowl: 18K Gold; Pipes and flushmeter: gold plated. 72,4 cm x 35,6 cm x 68,6 cm. ‘Installation view: Maurizio Cattelan: “America” 2016’, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York © Photo by Jacopo Zotti / The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York / Courtesy, Maurizio Cattelan's Archive https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/maurizio-cattelan-america
____
Further reading:
Find out more about Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘America’ (2016) here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjev7vn4qp0o https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1j8z6r8zl6o
____
Episode credits:
Guests: Caroline Miller and Priyesh Mistry
Host and executive producer: Beks Leary 
Producer: Harry Rosehill 
Researcher: Hannah Rogers 
Technician: Ian Warren
Video editors: Jeanne Kenyon and Alessandro Sorenti
Theme music: Theo Elwell 
#NationalGallery #ArtHistory #StoriesInColour #Podcast
? Subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss a video: http://bit.ly/1HrNTFd
Follow us on social media!
⭐️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/nationalgallery
⭐️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nationalgallerylondon
⭐️ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/thenationalgallery/
⭐️ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@nationalgallery
⭐️ X, formerly Twitter: https://twitter.com/NationalGallery
Help keep the museum accessible for everyone by supporting us here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/support-us
The world's greatest paintings to your inbox. Sign up to receive the latest news from the Gallery: https://bit.ly/3m0FY98
The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The museum is free of charge and open 361 days per year, daily between 10am - 6pm and on Fridays between 10am - 9pm.
Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk