Andrew Graham-Dixon is a British art critic, art historian, and broadcaster known for his passionate, eloquent storytelling about art and artists. Educated at Cambridge and the Courtauld Institute, he has presented acclaimed BBC documentaries, blending deep scholarship with vivid narrative flair. His writing, insightful, witty, and often poetic, bridges the gap between academic analysis and emotional engagement, making the history of art feel alive, dramatic, and profoundly human. In this episode of ‘The Lives Of The Artists’ podcast we discuss Johannes Vermeer’s life and Andrew’s new book about him ‘Vermeer, A Life Lost And Found’.

Morag Caister, is a figurative artist who gained widespread acclaim as the winner of Sky Art's Portrait Artist of the Year TV series, and has been honoured with nominations for Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe: Art & Culture and inclusion in the Evening Standard's Art Power List 2023.

Eldin Smajlovic is a Bosnian artist, art historian and writer from Srebrenica, raised in Sarajevo. Trained in classical art, in the tradition of the old masters (printmaking, painting, design and drawing) he was expelled from the Sarajevo Academy for his outspoken advocacy, particularly in defense of LGBTQ+ rights. He later relocated to Sweden, continuing his artistic education at Valand Academy. As the creator of The Immortal Art Podcast and the The Immortal Art YouTube channel, Eldin Smajlovic is presenting chronological art history, from 78,000 years ago to now. He is currently finishing European Upper Palaeolithic. He speaks with artists, historians, art historians and reaserchers about art.

Erin is MyArtBroker's “Excuse Me” Girl, who asks the public what work of art they'd love to own and why. When she's not interviewing people with her paintbrush mic, she's the Commissioning Editor of Edition Magazine, devising content for art lovers and collectors. Erin joined MyArtBroker after completing her MA in Fashion History at the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2022, and graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2021 with a BA in History of Art.

Tim Benson (b. 1978, London) is a contemporary British oil painter renowned for his expressive figurative works, especially portraits, that go beyond mere likeness to evoke character and mood. Educated at Glasgow School of Art and Byam Shaw School of Art (1998–2001), he honed his craft through intense studio practice and self‑directed learning. Elected President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 2018 and a member of the New English Art Club the same year, Benson exhibits widely across the UK and often works with NGOs to create portraits that amplify marginalized voices.

Art Historian, Author, Content Creator, and Presenter. Tatyana brings art to life with engaging books, videos, blog posts, podcast episodes, online courses, and more, offering a fresh perspective on works of art from across the globe.

Sara Frazetta is the granddaughter of legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta and a key figure in preserving and promoting his artistic legacy. As co-founder of Frazetta Girls, a company she helped create to celebrate and license her grandfather’s work, Sara has played a central role in reintroducing Frank Frazetta’s iconic imagery to new generations through apparel, books, exhibitions, and collaborations across pop culture. Beyond business, she’s become a vocal advocate for creative independence, often speaking about the power of imagination and the importance of family in stewarding an artist’s vision. With her blend of entrepreneurial spirit and deep personal connection to Frazetta’s mythic world, Sara has helped solidify his place as a titan of visual storytelling.

Ru Knox is a British visual artist based in London, whose practice evolved from classical portraiture to immersive, abstract figurative painting. Originally trained in architectural interior design and academic oil painting in Italy, he began his career fulfilling private portrait commissions and exhibiting in respected venues like Mall Galleries and the Rijksmuseum. Seeking more creative freedom, he completed an MFA at City & Guilds in 2019, and his MA show led to his debut solo exhibition "Rapture" at Waluso Gallery in Hackney. Since then, he has become known for his expressive, large-scale works that blend semi-figurative and abstract forms, exploring the boundary between waking and dreaming, particularly through the exploration of hypnagogic and hypnopompic states. His dynamic canvases have featured in prestigious group and solo shows such as "Art in the Age of Now" at Fulham Town Hall and "Palimpsest" at Graffik Gallery and he's exhibited internationally, including a recent New York show with Guerin Projects. Knox's work is rooted in emotional resonance, aiming to stir viewers into their own subconscious memories and narratives, merging structure and spontaneity for richly evocative experiences.

Lydia Pettit is a London‑based American artist whose arresting self‑portraits and textile‑infused paintings explore trauma, body politics, PTSD, and the objectification of women. Working across oil, embroidery, quilting, and occasionally video, her work embodies both vulnerability and confrontation—often appearing as a personal “battleground” where tenderness meets callousness. Pettit earned her MA from the Royal College of Art in 2020 and has exhibited widely, including solo shows at White Cube (2022), Galerie Sébastien Bertrand in Geneva (2021), and Galerie Judin in Berlin (2023), where she presented “In Your Anger, I See Fear”—a visceral, horror‑inspired exploration of female rage and bodily boundaries. A new exhibition of her work has just opened on the 28th June 2025 for a month at Galerie Judin in Berlin again!

Daniele Bolelli is an Italian-born historian, writer, lecturer and podcaster. Known for his eclectic and rebellious approach to history, philosophy, and religion - he is a legend of the game. Born in Milan in 1974, he moved to the United States where he earned degrees from UCLA and Cardiff University, and has taught at several institutions including California State University, Long Beach. Bolelli is the author of several books, such as On the Warrior’s Path and Create Your Own Religion, blending academic insight with a fiercely independent voice. He gained wider popularity through his podcasts History on Fire and The Drunken Taoist, where he explores historical events and figures—ranging from Caravaggio to Native American leaders—with a passionate, narrative-driven style. Bolelli is celebrated for making history visceral, philosophical, and accessible, often highlighting the rebels and rule-breakers who have shaped our world.

Emil Oskar Andersson runs and curates the hugely popular Instagram page Daily Paintings, where he posts and writes about paintings that move him every day. He is also a cultural writer for Corren a Swedish national newspaper and media outlet.

Kay Gasei is a London-based artist born in 1991 who traverses the intricacies of narratives and myths in his artistic practice, illuminating a realm of profound artistic exploration. Employing symbolism, recurring motifs, and enigmatic characters set within abstract spaces. Gasei breathes life into the narratives on his canvases, evoking an enigmatic allure that bewitches viewers.

Paul Robinson, better known by his alias of LUAP, is a Contemporary British Artist based in London. He is known for his depiction of ‘The Pink Bear’ which he uses as a muse within his artworks. His work spans the creative fields of photography, painting, sculpture and performance art. https://www.luapstudios.co.uk

Paola Vojnovic is an art historian with two master’s degrees and more than two decades of research and writing about Renaissance artists. Paola brings an exceptional level of expertise about Renaissance Europe and passion to her work as lecturer, teacher, and tour guide.

Michael Shane Neal (born November 23, 1968) is an American portrait artist who currently serves as the chairman of the Portrait Society of America. Since beginning a full time career as an artist at the age of 21, Neal has completed more than 600 private and public commissioned portraits on display around the world. His work includes seven U.S presidential cabinet members, four former U.S. Ambassadors, seven U.S. senators, over a dozen Federal Judges, four U.S. governors, actors, and heads of universities. He has painted notable figures such as President George H.W. Bush, actor Morgan Freeman, jazz great Ron Carter, comedian Jimmy Fallon, journalist Carl Bernstein, authors Jon Meacham, Margaret Atwood, Colm Toibin and Doris Kearns Goodwin, fashion designers Anna Sui, Naeem Kahn, Valerie Steele, as well as Henry Lewis Gates Jr., former United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Sir Malcolm Colquhoun, Chief of Clan Colquhoun, 9th Baronet, 31st of Colquhoun and 33rd of Luss, and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Toto Bergamo Rossi is a restorer specializing in the conservation of stone, has restored important monuments in Italy and abroad. Since 2010 he has been the director of Venetian Heritage, an international nonprofit organization with offices in New York and Venice, which supports cultural initiatives through restorations, exhibitions, publications, conferences, studies, and research, with the goal of making the world more aware of the immense legacy of the art of Venice. He has led numerous restoration projects, exhibitions, and publications.

Urban Larsson is an oil painter in the figurative tradition. Striving for beauty and universal human values, he paints only from life. He was born in 1966 in Stockholm and has lived and worked in Amsterdam for nearly three decades. Urban’s prestigious and numerous portrait commissions are international. He has for example painted the official portrait of HM Queen Silvia of Sweden and King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. What sets Larsson apart from most other painters is that he also masters other genres, such as still-lifes, landscapes and figures. He has exhibited extensively throughout Europe and USA. In 2017 he had two retrospective exhibitions in prominent museums in Sweden and the Netherlands. That same year a two part documentary on his work was broadcast on Dutch national television AVRO.

Thelonious Stokes is an academically trained oil painter, filmmaker, performance artist and designer based in Florence, Italy. He’s the first African American to graduate from the prestigious Florence Academy of Art and founder of The Black Academy of Art in Italy. Shaped by his Baptist culture and upbringing around jazz music on the Southside of Chicago, Stokes gravitated towards art at an early age as a means to express himself. Stokes’s work interrogates Western art history and Judeo-Christian themes – challenging and recontextualizing the canon to include themes and depictions of Black figuration that have been historically omitted. In this creative and illuminating conversation we discuss his upbringing, training, practice, being collected by Madonna, Jean-Michel Basquiat, his friendship with Chance the Rapper & Vic Mensa, adventures in Africa and much, much more!

Tania Rivilis began painting at the age of 27, after moving to Germany in 2012. Since 2015, she began taking part in art shows and exhibitions around the world. Tania’s paintings are now part of museum, gallery, and private collections all over the world, such as Jonathan and Stuart Hyman collection, State Museums of St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg Museum, Vladimirskiy Palace and Marble Palace), and Astoria Hotel (Rocco Forte Hotels). Since 2019 Tania is a permanent exhibitor at Bonnard Galerie, Netherlands, and Arcadia Contemporary, New York, as well as displaying work at LA Art Fair (presented by Arcadia Gallery), and Amsterdam First Art Fair (Bonnard Gallery). In 2022 Tania received the prestigious William Lock Prize for the most timeless portrait, with real feeling for paint and aesthetic potential.

Dr Stephen A. Murphy specializes in the art and archaeology of Buddhism and Hinduism in first millennium CE Southeast Asia with a focus on Thailand and Laos. He has a particular interest in the 7th to 9th centuries CE as well as maritime connectivity between Southeast Asian cultures, Tang China, and the Indian Ocean world in general. His museological focus engages with issues of restitution and curation of Asian art. Stephen joined the SOAS University in November 2020. Prior to this he was Senior Curator for Southeast Asia and curator-in-charge of the Tang Shipwreck Gallery at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore (2013-2020). From 2011-2013 he was a research associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York for the Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia exhibition, 2014.