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Stanley Kubrick: Two Views
Robert Kolker, professor, Film Studies & Digital Media, School of Literature, Communication, and Culture, Georgia Institute of Technology, and James Naremore, Chancellor's Professor of Speech Communication, Chancellor's Professor of Comparative Literature, Chancellor's Professor of English, professor of film studies, Indiana University
July 26, 2008, marked the 80th birthday of Stanley Kubrick. To celebrate the occasion, Robert Kolker and James Naremore reviewed the director's contributions through a focused dialogue based on two of Kubrick's landmark films: a new restoration of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and his last and most enigmatic work, Eyes Wide Shut. Robert Kolker edited Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey: New Essays (2006) and James Naremore is the author of On Kubrick (2007).

Time, Space, and the Progress of History in the Medieval Map
Conrad Rudolph, professor of medieval art history, University of California at Riverside
Rudolph demonstrates how medieval maps informed their users not only of where they were at that moment, but of where they had been in the past and would be in the future, sometimes in relation to the entire human race. In this Notable Lectures podcast, recorded on December 14, 2008, as part of the Gallery's fall lecture series, particular attention is given to the world map in Hugh of Saint Victor's The Mystic Ark, c. 1125–1130.

Conversations with Authors: Calvin Tomkins
Calvin Tomkins, author and staff writer, New Yorker, and Harry Cooper, curator of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art
In his latest book Lives of the Artists, Tomkins explores 10 major artists to demonstrate the direction that contemporary art is taking. In this Notable Lectures podcast, recorded on November 23, 2008, as part of the Gallery's fall lecture series, he and Harry Cooper discuss the book, touching on artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Jasper Johns. The book is available for purchase from the Gallery Shop.

The Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art 2008: To Live with Myths in Pompeii and Beyond
Paul Zanker, professor of art history, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa
In this podcast, recorded on November 9, 2008, as part of the Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art series, Paul Zanker explains that for ancient Greeks, myths were stories of gods, heroes, and ordinary people who had religious authority. These stories and their artistic representations served as guides and models for living in varying circumstances. However, myths did not embody religious teaching or moral precepts for human behavior; these stories described fate—the highs and lows of being human—to which everyone could relate, and in which they could take comfort. Despite the cultural shifts of the Roman world, these ancient myths retained their purpose and impact in the art of Pompeii and other sites in Italy. This lecture coincided with the exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 19, 2008, to March 22, 2009.

Let's Talk: A Conversation with Peter Schjeldahl
Peter Schjeldahl, senior art critic, New Yorker
In his book Let's See: Writings on Art from the New Yorker, Schjeldahl covers large-scale exhibitions and private gallery shows and profiles leaders in the art world as well as the artists themselves. In this Notable Lectures podcast, recorded on November 2, 2008, as part of the Gallery's fall lecture series, he discusses his work as an art critic, reads excerpts from his book, and answers questions from the audience. The book is available for purchase from the Gallery Shop.

Jan Lievens, Part 3: Return to the Netherlands (1644–1674)
Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art
In the third of this three-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, Wheelock talks about Lievens' success and legacy.

Jan Lievens, Part 2: London and Antwerp (1632–1644)
Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art
In the second of this three-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, Wheelock talks about changes in Lievens' style and the influence of Anthony Van Dyck.

Jan Lievens, Part 1: The Leiden Years (1620–1632)
Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art
Jan Lievens was a child prodigy, whose later career was marked by important civic and private commissions. Nevertheless, his name today barely registers in the public consciousness. In the first of this three-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, Wheelock talks about Lievens' early career and his relationship with Rembrandt.

Pompeii and the Roman Villa, Part 5: Rediscovery and Reinvention
Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University
In the fifth of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the impact the excavations of these ancient sites have had on the modern world.

Pompeii and the Roman Villa, Part 4: The Greek Legacy
Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University
In the fourth of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the Greek legacy in Roman culture.

Pompeii and the Roman Villa, Part 3: Triclinium of Moregine
Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University
In the third of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the role of the dining room in a Roman villa.

Pompeii and the Roman Villa, Part 2: Courtyards and Gardens
Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University
In the second of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the sculptures and designs of the villas' gardens.

Pompeii and the Roman Villa, Part 1: Patrons at Home
Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University
In the second century BC, Roman aristocrats began to build lavish seaside villas on the picturesque Bay of Naples—in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. In the first of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the vacationing Roman elite who inhabited this region.

George de Forest Brush, Part 2: Tradition and Modernity
Nancy Anderson, curator of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art
In the second of this two-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition George de Forest Brush: The Indian Paintings, Anderson talks to Tempchin about the social and historical contexts of Brush's Indian paintings.

George de Forest Brush, Part 1: The Advent of the Indian Paintings
Nancy Anderson, curator of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art
George de Forest Brush (1854/1855–1941) combined extraordinary technical skills acquired during several years of studio training in Paris with firsthand experience living among the Arapahoe, Shoshone, and Crow Indians in Wyoming and Montana. In the first of this two-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition George de Forest Brush: The Indian Paintings, Anderson talks to Tempchin about Brush's life and his legacy.

Richard Misrach, Part 3: On the Beach
Photographer Richard Misrach and Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art
In the third of this three-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition Richard Misrach: On the Beach, Misrach and Greenough delve into the impact of new photographic technology on his art and the inspiration for his series.

Afghan Treasures: Rescuing Tillya Tepe's Gold, Part 4
Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic Archaeology Fellow and exhibition curator
In the last of this four-part podcast Fredrik Hiebert, exhibition curator and National Geographic Archaeology Fellow, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the luxurious gold ornaments and jewelry found at Tillya Tepe on the eve of the Soviet invasion. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

Afghan Treasures: The Silk Road Revealed at Begram, Part 3
Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic Archaeology Fellow and exhibition curator
In the third of this four-part podcast Fredrik Hiebert, exhibition curator and National Geographic Archaeology Fellow, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the incredible discovery from Begram, a Silk Road merchant's warehouse with the contents found completely intact. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

Afghan Treasures: In Search of Lady Moon-Aï Khanum, Part 2
Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic Archaeology Fellow and exhibition curator
In the second of this four-part podcast Fredrik Hiebert, exhibition curator and National Geographic Archaeology Fellow, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the Aï Khanum archaeological site and the impact of Alexander the Great on the region. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

Afghan Treasures: The Bactrian Hoard and Tepe Fullol, Part 1
Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic Archaeology Fellow and exhibition curator
Afghanistan was in ancient times the heart of the Silk Road, linking cultures from Asia to the Mediterranean. Many thought the country's extraordinary archaeological treasures had been stolen or destroyed during recent decades of conflict in the region, but in 2003 they were recovered intact. Some 230 of these artifacts are now on view in the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

In the first of this four-part podcast Fredrik Hiebert, exhibition curator and National Geographic Archaeology Fellow, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the heroism displayed by the Afghan people who kept these treasures hidden for decades. They also discuss one of the oldest archaeological sites, Tepe Fullol.

Bronze and Boxwood: Sculpting the Robert H. Smith Collection
Nicholas Penny, senior curator of sculpture and decorative arts, National Gallery of Art, and Dylan Smith, Robert H. Smith Research Conservator, National Gallery of Art
Robert H. Smith has amassed one of the most important private collections of Renaissance sculptures in the world. The Smith collection includes bronzes by masters such as Antico, Giovanni Bologna, and Antonio Susini, as well as eye-catching works in ivory and boxwood. Nicholas Penny—in his last podcast as National Gallery of Art curator of sculpture and decorative arts before he assumes directorship of the National Gallery, London—talks to Robert H. Smith Research Conservator Dylan Smith about these beautiful works of art, their composition, and how they were made. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Bronze and Boxwood: Renaissance Masterpieces from the Robert H. Smith Collection.