The 18 Best Art History Podcasts (2026)

Jennifer Dasal has a gift for making art history feel like a thriller. ArtCurious takes the weird, scandalous, and mysterious corners of the art world and turns them into stories you genuinely cannot stop listening to. Over 227 episodes, she has covered everything from the volatile relationship between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to the surreal world of Leonora Carrington, plus deep-dives into Marina Abramovic's performances and lesser-known women artists who got written out of the textbooks. Episodes run a tight 20 to 30 minutes for the narrative ones, stretching to 40 minutes when she interviews authors about their new art books. That shorter format is a big part of what makes the show work -- Jennifer packs in genuine research and surprising details without ever dragging. Her most recent project includes a book called "The Club" about American women artists in Belle Epoque Paris, and the podcast episodes exploring those same themes are some of her best. She also does virtual gallery tours of places like Mexico City's art museums, which is a nice change of pace from the usual format. Rated 4.8 stars from over 800 reviews. If you love visual art but find most art history content dry or overly academic, ArtCurious is the antidote. Jennifer treats the subject with real scholarly rigor while making it genuinely entertaining -- a combination that is harder to pull off than it sounds.

Tamar Avishai does something on this show that nobody else in the art podcast world really does. She picks a single painting, heads to the museum where it hangs, and starts by talking to everyday visitors standing right in front of it. What do they see? What do they feel? Then she layers in the art history -- the movement, the artist's life, the social forces at play -- and by the end, that one painting feels like a whole universe. It is a brilliant format. With 105 episodes carrying a 4.9-star rating from nearly 850 reviewers, The Lonely Palette has earned its reputation as one of the most thoughtful art podcasts out there. Tamar lectures at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and you can hear that deep institutional knowledge in every episode, but she wears it lightly. The Washington Post and LA Review of Books have featured her work, and she won The Improper Bostonian's best podcast award in 2018. Recent collaborations include an "In Plain Sight" series with the National Gallery of Art that pairs companion interviews with art historians and critics alongside the main episodes. The monthly release schedule means each episode is polished to a shine. For anyone who has ever stood in front of a painting and thought "I don't get it," Tamar will change that -- not by explaining what you should see, but by showing you how much is already there when you look closely.

Four friends -- Corrie, Nat, Ginny, and Jen -- sit down together and talk about art history like they are at a house party that somehow turned into a college seminar. That is genuinely the vibe here, and it works. The Art History Babes bring a strong feminist lens to visual culture, covering everything from Baroque painters like Judith Leyster and Elisabetta Sirani to the question of where erotic art ends and pornography begins. With 189 episodes and nearly 800 ratings on Apple Podcasts, they have built a loyal following who appreciate the blend of real research and unfiltered conversation. The show runs in three formats: full episodes where all four hosts dig into a topic together, Art History Babe Briefs for quick facts (minus the expletives), and Hot Takes where they venture beyond traditional art history into broader visual culture. They have covered Mexican folk art, medieval hellmouth imagery, Stonehenge, and Remedios Varo with equal enthusiasm. The group dynamic is the real draw -- they interrupt each other, laugh, disagree, and occasionally go on tangents that are somehow just as interesting as the main topic. Some listeners find the casual approach oversimplifies complex subjects, but that accessibility is exactly what draws most people in. If academic art history podcasts feel stiff to you, this is the antidote.

Actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament launched Talk Art in 2018 with a straightforward goal: make the art world feel less intimidating. Over 370 episodes and 26 seasons later, they have done exactly that, and then some. The interview format brings in a genuinely eclectic guest list -- one week it is a major contemporary painter like Joan Snyder, the next it is Sean Ono Lennon or fashion designer Marco Falcioni. The Financial Times called it "lively, accessible and enthusiastic," and Dazed described it as "as fast-paced and gossipy as it is genuinely interesting." That is about right. Russell and Robert have real chemistry, and their backgrounds complement each other perfectly: Russell brings an outsider's curiosity from the acting world, while Robert contributes insider gallery knowledge. They have also published a companion book that Vogue called "an indispensable volume." What keeps this show fresh after so many episodes is how genuinely interested the hosts remain. Their interviews with younger and emerging artists are particularly strong -- sensitive and challenging without being patronizing. With a 4.7-star rating from 480 reviewers, Talk Art sits comfortably as one of the biggest art podcasts in the world. It covers everything from sculpture to abstraction to the art market, but it always comes back to that central question: why does art connect us?

Katy Hessel wrote "The Story of Art Without Men," and her podcast is the audio companion to that mission. Over 171 episodes, she has built a remarkable archive of conversations celebrating women who shaped visual culture -- from 19th-century photographer Julia Margaret Cameron to contemporary artists like Lorna Simpson and Sally Mann. The format is straightforward interview-based, typically running 40 to 50 minutes, with Katy talking to the artists themselves or to curators and writers who champion their work. What makes this stand out is Katy's depth of knowledge paired with genuine curiosity. She does not just ask artists to describe their process; she places their work in historical context, drawing connections between a living sculptor and a German Expressionist like Gabriele Munter in ways that feel illuminating rather than forced. Recent episodes have featured Ekow Eshun discussing Toni Morrison and Wangechi Mutu, and curator Magda Keaney on Julia Margaret Cameron's radical approach to photography. There are also shorter audiobook teaser episodes tied to Katy's publications and monthly thematic shows that explore specific movements or eras. With 4.8 stars from over 500 ratings, the show has earned a devoted following among artists, art students, and anyone frustrated by how many brilliant women have been overlooked in traditional art narratives. The production quality is polished, the conversations feel unhurried, and you will absolutely come away from each episode with at least one artist you need to look up immediately.

Noah Charney is a best-selling author and art history professor, and his podcast reflects that dual identity perfectly. The Secret History of Art offers what he calls "private guided tours" of the world's greatest artworks -- short, focused episodes that unpack the history, symbolism, and importance of a single masterpiece. Think of them as beautifully crafted mini-lectures, each one designed to feel like you are standing in front of the painting with a brilliant guide. The show has a particular strength in art crime: episodes on art forgeries, the famous Mona Lisa theft, and even wine fraud show Noah's deep expertise in the shadier side of art history. He literally wrote the book on art theft. With 17 episodes produced between 2010 and 2016, this is a small, concentrated collection rather than an ongoing series. But do not let the modest episode count put you off. Each recording is dense with insight and delivered with the authority of someone who has spent decades studying these subjects. The 4.6-star rating from listeners reflects the quality of what is here. Noah has a calm, professorial delivery that pairs well with the subject matter -- this is not flashy storytelling, but careful, knowledgeable exposition that rewards close listening. For anyone interested in art symbolism, forgery, and the hidden stories behind famous works, this compact podcast punches well above its weight.

Kyle Wood is an elementary art teacher, a National Board Certified Teacher with a master's in education, and the kind of person who started a podcast to help his students learn to make their own. That origin story tells you a lot about Who Arted. With an astonishing 721 episodes releasing every Monday and Friday, this is easily the most prolific art history podcast on this list. But volume is not the point -- accessibility is. Kyle covers the big names you would expect (da Vinci, Picasso, Warhol), but what sets this show apart is the definition of art itself. Video game design, dance, culinary arts, architecture -- if someone created it with intention, Kyle will tell you the story behind it. Each episode focuses on a single artist or artwork and keeps things clear, engaging, and family-friendly. The "for all ages" tagline is genuine; teachers use this in classrooms, and AP Art History students swear by it for exam prep. The storytelling is clean and efficient, packing real substance into episodes that respect your time. Kyle earned his BFA with an emphasis in Art Education and brings a teacher's instinct for pacing and clarity to every recording. With a 4.7-star rating, listeners appreciate that he never talks over anyone's head while still delivering real depth. If you want an art history podcast you can share with a curious ten-year-old or a skeptical adult, this is the one.

Allyson Healey picks one artwork per episode and asks the question that most art history podcasts skip: so what? It is a deceptively simple framework that produces some of the most thoughtful art commentary you will find in podcast form. With 30 episodes and a 4.6-star rating from nearly 150 reviewers, Art History for All deliberately moves beyond the Western canon. You will hear about Russian icons, Brazilian rock art, Malaysian blades, and Indigenous Canadian paintings alongside more familiar works. Allyson pairs concise academic analysis with contextual anecdotes, and she is particularly strong on topics like disability representation in art, colonial power dynamics, and how gender shapes artistic practice. Some listeners find this critical lens refreshing; others want more pure aesthetic appreciation. That tension is part of what makes the show interesting. The posting schedule is irregular, which is the main complaint you will hear, but each episode is carefully researched and never condescending. Allyson has a warm, direct delivery that makes complex cultural context feel approachable without dumbing anything down. If you have ever walked through a museum and wished someone would explain not just what you are looking at but why it matters in the broader sweep of human experience, this podcast was made for you. It is compact, it is smart, and it rewards repeat listening.

The Art Newspaper In Focus is the newest podcast offering from one of the art world's most established publications. These are special edition episodes produced in partnership with major arts organizations, designed to go deep on specific events, figures, and cultural movements shaping the art world right now. The format is interview-driven, with host Aimee Dawson bringing in directors, artists, and gallery founders for focused conversations. The inaugural episode tackled Art Dubai 2025 and the rise of digital arts in the Middle East, featuring the fair's international director and a Brooklyn-based artist creating data-driven kinetic works. With only 2 episodes so far and no ratings yet, this is a brand-new show still finding its footing. But the institutional backing of The Art Newspaper gives it serious credibility -- this is the same organization behind the well-regarded "A Brush With..." podcast. The production quality is polished, and the access to key figures in the art world is something smaller independent podcasts simply cannot match. If you follow the contemporary art scene and want coverage of major fairs, exhibitions, and cultural shifts as they happen, this is worth adding to your feed early. It is clearly positioned as a complement to The Art Newspaper's print and online journalism rather than a standalone narrative show, and for that purpose it delivers.

Lindsay Sheedy and her dog Gus (the unofficial mascot) have built one of the most beloved independent art history podcasts around. Stuff about Things takes a deep-dive approach, with episodes ranging from quick 30-minute minisodes to marathon 3-hour explorations of a single topic. That range is part of the charm -- Lindsay goes exactly as deep as the subject demands. With 53 episodes and a remarkable 4.8-star rating from nearly 400 reviewers, the show covers an enormous range: Vermeer forgeries, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, Damien Hirst's shark in formaldehyde, Easter Island moai, spirit photography, and Tudor portraiture of Anne of Cleves and Lady Jane Grey. Lindsay's genuine fascination with her subjects comes through in every episode. Listeners consistently praise her voice and delivery -- engaging enough to hold attention even through the longest recordings. She has a fine-tuned instinct for what helps a listener connect to an artwork or historical moment. The tone is warm and occasionally sassy, with mild language and the odd innuendo that keeps things from feeling too polished. There is a huge variety of artists and events covered here, and Lindsay treats each one with the same infectious enthusiasm. If you like your art history served with personality, genuine curiosity, and a willingness to spend three hours on the Rembrandt rabbit hole, this is your show.

The pitch is right there in the title: art history gossip. Baroque B*tches takes the juiciest personal drama from famous artists' lives and serves it up with the energy of two friends dishing over drinks. Co-hosts Chelsea and her partner in crime cover everyone from Caravaggio to Kandinsky to Claude Monet, and the angle is always the same -- what was actually going on behind the canvas? The show bills itself as "high brow art, low brow tea," and that captures the tone perfectly. With 74 episodes releasing weekly on Wednesdays and a 4.0-star rating from 81 reviewers, the podcast has found a real audience among listeners who want art history without the formality. Episodes open with a few minutes of personal banter before getting into the main topic, which some listeners love and others find a bit long. The strength here is making historical artists feel like real, messy human beings rather than untouchable figures. Gertrude Stein, Alice Neel, Mary Cassatt, William Blake, Louise Bourgeois, and J.M.W. Turner all get the gossip treatment. The explicit content tag is earned -- the humor is unfiltered and occasionally crude, which is part of the appeal if that is your thing. One art historian reviewer said she was "obsessed with how relatable they make art history," and that sums up the best-case scenario for this show. Not every episode lands equally, but when it works, it is a genuinely fun way to learn about artists as people.

Dr. Sarah C. Schaefer, an assistant professor of art history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Dr. Tina Rivers Ryan, an assistant curator at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, bring genuine academic credentials to a format that feels more like a spirited after-work conversation than a lecture. Art History Happy Hour tackles the kind of topics that spark real debate: immersive Van Gogh experiences (are they art or spectacle?), NFTs and cryptoart, fascist aesthetics, Suprematism, conservation ethics, and the cultural politics of public memorials. With 34 episodes and a 4.3-star rating from 147 reviewers, the show does not shy away from taking positions. Sarah and Tina clearly enjoy disagreeing with each other, and that friction produces some of the most intellectually honest discussions in the art podcast space. The academic tone is a feature, not a bug -- if you want substantive analysis from people who actually teach and curate for a living, this delivers. The main caveat is the release schedule, which has been sporadic with multiple hiatuses over the years. Some listeners have also found certain episodes lean toward elitism, though others see that as refreshing directness. When the show is firing, it offers something genuinely different: two experts who respect their audience enough to assume you can keep up.

Emma Laramie's Verso is a newer podcast that focuses on the hidden, dramatic side of art history -- the kind of stories that read more like thriller plots than museum wall text. With 9 episodes, a perfect 5.0-star rating (from 12 early reviewers), and a biweekly release schedule, the show is still building its catalog, but the quality is already impressive. Each episode peels back the layers of a famous or forgotten masterpiece to reveal the story that shaped it. The Mona Lisa theft, the repeated heists of the Ghent Altarpiece, the CIA's secret involvement in promoting Abstract Expressionism, Picasso's friendship destroyed by a legal scandal involving Apollinaire, Tony Shafrazi spray-painting Guernica, the Mark Rothko estate trial, WWII art plunder -- Emma picks topics with a real instinct for drama. The solo narrative format is polished and well-paced, treating each subject as a contained story with a beginning, middle, and end. Elizabeth Siddal and the Pre-Raphaelites get the same careful treatment as Cold War-era cultural politics. For a show this young, the consistency is notable. Emma clearly does her research and knows how to structure a narrative that keeps you listening. If you enjoy the intersection of art, crime, politics, and scandal, Verso is a strong addition to your rotation -- and getting in on the ground floor of a podcast this promising is always satisfying.

Dr. Mark Staff Brandl is both a practicing artist and an art historian, and that dual perspective gives his podcast a distinctive angle. Dr Great Art blends traditional art history with visual metaphor theory -- the idea that artworks function as metaphors and can be analyzed through that lens. It sounds academic because it is, but Mark has a genuine enthusiasm that carries the material. With 83 episodes and a 4.8-star rating from 17 reviewers, the show covers a wide range: artist spotlights, discussions of design versus fine art, political dimensions of visual culture, and more recently, a "Flash-Memoir" series that pairs autobiographical comic-format stories with audio narration. Mark published a book through Bloomsbury Press on his philosophy of visual metaphor in contemporary art, and the podcast often feels like an extension of that intellectual project. The delivery is scripted and deliberate, which some listeners find scholarly and enriching while others wish for a more conversational feel. That is a fair tradeoff for the depth of knowledge on display. Episodes are compact and information-dense, rewarding listeners who want substance over style. If you are interested in art theory alongside art history -- the why behind how we interpret images, not just the who and when -- this podcast offers a perspective you will not find anywhere else.

Stephanie Duenas and Russell Shoemaker are both working visual artists, and that shapes everything about Art Slice. Stephanie is a Mexican-American art historian who has worked at institutions including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, while Russell has shown work at the Elmhurst Museum of Contemporary Art and helped open an international art academy in China. Together, they bring a no-gatekeeping, no-art-speak approach to 59 episodes that have earned a 4.7-star rating from over 150 reviewers. The show bills itself as "irreverent deep dives" and that tracks -- episodes on Mary Cassatt, Violeta Parra, Rosa Rolanda, and Wanda Gag sit alongside themed episodes like a "Creature Double Feature" comparing terrifying artworks across history. There is a strong focus on Latin American artists and figures who have been overlooked by mainstream art history, which gives the show a perspective you will not find in more conventional podcasts. Stephanie and Russell have great chemistry, balancing real knowledge with a rowdy, accessible energy. Video versions are available on YouTube for listeners who want to see the art being discussed. The occasional guest episodes bring in curators and other art historians, but the core appeal is the hosts themselves and their obvious passion for expanding who gets included in art history conversations.

Rea Peck brings real museum experience to For Art's Sake, having worked at three different institutions including the Maryland Center for History and Culture. That behind-the-scenes knowledge gives the show a practical dimension that pure art history podcasts often miss. Across 42 episodes produced between 2020 and 2021, Rea covered an impressive range: Hokusai's "The Great Wave," LGBTQ+ art and artists, the controversial Sensation Exhibition, Islamic art and aniconism, museum food service, archival practices, Pride flag symbolism, art conservation, and contemporary artists like Emily Jacir. The museum operations side is genuinely interesting -- hearing about how institutions actually function, from their archives to their cafeterias, adds texture to the art history content. Episodes range from about 28 minutes to nearly two hours, and the explicit content tag reflects Rea's willingness to discuss sensitive subjects directly. The show has not been active recently, with its production window concentrated in 2020-2021, and it has not accumulated ratings on Apple Podcasts. But the back catalog is worth exploring, especially for listeners who are as curious about how museums work as they are about what hangs on the walls. If you have ever wondered about the intersection of institutional politics and art display, Rea offers a grounded, experienced perspective.

Host Ben Luke, backed by The Art Newspaper and sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, has built something genuinely special with A Brush With. Over 131 episodes, each running 55 minutes to well over an hour, Ben sits down with leading international artists and asks the questions that actually matter: who are the artists, historical and contemporary, you most admire? What museums do you keep returning to? What books and music inspire your work? What happens in your studio every day? And the big one -- what is art for? The format is deceptively simple, but the execution is outstanding. Ben clearly spends significant time researching each guest, and the resulting conversations feel organic rather than scripted. Recent guests include Olafur Eliasson, Luc Tuymans, and Louis Fratino, and the range across the full archive is remarkable. With a 4.7-star rating from 140 reviewers, listeners consistently praise the depth and thoughtfulness of the interviews. One reviewer noted that you can tell the host has "really spent time thinking deeply about the process of making art." The consistent thematic questions across episodes create an unexpected thread -- you start to see patterns in how different artists think, and that accumulation of perspectives becomes as valuable as any single episode. For anyone interested in contemporary art and the creative process, this is one of the best interview podcasts in the space.

Qiaira Riley is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and self-described guerilla art theorist based in Philadelphia, and Something You Can Feel reflects that activist, community-centered approach to art. The podcast celebrates under-recognized figures and movements in Black contemporary art, exploring creative practices from across the diaspora. With 10 episodes and a perfect 5.0-star rating from 7 reviewers, the show mixes solo episodes with interviews featuring fellow artists and occasionally family members. The subject matter is specific and deeply researched: episodes cover fiber artist Bisa Butler, painter Henry O. Tanner, Black Panther Party art director Emory Douglas, the Colored Girls Museum, the DuSable Museum, Black-Palestinian solidarity in art, and gendered Black spatialities. Qiaira holds an MFA in Socially Engaged Studio Art from Moore College of Art and Design and is a founding member of 2.0, a Philadelphia collective curating free experimental art offerings for Black femmes and women. That background infuses every episode with both scholarly rigor and genuine community connection. The most recent episode dropped in October 2025, so the show is still active though releases are infrequent. For listeners looking for art history that centers Black artists and cultural workers -- not as a sidebar or special episode, but as the entire point -- this podcast fills a space that mainstream art history shows simply do not touch.