Verso: An Art History Podcast

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.