A podcast where art comes alive.
Welcome to Matter of Art, where art comes alive through captivating stories and insightful interviews with artists, conservators, and art historians. From the enigmatic strokes of a painting to the intricate details of sculpture to the efforts to protect our cultural heritage, each episode brings you closer to the heart of artistic expression.


Liz Provost is the host and creator of this podcast.








EP18. Arms and Armour with Jeremy Reeves: Rethinking Firearms in Early Modern Europe


 Move beyond the battlefield and explore Renaissance firearms as crafted objects shaped by craft, technology, status, diplomacy, and elite culture.

EP17. Invisible Hands: Who Really Made Early Modern Bronze Sculpture?


Discover how sculptures in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica were made and the drama that unfolded in the metal foundries.

EP16. Carving Out History: Rediscovering Emma Stebbins with Karli Wurzelbacher


 Get to know the first woman to receive a public art commission in New York City.

EP15. Rococo: Frivolous or Fabulous?


 Loose yourself in the intimacy, pleasure, and politics of the Rococo.

EP14. Archaeology, Museums, and Memory in Sardinia


 Uncover the dramatic, multi-layered history of the establishment of archeological museums in Sardinia, Italy.  

EP13. What Art Can Tell Us About Love: A Conversation with Nick Trend


Explore how love—ecstatic, enduring, obsessive, and even uncomfortable—has been expressed by artists across centuries.

EP12. Living Sculpture: Touch, Devotion, and the Senses in Renaissance Italy


Enter the emotional world of Renaissance devotional sculpture through touch. 

EP11. Missing Art: The Hunt for Stolen Treasures


Have you ever wondered what happens when masterpieces vanish? 

EP10. Curating Across Cultures: Craft, Exchange, and Exhibition-Making


 Learn about exciting research ventures that bridge craft history, East Asian art, and global material culture.

EP9.  Crafting Flesh: Collaboration in Italian Multimedia Sculpture, 1300-1700


 Get to know three incredible Renaissance objects from a digital exhibtion.

EP8. Unseen Memories: Art, Heritage, and Healing with Nerine Cavadias


 Hear from an artist who’s work is shaped by the unique intersection of memory and aphantasia—a rare inability to visualize images.

EP7.  Art Through the Lens of Science: A Conversation on Technical Art History with Dr. Ron Spronk


 Uncover the hideen layers of famous works in this conversation about technical art history.

EP6. Mastering Art: Conservation, Research, and Global Discoveries


Get a glimpse into the fascinating worlds of private and museum conservation, as well as primary research at the Venice Biennale. 

EP5.  Master or Maestro? Unpacking Rembrandt’s Studio Secrets


Explore the myth of the "artist genius" through the life and work of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669).

EP4. The Crucifixion: From the Roman Empire to the fourth dimension


 Transcend space and time and hear about the roots of crucifixion imagery, from ancient Rome to the 20th century.

EP3. Carrie Mae Weems and the Kitchen Table Series


Get to know the life and work of American artist Carrie Mae Weems (b.1953).

EP2. How Do we Experience Art? A Conversation with Dr. Dawn Cunningham


Learn how to look at and interpret art critically.

EP1. Sargy Mann: Art Beyond Sight


Explore the extraordinary life and art of Sargy Mann (1937–2015), a British painter of landscapes and portraits who continued to paint after losing his sight.