As the French Revolution ran its course, the monarchy crumbled, and the nation descended into wanton violence. During the Reign of Terror, thousands of French citizens went to the guillotine, and Tussaud made waxen replicas of important revolutionaries’ severed heads, including that of Maximilien Robespierre. In 1793, she also created a wax tableau inspired by perhaps the most notorious crime of this period: the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.a...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 4
On July 12, 1789, a crowd of protestors furious over King Louis XVI’s policies swarmed Madame Tussaud and Philippe Curitus’s wax museum, demanding busts of prominent political figures. This episode led to bloodshed that same afternoon. Two days later, a mob stormed the Bastille, a medieval prison, marking the outbreak of the French Revolution. Soon after, the Den of Illustrious Thieves exhibited objects associated with the Bastille, including an effigy of the notorious Comte de Lorges, a prisone...
Jan 24, 2024•58 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Born in 1761, Madame Tussaud studied the art of wax modeling under Philippe Curtius, owner of the most famous wax museum in pre-revolutionary Paris. Sometime around 1780, Curtius opened a special exhibit in his establishment called The Den of Illustrious Thieves, in which he displayed wax effigies of notorious murderers. He had an early hit with a sculpture of double poisoner Antoine Francois Desrues, a struggling grocer who wanted to live the life of an aristocrat whether he could afford to or ...
Jan 10, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Introducing Queen of Crime: Madame Tussaud and the Chamber of Horrors Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.
Jan 03, 2024•4 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Today, I'm sharing an episode of the delightful art history podcast, Who ARTed?, hosted by Kyle Wood. This episode is all about the Stockholm art heist of the year 2000. Find out what extraordinary paintings were stolen from the National Gallery--and how they were recovered. We're back next week with another installment in Queen of Crime: Madame Tussaud and the Chamber of Horrors. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please c...
Dec 27, 2023•8 min
The Perseus of Benvenuto Cellini is justly considered a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture. Believe it or not, this statue almost never existed. From start to finish, sculpting the Perseus proved a Herculean labor, as dogged opposition from Cellini's own patron, life-threatening illness, and the sheer enormity of the artist's ambitions conspired against him. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a pat...
Dec 20, 2023•20 min
In 1910, four Abyssinian royals toured the H.M.S. Dreadnought, the most technologically advanced ship in the British Royal Navy. Afterward, however, it leaked to the press that the captain and crew of the vessel had been duped: they had given a tour not to foreign dinitaries but British citizens. The Dreadnought affair caused a minor scandal, and what started as a practical joke threatened to end in legal repercussions for the hoaxers. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimep...
Dec 13, 2023•22 min
Today, we're joined by Austin Harvey, co-host of History Uncovered, a podcast that explores the natural world and the world past. First, we'll hear a History Uncovered episode about the mysterious disappearance of indigenous art collector Michael Rockefeller in 1961. Afterward, Austin chats with Gavin about the process of making the episode and offers additional insight on a few key points. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast....
Nov 29, 2023•28 min
Back in the spring, I was interviewed on the true crime podcast, Crawlspace, and I wanted to share that interview with you. Hope you enjoy! We'll be back with original Art of Crime content in December, and season 3 will start in earnest in January 2024. If you'd like more Art of Crime content now, however, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast . There, you can listen to a sneak peak at season 3, and we're coming out with two new episodes related to the theme of a...
Nov 08, 2023•46 min
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions! Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.
Oct 25, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 15
In 1990, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman created Assassins, a musical about the nine men and women who have attempted to assassinate U.S. presidents, from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald. In this special episode, we're joined by three Sondheim buffs to talk about why the musical has remained popular--and controversial--since it opened. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patre...
Oct 11, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Thanks to the efforts of renowned Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, Leon Trotsky gained political asylum in Mexico. In early 1937, the Russian revolutionary moved in with the painter and his wife, Frida Kahlo, at the Blue House on the outskirts of the Mexican capital. A torrid drama ensued, in which Trotsky betrayed his benefactor, at great risk to his own safety. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a pa...
Sep 27, 2023•24 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In 1858, actor-manager Laura Keene bought exclusive rights to Tom Taylor's comedy, Our American Cousin, which became the smash hit of the decade. On April 14, 1865, Keene was performing the play at Ford's Theatre when John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln. As the assassin fled and the playhouse descended into pandemonium, Keene endeavored to manage the crisis. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a pa...
Sep 13, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 12
The first in a series of bonus episodes related to the theme of assassins will drop on Wednesday, September 13. To tide you over until then, I'm pleased to present two episodes of the History Daily podcast. History Daily generously featured an episode of The Art of Crime a few weeks back, so I wanted to return the favor. This History Daily episode is about the Antwerp diamond heist of 2003, one of the largest heists of all time. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast....
Aug 30, 2023•20 min
The first in a series of bonus episodes related to the theme of assassins will drop on Wednesday, September 13. To tide you over until then, I'm pleased to present two episodes of the History Daily podcast. History Daily generously featured an episode of The Art of Crime a few weeks back, so I wanted to return the favor. This episode is about the mystery of D.B. Cooper. On November 24, 1971, an unidentified criminal known by that name hijacks a Boeing 727, extorts $200,000 in ransom money, and p...
Aug 30, 2023•18 min
In this episode, we look back on the crimes we covered this season and consider what we've learned about the nature of assassination, especially when artists are in the picture. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.
Aug 16, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 11
On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln attended a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington. John Wilkes Booth shot him in the middle of the show and escaped from the playhouse, after which a dramatic manhunt ensued. His crime would not only cost him his life but forever tarnish the name of Booth, which had previously belonged to the nation’s most celebrated theatrical dynasty. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support t...
Aug 02, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 10
John Wilkes Booth hailed from America’s most celebrated theatrical dynasty. At the height of his powers, his father, Junius, ranked as the greatest Shakespearean in the country, and John’s older brothers, Junius and Edwin, also achieved fame. After an unpromising professional debut, John lived up to the family name, rising to stardom. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, however, he eventually left acting and plotted a conspiracy to aid the Confederacy by treasonous means. Show notes and...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Apart from creating exquisite music, goldwork, and statuary under the patronage of Pope Clement VII, among other notables, sixteenth-century Renaissance man Benvenuto Cellini had a special talent for making enemies. One professional rivalry even ended in murder, in the middle of a busy street. After getting imprisoned for a crime he never committed, Cellini found himself the target of a brazen assassination attempt. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd...
Jun 28, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In 1949, a man claiming to be a doctor walked into a Tokyo bank. By the time he walked out, he had stolen 160,000 yen and left ten people dead or dying inside. Given the speed and sophistication of the killings, police assumed they were looking for a trained assassin. Instead, their investigation led to an unassuming landscape painter named Sadamichi Hirasawa. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a pat...
Jun 14, 2023•49 min•Season 2Ep. 7
After serving in WWI, German painter Otto Dix rose to fame in the 1920s partly through his unflinching portrayal of modern warfare and the toll it took on the human body. However, these themes landed him on the blacklist following the Nazi seizure of power in 1933. After a no-name carpenter masterminded—and nearly pulled off—a daring attempt on Hitler’s life in 1939, the Nazis came knocking at Dix’s door, suspecting that he aided the would-be assassin. Show notes and full transcripts available a...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 6
After the assassination of his mother, Agrippina, Nero threw himself into the performing arts like never before, training to become both a musician and a tragic actor. He even toured Greece to compete in its famous sports and arts festivals. As Nero’s megalomania and abuses of office grew more outrageous, however, a group of conspirators plotted his assassination. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a...
May 17, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Nero became emperor of Rome in 54 A.D., largely thanks to the scheming of his mother, Agrippina. The teenaged ruler showed promise early on, yet major flaws swiftly revealed themselves, including an obsession with becoming a musician. As his enemies multiplied, Nero retained power by brutal means. In 59, he ordered one of the most notorious assassinations of the century, inspired by a special effect he saw at the theater. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If...
May 03, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 4
When Valerie Solanas moved to New York in the early-to-mid 1960s, she wanted nothing more than to become a writer. Within a few years, she approached perhaps the most admired—and reviled—artist in the United States, Andy Warhol, proposing that he produce her pipe-bomb of a comedy, Up Your Ass. Though promising at first, their relationship went south, and in 1968, Solanas walked into Warhol’s studio with the intention of shooting him dead. As you can probably tell from this summary alone, this ep...
Apr 19, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 3
A diehard Communist, David Alfaro Siqueiros fought in the Mexican Revolution in the mid-1910s. Over the next several decades, he would revolutionize the theory and practice of muralism in Mexico and abroad, largely inspired by his radical politics. In 1940, his political convictions led to a less honorable enterprise when he spearheaded an assault on the home of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky as he and his family slept in their beds. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrim...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Season 2 of The Art of Crime explores a new theme. Listen to this trailer to find out what it is! Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.
Mar 30, 2023•3 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions! Let me know if you'd like to hear more AMA episodes in the future at [email protected]. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.
Mar 01, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Arthur Conan Doyle rose to fame as the inventor of Sherlock Holmes. Not unlike his literary creation, Doyle had a knack for making inferences about others based on observation alone and even brought that talent to bear on real-life criminal cases. He also weighed in on the Ripper killings, drawing curve-ball conclusions about how the murderer committed his crimes. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a...
Feb 15, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In 1884, the Reverend Samuel Barnett and his wife, Henrietta, founded Toynbee Hall, a charitable institution meant to improve the lives of Whitechapel residents. From its inception, Toynbee Hall offered both arts education and programming. The Ripper’s victims died within walking distance of its doorstep, and Bruce Robinson believes that the Hall was essential to Michael Maybrick’s s plan to get away with murder. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd li...
Feb 01, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In 1913, Marie Belloc Lowndes published her novel, The Lodger, inspired by a story that painter Walter Sickert heard from his landlady. At one point, the heroine attends a farcical inquest, during which a witness offers bogus testimony. This fictional debacle resonates with one of the more bizarre episodes in the Whitechapel murders. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/arto...
Jan 18, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 10
