Lost Art: The Stories of Missing Masterpieces

By: Noah Charney, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Noah Charney

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Imagine a Museum of Lost Art. If this imaginary museum contained just the artwork we knew was lost— whether from theft, purposeful destruction, vandalism, war, or the forces of nature—it would still contain more masterpieces than those in all the world’s current museums combined. Imagine that!

In Lost Art: The Stories of Missing Masterpieces, art historian Noah Charney guides you through just such an imaginary museum. In 12 fascinating lectures accompanied by stunning graphics, you will hear the stories behind the theft and/or destruction of some of the world’s most famous pieces of art. From the 21st-century Taliban’s iconoclastic destruction of the 500-year-old Buddha Statues at Bamiyan to the earthquake that felled the Colossus of Rhodes in 226 BCE, no one knows how many great works of art have been destroyed or lost throughout history. Only very few have ever resurfaced.

In this course you will learn about dozens of pieces of art whose whereabout are completely unknown at this time, including:

• Paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The biggest art heist in modern history occurred in Boston on March 18, 1990, when 13 paintings were stolen from the Gardner Museum. The FBI values the works by Vermeer and Manet, among others, at $500 million. Some believe the mafia was involved. The museum is still asking the public for leads.

• Nativity by Caravaggio. One of the most notorious and long-running unsolved thefts in 1969, this Caravaggio painting was stolen from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo, Sicily, and it has continued to appear on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Art list since. Current thinking is that the Sicilian mafia was behind the theft and still has possession of it.

• Hanging Gardens of Babylon. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were noted for their architecture, engineering, and the beauty of the plants themselves. The only problem is that no one can find them, not even a reliable trace. Were they simply a matter of fantasy?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

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Fascinating series, but flawed last lecture?

The series is absolutely incredible, thoughtfully organized and compellingly told. But the final lecture has two instances of word-for-word repetition of sections, first about Salvator Mundi and later about the Next Rembrandt Project. A little bizarre, and a departure from the exquisite quality of the rest of the series and Great Courses lectures generally.

Great Content -- Awkward Narration

Huge respect for this Yale professor's knowledge and experience. Sadly, his reading and enunciation skills are lacking, and repeatedly distracting from the content. This would have been 5 Stars across the board if a professional narrator had been hired. Great content. Difficult listening.