Episode 18: René Magritte, Grayson Perry's 'dead wood' comment, and the National Trust faces fresh scrutiny for looking into colonialism

Bumped back into Lockdown in England we've been whiling away our time engrossed in art documentaries and wishing we were back in the galleries. Toyin Ojih Odutola at the Barbican and Tu Hongtao at Levy Gorvy Gallery particularly caught our interest, whilst the stories of Maggi Hambling, Artemisia Gentileschi and the world's biggest art theft have been on the small screen. Meanwhile, the news doesn't stop and we discuss misconduct allegations at Gagosian Gallery, the closure of Marian Goodman's London gallery, fresh criticism of the National Trust for its research into racism and slavery, and the anger at Grayson Perry's claim that Covid-19 will clear the arts of 'dead wood'. Our Artist Focus this episode is one of the leading surrealists: René Magritte. Instantly recognisable, the Belgian painter is synonymous with the surrealist period of the 1920s and 30s in Europe. We consider whether the mass distribution of his work has now lessened the impact of his work, and the influence Magritte has had on music, pop culture and conceptual art. SHOW NOTES:Toyin Ojih Odutola 'A Countervailing Theory' at the Barbican, until 24 January 2020: https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2020/event/toyin-ojih-odutola-a-countervailing-theoryToyin Ojih Odutola's tantalising drawings tell us stories about ourselves: https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/a-countervailing-theory-at-the-barbican-review-toyin-ojih-odutolas-tantalising-drawings-tell-us-stories-about-ourselves-a4521676.htmlInterview: Artist Toyin Ojih Odutola 'I'm interested in how power dynamics play out': https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/aug/01/artist-toyin-ojih-odutola-through-drawing-i-can-cope-with-racism-sexism-cultural-friction#img-1The Billion Dollar Art Hunt documentary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000nnzl/the-billion-dollar-art-hunt 'The Art of Forgery' by Noah Charney: https://www.phaidon.com/store/art/the-art-of-forgery-9780714867458/Maggi Hambling: Making Love with Paint documentary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nx23Tu Hongtao 'Twisting and Turning' at Levy Gorvy until 24 November 2020: https://www.levygorvy.com/exhibitions/tu-hongtao-twisting-and-turning/Inside Museums: Artemisia Gentileschi: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000ng7w/inside-museums-series-1-4-artemisia-gentileschi Gagosian Gallery Director Sam Orlofsky Terminated Amid Misconduct Investigation: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/sam-orlofksy-terminated-gagosian-misconduct-investigation-1234574899/Anger after Grayson Perry claims Covid will clear arts of 'dead wood':