The Private Life of a Masterpiece (2001-2010) - Season 1 Episodes and Ratings

First of two films on the stories behind famous artworks. This documentary traces the eventful existence of Edvard Munch's notorious piece, from its late-19th-century origins to its present-day significance. A disturbing image of an androgynous screaming figure, the work has nonetheless become one of the world's most familiar and reproduced pictures. Artist Tracey Emin is among those who testify to its continuing power.

It is one of art's most noted pieces, but it took failures by two sculptors before Michelangelo Buonarroti completed the work in the early 16th century. This documentary reveals the techniques Michelangelo used to re-create the human body so accurately on such a vast scale, and how contrasting interpretations view it as a symbol of either military might or of freedom.