The Private Life of a Masterpiece (2001-2010) - Season 2 Episodes and Ratings

Painted in 1863 by Edouard Manet , this radical work broke every rule in the book as it irrevocably changed the way nudes were painted. Then, as now, audiences were bemused by the bizarre depiction, fraught with curious detail and quotations from other paintings, prompting many to call it the first piece of art about art. An inspiration to many, Picasso created 180 versions of it.

One of the most widely reproduced images in the world is examined in the second of two films on famous works of art. The Rokeby Venus was painted by Diego Velazquez , court painter to the King of Spain in the 17th century. Described as one of the most erotic paintings ever created, it shows the back view of a woman looking at her reflection in a mirror being held by Cupid. Once forbidden by the Spanish Inquisition, and slashed seven times by a militant suffragette in 1914, today the painting is frequently imitated and admired.