Andrew Graham-Dixon

Acting

Andrew Graham-Dixon

Born

1960-12-26 (65)

Place of birth

London, England

Known for

Acting

Credits

42 titles

Andrew Graham-Dixon is a British art historian, art critic, author, and broadcaster, known for his work as a chief art critic for major newspapers and for presenting art documentaries on the BBC. He has written several books on art, including biographies of Caravaggio and Vermeer.

Known for

Pointless Celebrities poster
6.3

Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a celebrity version of the general knowledge quiz in which contestants try to come up with the answers that nobody else could think of.

Pointless Celebrities

2011

The Culture Show poster
6.7

A weekly BBC Two magazine programme focusing on the best of the week's arts and culture news, covering books, art, film, architecture and more.

The Culture Show

2004

Sicily Unpacked poster
NR

TV art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon and Michelin starred chef Giorgio Locatelli take us on a delightful journey around their beloved Sicily. Sharing a passion for all things Sicilian they make the perfect travel partners. We accompany them to the heart of the island as they introduce each other to the things they love most. Exploring the island through each other s eyes and hearts, they reveal how the layers of history have created a unique blend of art and architecture. As well as the pleasures of an intense and vibrant culture, they experience the sadness the island has come through and the strength of the Sicilian people as they rose up and challenged the Mafia. Together they document how the various conquering forces and the rich variety of different heritages have helped to shape both the food and the culture of this beautiful Mediterranean island.

Sicily Unpacked

2012

Italy Unpacked poster
NR

British art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon and Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli explore the varied regions of Italy, sharing with each other their knowledge of the country's culture and cuisine.

Italy Unpacked

2013

Rome Unpacked poster
NR

Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli's latest Italian adventure brings them to Rome in search of the greatest food and art that they can find off the beaten track.

Rome Unpacked

2018

The High Art of the Low Countries poster
NR

This 3 part series is presented by the British Art Critic, Andrew Graham-Dixon. He explores the Low Countries of the Netherlands and Belgium and how history has influenced the area's art, architecture and culture. Cloth was used in the area's first expression of art in the making of tapestries going back to the 14 th century. They were the No. 1 luxury item of the day. The Low Countries were well placed geographically for markets for their art.

The High Art of the Low Countries

2013

Film credits

2020s · 3 titles

2010s · 8 titles

Secrets of the Mona Lisa poster
7.2

This landmark film uses new evidence to investigate the truth behind Mona Lisa's identity and where she lived. It decodes centuries-old documents and uses state-of-the-art technology that could unlock the long-hidden truths of history's most iconic work of art.

Secrets of the Mona Lisa

2015

Treasures of Heaven poster
NR

Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the ancient Christian practice of preserving holy relics and the largely forgotten art form that went with it, the reliquary. Fragments of bone or fabric placed inside a bejewelled shrine, a sculpted golden head or even a life-sized silver hand were, and still are, objects of religious devotion believed to have the power to work miracles. The documentary features interviews with art historian Sister Wendy Beckett and Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum.

Treasures of Heaven

2011

Van Meegeren: The Forger Who Fooled the Nazis poster
NR

Andrew Graham-Dixon investigates the story of the 20th century's greatest art forger, Han van Meegeren, who made millions during World War II selling fake Vermeers in Nazi-occupied Holland.

Van Meegeren: The Forger Who Fooled the Nazis

2019

Apples, Pears and Paint: How to Make a Still Life Painting poster
8.5

The history of still life painting with oil paints

Apples, Pears and Paint: How to Make a Still Life Painting

2014

I Never Tell Anybody Anything: The Life and Art of Edward Burra poster
NR

Edward Burra (1905-76) was one of the most elusive British artists of the 20th century. Long underrated, his reputation has been suddenly rehabilitated, with the first major retrospective of his work for 25 years taking place in 2011 and record-breaking prices being paid for his work at auction. In this film, the first serious documentary about Edward Burra made for television, leading art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the remarkable story of his life. It follows Burra from his native town of Rye to the jazz clubs of prohibition-era New York, to the war-torn landscapes of the Spanish Civil War and back to England during the Blitz. It shows how Burra's increasingly disturbing and surreal work deepened and matured as he experienced at first hand some of the most tragic events of the century. Through letters and interviews with those who knew him, it paints an entertaining portrait of a true English eccentric.

I Never Tell Anybody Anything: The Life and Art of Edward Burra

2011

Stealing Van Gogh poster
7.0

Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon uncovers the truth behind the greatest art heist of the 21st century. In December 2002, two priceless paintings were stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in a brutal and audacious robbery.

Stealing Van Gogh

2018

Art of America poster
NR

Andrew Graham-Dixon, a leading UK art critic, crosses the Atlantic to explore the story of American art.

Art of America

2011

Who Killed Caravaggio? poster
NR

An investigation into the life and death of the great Baroque artist Caravaggio, who died in 1610 aged only 39 after a life full of violent incident. Art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon travels from Rome to Naples, then to Sicily and Malta, where Caravaggio died four years after being exiled from Rome for killing a man in a street fight.

Who Killed Caravaggio?

2010

2000s · 4 titles

Series credits

Pointless Celebrities poster
6.3

Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a celebrity version of the general knowledge quiz in which contestants try to come up with the answers that nobody else could think of.

Pointless Celebrities

2011

The Culture Show poster
6.7

A weekly BBC Two magazine programme focusing on the best of the week's arts and culture news, covering books, art, film, architecture and more.

The Culture Show

2004

Sicily Unpacked poster
NR

TV art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon and Michelin starred chef Giorgio Locatelli take us on a delightful journey around their beloved Sicily. Sharing a passion for all things Sicilian they make the perfect travel partners. We accompany them to the heart of the island as they introduce each other to the things they love most. Exploring the island through each other s eyes and hearts, they reveal how the layers of history have created a unique blend of art and architecture. As well as the pleasures of an intense and vibrant culture, they experience the sadness the island has come through and the strength of the Sicilian people as they rose up and challenged the Mafia. Together they document how the various conquering forces and the rich variety of different heritages have helped to shape both the food and the culture of this beautiful Mediterranean island.

Sicily Unpacked

2012

Italy Unpacked poster
NR

British art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon and Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli explore the varied regions of Italy, sharing with each other their knowledge of the country's culture and cuisine.

Italy Unpacked

2013

Rome Unpacked poster
NR

Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli's latest Italian adventure brings them to Rome in search of the greatest food and art that they can find off the beaten track.

Rome Unpacked

2018

The High Art of the Low Countries poster
NR

This 3 part series is presented by the British Art Critic, Andrew Graham-Dixon. He explores the Low Countries of the Netherlands and Belgium and how history has influenced the area's art, architecture and culture. Cloth was used in the area's first expression of art in the making of tapestries going back to the 14 th century. They were the No. 1 luxury item of the day. The Low Countries were well placed geographically for markets for their art.

The High Art of the Low Countries

2013

A History of British Art poster
8.0

Six-part series tracing the history of British art from 1066 to the modern day, written and presented by Andrew Graham-Dixon.

A History of British Art

1996

Art, Passion & Power: The Story of the Royal Collection poster
7.0

In a major new series, Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the history of the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important art collections in the world, built up over 500 years.

Art, Passion & Power: The Story of the Royal Collection

2018

Art of China poster
8.3

Andrew Graham-Dixon undertakes an epic journey to uncover the art of China.

Art of China

2014

British Art at War: Bomberg, Sickert and Nash poster
NR

Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the story of how three British artists responded to the cataclysm of World War One.

British Art at War: Bomberg, Sickert and Nash

2014

The Art of Gothic: Britain's Midnight Hour poster
7.0

Andrew Graham-Dixon explores how a group of 19th-century architects and artists spurned the modern age and turned to Britain's medieval past to create iconic works and buildings.

The Art of Gothic: Britain's Midnight Hour

2014

Art of Spain poster
6.7

Art of Spain is a BBC Four documentary series on Spanish art presented by Andrew Graham-Dixon. It consists of three one-hour episodes, and premiered on 31 January 2008.

Art of Spain

2008

Art of Eternity poster
NR

How should art depict the relationship between man and God? How can art best express eternal values? Can you, and should you, portray the face of Christ? For over a thousand years these were some of the questions which taxed the minds of the greatest artists of the early West. In this three-part series, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon sets out to unravel the mysteries of the art of the pre-perspective era. Why has this world been so frequently misunderstood and underrated? His journey takes him from the mysterious catacombs of ancient Rome to Coptic Egypt, to the Orthodox Christian world of Istanbul and then onwards to medieval Italy and France. This programme was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2007, and later repeated on BBC Two.

Art of Eternity

2007

The Art of Russia poster
8.0

Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon travels through time to unlock the world of Russian art.

The Art of Russia

2009

Art of Germany poster
8.0

In an absorbing study, Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the story of a national art that conveys passion, precision, hope and renewal. He juxtaposes escapism with control and a deep affinity with nature against love for the machine. The fascinating story takes us from the towering cathedral of Cologne, the woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer and paintings of Grünewald to the gothic fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, the Baltic landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich and the industrialisation lent expression of Adolph Menzel and Käthe Kollwitz. As the series progresses, it presents a rare focus on the cultural impact of Hitler's obsession with visual art, reveals how art became an arena for the Cold War and examines the redemptive work of the "visionary" Joseph Beuys – the most influential artist of modern times.

Art of Germany

2010

Art of France poster
7.0

Andrew Graham-Dixon examines the history of French art, revealing how it emerged from a struggle between tradition and revolution, and rulers and citizens. He compresses centuries of culture into three thematically linked chapters.

Art of France

2017

Art of Scandinavia poster
8.0

Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the history of Scandinavia through its art.

Art of Scandinavia

2016

Art of America poster
6.0

Andrew Graham-Dixon embarks on his most ambitious journey yet, an exploration of the rich, exciting and diverse art history of the United States of America

Art of America

2011

Behind the camera

Andy Goldsworthy in Conversation with Andrew Graham-Dixon poster
NR

Filmed entirely on-site at the National Galleries of Scotland during Goldsworthy's monumental 2025 retrospective, Andy Goldsworthy: 50 Years, this compelling film captures an exclusive, deeply personal dialogue between the world-renowned land artist and the acclaimed art historian, author, and broadcaster. The documentary offers an unprecedented look behind the scenes of Goldsworthy’s largest and most ambitious indoor exhibition. Surrounded by new installations created specifically for the show, the pair explore the core environmental philosophies, fleeting natural materials, and creative ideas that have defined the artist's extraordinary half-century career.

Andy Goldsworthy in Conversation with Andrew Graham-Dixon

2026

Van Meegeren: The Forger Who Fooled the Nazis poster
NR

Andrew Graham-Dixon investigates the story of the 20th century's greatest art forger, Han van Meegeren, who made millions during World War II selling fake Vermeers in Nazi-occupied Holland.

Van Meegeren: The Forger Who Fooled the Nazis

2019

Rossetti: Sex, Drugs and Oil Paint poster
NR

Andrew Graham-Dixon considers the work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the painter and poet who reinvented the Victorian ideal of female beauty... and who dug up his wife's coffin to retrieve poems he had buried with her. (2003)

Rossetti: Sex, Drugs and Oil Paint

2003

I Never Tell Anybody Anything: The Life and Art of Edward Burra poster
NR

Edward Burra (1905-76) was one of the most elusive British artists of the 20th century. Long underrated, his reputation has been suddenly rehabilitated, with the first major retrospective of his work for 25 years taking place in 2011 and record-breaking prices being paid for his work at auction. In this film, the first serious documentary about Edward Burra made for television, leading art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the remarkable story of his life. It follows Burra from his native town of Rye to the jazz clubs of prohibition-era New York, to the war-torn landscapes of the Spanish Civil War and back to England during the Blitz. It shows how Burra's increasingly disturbing and surreal work deepened and matured as he experienced at first hand some of the most tragic events of the century. Through letters and interviews with those who knew him, it paints an entertaining portrait of a true English eccentric.

I Never Tell Anybody Anything: The Life and Art of Edward Burra

2011

Hogarth's Progress poster
NR

Satirical, critical, talented – William Hogarth was one of the most original British artists of the 18th Century. The son of a poor schoolmaster made a name for himself as a portraitist and became best known for his satirical etchings. In strange and graphic tales, such as A Harlot's Progress, he denounced the social and political injustices of his time. Often pirated, Hogarth fought for the first image copyright law. Together with illustrators and writers from today, Andrew Graham-Dixon explores Hogarth's birth city London and recounts the life and work of a man who is regarded as the forerunner of modern caricature.

Hogarth's Progress

1997

The Medici: Makers of Modern Art poster
8.0

Documentary in which Andrew Graham-Dixon reveals how the Medici family transformed Florence through sculpture, painting, and architecture and created a world where masterpieces fetch millions today.

The Medici: Makers of Modern Art

2008