The BBC announced its autumn arts programming schedule today (6 September), which features several significant visual arts strands including Christie’s at 250, a two-part series which will “chart the drama and excitement of this crucial [anniversary] year with a compelling cast of movers and shakers in the global art market”, a press statement says. A special edition of the Artsnight series focusing on Robert Rauschenberg coincides with the highly anticipated Tate Modern retrospective in December. Another Artsnight episode, which has the working title What has the Turner Prize ever done for us?, should lift the lid on the UK’s most provocative contemporary art prize. “It hears from the winners, nominees and judges to find out what the history of the prize can tell us about our relationship to the relevance and purpose of contemporary art,” the statement adds (The Art Newspaper understands, meanwhile, that the shortlisted artists this year, including Anthea Hamilton, will feature in the BBC’s popular TV slot, What do artists do all day?). Earlier this year, the BBC announced that “the [Turner Prize] partnership is a three-year commitment which will see the BBC support the award across a range of its outlets including BBC Arts, BBC Online and BBC World Service”. The prizegiving ceremony was previously broadcast on Channel 4.
