5x15 Special: What Makes a Masterpiece? Lachlan Goudie & Simon Schama

Lachlan Goudie is an artist whose work is regularly exhibited in London, Edinburgh and New York. In addition to painting, Lachlan is also a writer and Arts broadcaster. In 2015 Lachlan wrote and presented the landmark BBC TV series ‘The Story of Scottish Art’. He has presented numerous other arts documentaries for the BBC, appeared as a judge across four series of BBC1’s ‘Big Painting Challenge’ and was the presenter of BBC4’s ‘Life Drawing Live!’ (2020, 2021). Lachlan has been nominated for awards at BAFTA and the Royal Television Society Scotland. Lachlan’s first book, The Story of Scottish Art, was published by Thames & Hudson in September 2020. His latest book is The Secrets of Painting, which charts how the evolution of painting materials has changed the course of human creativity.

Sir Simon Schama is an art historian and art critic. He has written over twenty books including The Power of Art (2007), Rembrandt’s Eyes (1999) and Landscape and Memory (1995). He has presented more than fifty films on Art and History for the BBC, including the landmark series on the history of world art, Civilisations. His BBC series The Power of Art won an International Emmy for the film on Bernini. Schama’s journalism has appeared regularly in The New Yorker, The Guardian and The Financial Times, where he is a contributing editor. He is currently University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University.