Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
American Masters Season 32 Episodes
Season 32 Episode Guide
8 Episodes 2018 - 2018
Episode 1
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart
Fri, Jan 19, 2018
The life and work of playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry, and her role in the civil rights movement.
Episode 3
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Fri, May 18, 2018
This episode page reflects the reshowing of the original title Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017) as part of the American Masters Series
Episode 4
Ted Williams: "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived"
Mon, Jul 23, 201857 mins
Ted Williams, the iconic Hall of Fame hitter, fighter pilot and fisherman, will have his life profiled in the renowned American Masters Documentary series on PBS in a documentary that will premiere in the summer of 2018, the 100th anniversary of the Splendid Splinter's birth. Williams will be the first baseball player to be profiled with an American Masters documentary. The series started in 1986 and has won 28 Emmy Awards. David Ortiz's company -- Big Papi Productions -- is helping to co-produce the film along with Major League Baseball, Albert M. Tapper and Nick Davis Productions.
Episode 5
Eva Hesse
Fri, Aug 31, 2018
As the wild ride of the 1960s came to a close, Eva Hesse, a 34 year-old German-born American artist was cresting the wave of a swiftly rising career. One of the few women recognized as central to the New York art scene, she had over 20 group shows scheduled for 1970 in addition to being chosen for a cover article in ArtForum Magazine. Her inventive sculptures were finally receiving both the critical and commercial attention they deserved. When she died May 1970 from a brain tumor, the life of one of that decades' most passionate and brilliant artists was tragically cut short. American Masters deepens the understanding of this extraordinary artist, not only in terms of her innovative work with fiberglass and latex, but also the life that provided the fertile soil for her achievements. Through dozens of new interviews, Hesse's artwork and a wealth of newly discovered archival imagery, the documentary traces Hesse's path and delves deep into the creative communities of 1960s New York and Germany. Written and directed by Marcie Begleiter.
Episode 6
Everybody Knows... Elizabeth Murray
Fri, Sep 7, 2018
This intimate portrait of maverick painter and print-maker Elizabeth Murray explores the relationship between her family life and career, and reconsiders her place in contemporary art history.
Episode 7
Wyeth
Fri, Sep 7, 201887 mins
Wyeth tells the story of one of America's most popular, but least understood, artists - Andrew Wyeth. Son of the famous illustrator N.C. Wyeth, Andrew had his first exhibition at age 20, and his painting "Christina's World" was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in 1948. While Wyeth's exhibitions routinely broke attendance records, art world critics continually assaulted his work. Detailing the stunning drawings and powerful portraits he created in Chadds Ford, Pa., and on the coast of Cushing, Maine, Wyeth explores his inspirations, including neighbor Christina Olsen and his hidden muse, the German model Helga Testorf, who he painted secretly for 15 years. Through unprecedented access to Wyeth's family members, including sons Jamie and Nicholas Wyeth, and never-before-seen archival materials from the family's personal collection and hundreds of Wyeth's studies, drawings and paintings, American Masters presents the most complete portrait of the artist yet - bearing witness to a legacy just at the moment it is evolving.
Episode 8
Basquiat: Rage to Riches
Fri, Sep 14, 201853 mins
One of the most influential American artists of the 20th century, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a rock star of the early '80s New York art scene. He lived fast, died young and created thousands of drawings and paintings. It took less than a decade for Basquiat, an accountant's son from Brooklyn, to go from anonymous graffiti writer known as SAMO© to an epoch-defining art star. Today, Basquiat is in the top tier of the international art market along with Picasso, de Kooning, and Francis Bacon. 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of Basquiat's untimely death from a heroin overdose. In death, he has emerged as one of the most important artists of his generation and now exhibits in museums all over the world. American Masters - Basquiat: Rage to Riches features exclusive interviews with Basquiat's two sisters, Lisane and Jeanine, who have never before spoken about their brother and his art for a television documentary. With striking candor, art world colleagues, including dealers Bruno Bischofberger, Larry Gagosian and Mary Boone, and Basquiat's most intimate friends, lovers and fellow artists draw a portrait of a handsome, charismatic and fragile personality - also divulging the cash, drugs and pernicious racism that he encountered. The main weapon Basquiat used to fight prejudice was his art. A game changer, his painting embodied and reflected breakthroughs in music, poetry and a new type of expressionism in modern art. Directed and produced by David Shulman.
Episode 9
Itzhak
Sun, Oct 14, 201881 mins
This inspiring new documentary provides an intimate and unprecedented look into the remarkable life of Itzhak Perlman, widely considered the world's greatest violinist.
