The Object

Epizódok

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  Lessons of The Odyssey: How to Live Forever (or Die Trying) 17.08.2026 24p

  Back when The Odyssey was written down, some 2,700 years ago, the greatest thing you could do in life was to die. A glorious death in battle was the path to immortality for, well, mortals. An idea that resurfaces throughout history until fairly recently—when it meets its match in a war of many deaths and little glory. Whether you've seen the new Odyssey film with Matt Damon or not, this episode will give a sense of the central conflict—to seek glory abroad or comfort at home. You can see the "Kiss of Victory" sculpture that kicks off the episode, and launched the career of Sir Alfred Gilbert, here in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  Also, SAVE THE DATE: Our next live taping of The Object podcast will be November 15 at 2 p.m. in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium of the Minneapolis Institute of Art with special musical guest Chastity Brown! Featuring quizzes, curator conversation, music, and storytelling all about the women artists and writers of the Harlem Renaissance on its 100th anniversary.  Learn more about The Object LIVE!, our series of live podcast tapings here. 
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  The Horse that Changed the World 03.08.2026 19p

  Even when horses were transportation, they were also transportive, inspiring poetry and art and sometimes war. Here, in the Year of the Horse, we recount the incredible saga of the so-called Celestial Horse, a breed from central Asia that seemed to represent everything good about this world and the next, driving a Chinese emperor mad with envy and sending tens of thousands of men to their doom. A story of power and beauty and the eternal wish for immortality. You can see a bronze statue of the Celestial Horse through August 9 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in "Year of the Horse: Hoofbeats Through Time" in the Bell Family Decorative Arts Court. Also, SAVE THE DATE: Our next live taping of The Object podcast will be November 15 at 2 p.m. in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium of the Minneapolis Institute of Art with special musical guest Chastity Brown! Featuring quizzes, curator conversation, music, and storytelling all about the women artists and writers of the Harlem Renaissance on its 100th anniversary.  Learn more about The Object LIVE!, our series of live podcast tapings here. 
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  Encore Episode: The Painting of Endless Summer 20.07.2026 23p

  Santiago Rusiñol is a newly married heir to a Barcelona textile fortune when he decides to become an artist in Paris instead, in the 1880s, influencing Picasso and inventing a new vocabulary for modern art. But when he comes across an idyllic seaside village back in Spain, he starts to paint an ideal life, including a quiet, summery patio you’d want to move into and never leave. And then he paints more patios and gardens until his quest for meaning becomes a question: What are we running from? Can we ever be satisfied with what already exists? You can see one of Rusiñol's stunning patio pictures, recently acquired by the Minneapolis Institute of Art, in gallery 355, the perfect ode to summer escape. You’ll also find free summer programs at Mia every week through September, including outdoor concerts, food trucks, art-making, and more. Check out the calendar at Artsmia.org. Follow The Object wherever you listen to podcasts, leave us a review (they really get read and they really help!) and subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Two Poets Go To Hell 06.07.2026 23p

  It is one of the greatest artworks of the Italian Renaissance, and for the better part of a century it was rolled up in storage. A tapestry—the art form of popes, kings, and emperors—bigger than any painting that has ever come to America from 16th-century Italy. Made in the famous Medici gardens where the Renaissance was nurtured. Hidden away at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Until now. A story of power and glory, luck and determination—and Dante and Virgil, the two poets of "The Inferno" poised at the brink of hell in the tapestry. (Oh, and Beatrice, Dante's muse—she manages to get in the story, too.) A tapestry that is once again on view for a few months only. Until back to storage it goes. A big thank-you to Max Bryant, curator of European decorative art at Mia, who tells us of his incredible discovery, why tapestry is underrated, and more. You can see the tapestry from July 11, 2026, through January 31, 2027, in "Back from the Underworld" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  And you can read more about Dante and Virgil's hellish meeting at Beatrice's behest in a fine analysis here by poet and scholar Diane Mehta.  
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  The Woman in Black 22.06.2026 28p

  Journalist Eric Kelsey was already familiar with "Sonja," the enigmatic portrait sometimes called the German Mona Lisa: a woman in black with short hair and cigarettes, sitting in a cafe. An iconic image of free-spirited Weimar Berlin almost since it was painted by Christian Schad in 1928. Then he realized who she really was.  Kelsey has now spent years researching his connection to "Sonja" and the dramatic true story of a life of luck and love, cruelty and tragedy, as Weimar Germany gave way to Nazi Germany. A story of the individual human dramas behind big history—and who gets to tell them when the private becomes public.  "Sonja" is the face of the groundbreaking traveling exhibition "Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945: Masterworks from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin".  You can see her—and more than 70 other paintings and sculptures from the National Gallery of Germany—at the Minneapolis Institute of Art through July 19, 2026.  Wherever you're listening, subscribe so you never miss an episode. 
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  The Object LIVE! Talk Dürer to Me! 08.06.2026 58p

  This electrifying, sold-out live show of The Object podcast was recorded May 21, 2026, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art with host Tim Gihring and very special musical guests from the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers with Philip Brunelle conducting and playing the virginal (we had the same question; you'll have to listen to find out). It's a celebration of the 555th birthday of Albrecht Dürer, with quizzes, storytelling, and curator conversation all about the greatest printmaker of the Renaissance—maybe of all time. Brunelle became a church organist at age 14, was one of the youngest musicians hired by the Minnesota Orchestra, and has led the VocalEssence choir—one of the country's most decorated—since 1969. Here, he leads a quartet in songs from Dürer's time and place, plays a quiz, and talks about his life in music. Mia Director and President Katie Luber explains why she has long been enamored of Dürer and the Renaissance. And Gihring tells the story of Dürer's remarkable life and art. A big thank-you to Brunelle, the VocalEssence quartet (Katie Boardman, Cat Terres, Andy McCullough, and David Gindra), and show runner Dexter Carlson, who donned a Tyrolean loden hat and made the magic happen for one of our most engaging shows yet. Please note: the musical segment was performed as acoustically as possible to maintain the historic nature of the work, so you may have to bump the volume up at that time. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts (press the + sign on Apple Podcasts) and ensure you never miss an episode! Leave us a review, give us some stars, and watch for more live tapings soon!
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  Encore Episode: What Happened to the First Gay Art Star? 26.05.2026 24p

  Simeon Solomon—bold, dashing, and openly gay—is a rising star in the Victorian art world when a scandal in 1873 supposedly forces him into obscurity, a cautionary tale for fans like Oscar Wilde. But the truth is more complicated and only now coming to light, revealing the fate of this forgotten figure as both more tragic and more inspiring. You can see an “allegorical self-portrait” here, from the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. You can see his haunting masterwork “Love in Autumn” here. 
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  The Return of the Owl 11.05.2026 21p

  In the 1940s, an heir to the Pillsbury flour fortune acquires an ancient Chinese bronze vessel, thousands of years old, in the form of an extremely charming owl. An instant visitor favorite at the Minneapolis Institute of Art—until, a couple of years ago, it falls from its perch. A story of the things we carry through time, what survives and what does not, and the recent miraculous resurrection of the Pillsbury Owl. You can see the charismatic owl here, in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and now once again on display in the museum itself. You can read more about oracle bones, an ancient fortune-telling practice that plays an important role in this story, here. Leave us a review, in stars or words, wherever you listen—it really does mean a lot. And please subscribe so you never miss an episode!
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  Encore Episode: The Photographer in Hitler's Bath 27.04.2026 23p

  When World War II begins, Lee Miller is one of the most sought-after women in the world—a celebrated model, an irresistible muse, and an emerging photographer in her own right. So why does she trade the high life for the front line, risking everything to become the only female photojournalist allowed in combat? You can see photographs of Lee Miller in her modeling days—and photographs taken by Miller—here in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. You can read more about Miller in this recent New York Times profile based on a huge new retrospective of her work at the Tate in London: "The 9 Lives of Lee Miller." You can explore more art from the World War II era in "Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945," a special exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, through July 19, 2026.  Tickets are now *sold out* for the next live taping of The Object podcast on May 21, 2026, at 7 p.m. at our home museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art. BUT walk-ups are welcome, no cost, for general admission: simply come a little early, grab a seat and enjoy the show. It's “The Object LIVE! Talk Dürer to Me!” with musical guests Philip Brunelle and members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, curator conversation with Mia Director Katie Luber, quizzes, and of course storytelling. An irreverent romp through the Renaissance, featuring the art and life of the groundbreaking painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer on his 555th birthday. 
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  The Exile Who Never Left 13.04.2026 29p

  In the early 1930s, Max Beckmann is the biggest thing in Germany, the übermensch of art with his larger-than-life paintings and ego to match, peering over a champagne glass at the beautiful free spirits in the cabarets. But when Hitler takes over, Beckmann is in his crosshairs, forced to choose between creative freedom and the country he loves. An epic story of war and resilience, the sweep of history and the struggle to realize our destiny. You can see some of Beckmann’s biggest, most electrifying work in the special exhibition “Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945: Masterworks from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin,” on view at Mia through July 19.  Tickets are now *sold out* for the next live taping of The Object podcast on May 21, 2026, at 7 p.m. at our home museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art. BUT walk-ups are welcome, no cost, for general admission: simply come a little early, grab a seat and enjoy the show. It's “The Object LIVE! Talk Dürer to Me!” with musical guests Philip Brunelle and members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, curator conversation with Mia Director Katie Luber, quizzes, and of course storytelling. An irreverent romp through the Renaissance, featuring the art and life of the groundbreaking painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer on his 555th birthday. 
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  Encore Episode: The Ghost of Hokusai 30.03.2026 25p

  It is the stuff of legend: Claude Monet discovers Japanese art in the late 1800s, something clicks, and he goes on to become the most famous artist in the world. But one of his greatest influences on the other side of the earth is a mystery, the artist behind the “great wave” and hundreds of other iconic images. The artist who calls himself Hokusai (at least for a time)—and won't be nearly as lucky as Monet. You can see one of Monet’s paintings of the Japanese footbridge he built at Giverny here, in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. You can see hundreds of Hokusai’s prints in the collection, including the “great wave,” here. BIG NEWS! A new series of The Object LIVE!, our free live tapings of The Object podcast begins May 21 with "Talk Dürer to Me!" With fun quizzes, music, and of course storytelling, all about the quirky German genius Albrecht Dürer—on his 555th birthday—and the splendid weirdness of the Renaissance. Recorded live in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium at our home museum in Minneapolis. Tickets are absolutely free but you do need to have them, available starting April 21 on the Tickets page at Artsmia.org.
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  The Other Monet 16.03.2026 28p

  It's the Season 8 premiere! Claude Monet, by the 1900s, is the most famous artist in the world, a singular genius (if not exactly genial). But there is another Monet: Blanche Hoschedé Monet. The only artist Claude Monet takes under his wing—and almost completely forgotten, until now. A story of what it means to be an artist, and what happens when your story is not your own. You can see Hoschedé Monet's 1888 Snow Effect landscape, recently acquired by the Minneapolis Institute of Art, here.  BIG NEWS! A new series of The Object LIVE!, our free live tapings of The Object podcast begins May 21 with "Talk Dürer to Me!" With fun quizzes, music, and of course storytelling, all about the quirky German genius Albrecht Dürer—on his 555th birthday—and the splendid weirdness of the Renaissance. Recorded live in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium at our home museum in Minneapolis. Tickets are absolutely FREE, available starting April 21 at Artsmia.org. Leave us a review wherever you listen and subscribe so you never miss an episode as Season 8 gets rolling.
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  Encore Episode: Finding Fanny, the Model who Disappeared 09.03.2026 30p

  New season begins March 16! Now, an encore episode that was our most popular story a few seasons ago. About a woman who was once of the most recognizable  in the world, her long copper hair filling painting after painting, even if few people knew her name: Fanny Cornforth. Model, muse, and mistress to the most influential artists of the Victorian era, who she still had to fight for everything she got. Until, in the end, she lost the one thing she could count on for sure: herself. You can see her in this 1868 painting, "I know a maiden fair to see," in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  Subscribe now so you never miss an episode of the upcoming season, leave us a review, and visit our home museum if you're in the Twin Cities area: the Minneapolis Institute of Art, now showing "Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945." 
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  Fireside Stories: Bursting, Twisting, Sticking, Spilling 23.02.2026 15p

  Season 8 of The Object begins March 16! All-new episodes, bonus content, and more about the almost famous, the nearly lost, and more surprising true stories at the intersection of art and history. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode! Now, enjoy the second in our bonus series of Fireside Stories: The incredible, fast, and forgotten life of painter Bob Thompson. The original Basquiat, seeming to come out of nowhere with sold-out shows of his colorful remixes of Old Masters. Riding with the Beat poets in the race to live all of life all at once. And leaving behind several lifetimes' worth of work—in just a few years. You can see Thompson's Homage to Nina Simone, a reimagining of Nicolas Poussin's Bacchanal with Lute-Player, from about 1630, in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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  The Object LOVE! Don't Go Breaking My Art! 12.02.2026 50p

  This rollicking, sold-out live show of The Object podcast was recorded February 7, 2026, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art with host Tim Gihring and musical guest jeremy messersmith. It's our Valentine's show, with quizzes, storytelling, and curator conversation all about the gods in—and often out of—love.  Messersmith, a NPR Tiny Desk alum whose new song F••• This has become a viral hit, performs a choice selection of tunes about our tragicomic relationship with the heart, plays a quiz, and talks about the ideal love song. European art curator Rachel McGarry explains why we remain enamored of classical myths. And Gihring spins a story of Eros and Psyche across thousands of years. A big thank-you to messersmith, McGarry, and show runner Dexter Carlson, who donned an inflatable plastic cupid-bear costume for her welcome remarks that probably should have remained petroleum.  Our season 8 premiere is just weeks away in mid-March! Subscribe so you never miss an episode and keep an eye out for the next live taping sometime in May. 
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  Encore Episode: The Curious Celebrity of God's Sculptor 09.02.2026 19p

  One month to go until the new season of The Object premieres! Subscribe so you don't miss it, and in the meantime enjoy bonus and encore episodes like this one from early in The Object archives. William Edmondson is a middle-aged laborer in Nashville, Tennessee, at the height of the Great Depression, when God tells him to carve a tombstone. Soon, he's the first African American artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York. But his celebrity is strangely short-lived, and only much later does the real story of his rise and fall from the heights of the art world come to light. You can see one of his many sculptures of a ram, of the Dorset sheep variety local to Tennessee, in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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  Encore Episode: A Woman Called Wanda 26.01.2026 23p

  Free tickets are going fast for the next live taping of The Object podcast with special guest jeremy messersmith on February 7 in Mia’s historic Pillsbury Auditorium. A Valentine's show with jeremy performing live, storytelling, and "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" style quizzes, all about the art of love. It’s The Object LIVE!—everything you love about the podcast, live on stage. Reserve your free tickets here or at the Tickets page at artsmia.org. Now on with the show: Wanda Gág was the original celebrity cat mom. The talented, bob-sporting, fiercely independent illustrator and author of Millions of Cats, a book that essentially invented the children’s genre and made her famous. She was every woman who liked men just fine but refused to build her life around them. Guest host Lizzi Ginsberg looks back at the surprising life and work she did create in the 1920s and ’30s, as she moved between Minnesota and New York. You can see Gág’s marvelous self-portrait now on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, along with Roaring Twenties art in “Gatsby at 100.” And many other prints by her in the collection.
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  Fireside Stories: The Gods of Compassion 15.01.2026 10p

  Free tickets are going fast for our next live taping of The Object podcast with special guest musician Jeremy Messersmith, quizzes, and storytelling—all about the art of love. February 7 at 2PM in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium at our home museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art. A place to come together in love, beauty, and reflection. Get tickets and details at the Tickets page at Artsmia.org. Now on with the show: Given the start to this year, we’re trying something—a series of bonus episodes called Fireside Stories. Slow down, get comfortable, and enjoy a short, reflective, AMSR-filled episode on the “gods of compassion,” the bodhisattvas who put others’ needs above their own, even if it means delaying their own nirvana. There are quite a number of bodhisattvas on view right now at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in the special exhibition “Royal Bronzes: Cambodian Art of the Divine,” on view through January 18.
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  Letter from Van Gogh: A New Year's Minisode 07.01.2026 11p

  Big news: Free tickets are now available starting January 7 at 9:30 a.m. (CST) for the next live taping of The Object podcast. It's our Valentine's show on February 7 at 2 p.m. with special guest musician jeremy messersmith in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  The Object LOVE! Don't Go Breaking My Art! will include fun quizzes and prizes, music, curator conversation, and of course storytelling, all about the comedy and tragedy of the heart in love. It's an irreverent romp with Orpheus and Eurydice, Eros and Psyche, and other classical couples whose stories have long captured our imagination in art. Go to the Tickets page at artsmia.org and reserve your seats today! Now on with the show: On January 7, 1889, Vincent van Gogh wrote his family a New Year's letter. He had just been through one of the worst crises of his young life, which would become as much a part of his legend as his art. But Van Gogh was always able to see the silver lining—until he couldn't. A reflection on the hopes we pin to the start of the calendar, and the grace of letting go. You can see one of the many paintings of olive trees that he made as the year unfolded in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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  Encore Episode: How to Live Forever (or Die Trying) 29.12.2025 23p

  NEWS! Tickets will be available starting January 7 for The Object LOVE!, our very Valentine's live show with special guest jeremy messersmith on February 7 in the Minneapolis Institute of Art's historic Pillsbury Auditorium. All about the gods in (and often out of) love, whose stories have long captured our imagination in art. Tickets are free but limited—go to the tickets page at the Mia website to reserve or for details.  Now on with the show: No one lives forever. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying, and for a long time the noble way to avoid getting old and dying was to avoid getting old at all: the Greek notion of the “glorious death” that confers immortality in battle. It’s an idea that resurfaces throughout history—until it meets its match in a war of many deaths and little glory. You can see Kiss of Victory, the famous sculpture that kicks off this episode and launched the career of Sir Alfred Gilbert, in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.