The story of gold: modern imaginations (part three)

From Stories in Colour by The National Gallery

December 2, 2025 · 59 min

About this episode

The episode explores the use of gold in modern and contemporary art, featuring discussions on notable artists and artworks.

When the artist Louise Nevelson immigrated to America as a child, she was told that ‘the streets... would be paved in gold’. Obviously, they weren’t, but that hasn’t stopped modern artists turning pretty much everything else golden. Even a toilet. Join National Gallery Courses and Events Programmer Caroline Miller, Associate Curator of Contemporary and Modern Priyesh Mistry and host Beks in the final episode of our sparkling miniseries, where we look to uses of gold in modern and contemporary art. From glistening gold in Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’ to an artwork so valuable it has hardly ever been displayed. We explore what gold has meant for contemporary artists and how they have tested the limits of this sparkling colour and material. Caroline is the Courses and Events Programmer at the Gallery. She develops online and in-person courses that expand access and engagement for the National Gallery’s audiences worldwide. Priyesh is Associate Curator, Contemporary and Modern at the National Gallery where he works towards an ambitious programme to integrate contemporary art within the context of the museum and its historic collections. _______ Watch the full episode on our YouTube…

People in this episode

Host: Beks

Guests: Caroline Miller, Priyesh Mistry

Topics covered

gold in art
modern art
contemporary art
Louise Nevelson
Gustav Klimt
artistic materials

Keywords

gold
modern art
contemporary art
Louise Nevelson
Gustav Klimt
artworks
National Gallery

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Gallery

Books & works: The Kiss, How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare