Civilisations

Civilisations (2018)

EndedDocumentary showHistory

Civilisations explores the visual culture of societies from around the globe, revealing alongside the magnificent objects made in the West the wealth of treasures created by other cultures, from the landscape scrolls of classical China and the sculpture of the Olmecs to African bronzes, Japanese prints and Mughal miniatures.

Network
Scheduleevery Thursday at 21:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

The Vital Spark
Season 1Episode 960 min

The Vital Spark

Simon Schama begins Civilisations with this premise: that it is in art - the play of the creative imagination - that humanity expresses its most essential self: the power to break the tyranny of the humdrum, the grind of everyday. Art, then, makes life worth living; it is the great window into human potential. And societies become civilised to the extent that they take culture as seriously as the prosecution of power, or the accumulation of wealth. But in the century of total war and industrial slaughter was (and is) that enough? The cause of humanity went up in the smoke of the Nazi crematoria. Horror and terror brushed beauty aside and stamped on its pretensions. And in the modern world art has become increasingly commodified.

Simon's last programme explores the fate of art in the machine and profit-driven world. It looks at the rise of art as a tradeable commodity and turns on one central question: should art create a realm separate from the modern world, a place where we can escape and pull the ladder up after us? Or should it plunge headlong into the chaos and cacophony while transforming the way we see it and live in it? Using the works of both dead and contemporary artists of the 20th and 21st Simon seeks answers to these profound questions.

His conclusion is imbued with hope: despite all the travails of the present, by engaging with the here-and-now art still offers civilisation an insight into the incomprehensibility of the world and a way to transcend its horrors with the enduring creativity of the human spirit.

Mar 1, 2018

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S01E09The Vital SparkMar 1, 2018
S01E08The Cult of ProgressMar 1, 2018
S01E07RadianceMar 1, 2018
S01E06First ContactMar 1, 2018
S01E05The Triumph of ArtMar 1, 2018
View all episodesView all seasons

Cast

View all cast

Characters

View all characters

Also known as

  • Civilizations (PBS) (United States)

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Dexter: Resurrection
Running

Dexter: Resurrection

Dexter Morgan awakens from a coma and sets out for New York City, determined to find Harrison and make things right. But when Miami Metro's Angel Batista arrives with questions, Dexter realizes his past is catching up to him fast.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Running

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Emmy Award and Grammy Award winner Jimmy Fallon brought NBC's "The Tonight Show" back to its New York origins when he launched The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from Rockefeller Center. Fallon puts his own stamp on the storied NBC late-night franchise with his unique comedic wit, on-point pop culture awareness, welcoming style and impeccable taste in music with the award-winning house band, The Roots.

GenreComedy
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation
Running

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation

The cast of Jersey Shore swore they would always do a vacation together. Now, five years, five kids, three marriages, and who knows how many GTL sessions later, the gang is back together and on vacation in a swanky house in Miami Beach.

Taskmaster
Running

Taskmaster

Greg Davies is the Taskmaster who, with the help of his right-hand man, Alex, sets out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of five hyper competitive comedians through a series of ingenious challenges. With the chance to be crowned show champion, rivalry amongst the comedians is encouraged, dodgy tactics rewarded and bribes accepted.

GenreComedy
The Amazing Race Canada
Running

The Amazing Race Canada

The Amazing Race Canada will provide a uniquely Canadian take on the original series, with competitors discovering the world within the borders of Canada.

GenreTravel