American Visions
American Visions is a TV show on BBC4. Series about the history of American art, presented by art critic Robert Hughes. The program has been available since 2026. A total of 7 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in July 2026.
Last episode
American Visions
Robert Hughes examines America's development into the art capital of the west between 1945 and the late 1960s, with the advent of abstract expressionism and pop art.
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Robert Hughes considers America during the 1920s and 30s, including the skyscraper as the image of modernism, the Depression, regionalist art and black art.
June 2026
Mass immigration at the turn of the century confirmed America as a multicultural society but also brought increased poverty and slum life. Robert Hughes examines how this was often reflected in art.
Robert Hughes considers how the Civil War industrialised society, bringing steam power, the Brooklyn Bridge, plutocrats and an urban underclass.
Art critic Robert Hughes looks at America's majestic landscapes, exploring how artists have contributed to the religious and patriotic connotations of nature.
Robert Hughes on how America was shaped by Europeans - Spaniards in the south west, Pilgrims in the north east and struggling Cavaliers in Virginia.
May 2026
Robert Hughes charts the foundation of a national identity that sought architectural inspiration from Greece and Rome. He also looks at America's earliest major painters.