Sky Arts Documentaries

Drawing inspiration from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, celebrate royalty's influence on the silver screen over the years - from Throne of Blood to the King's Speech.

This is an award winning feature documentary on the evolution of the record industry told from the perspective of art directors and photographers who created the most memorable art in music history - the album sleeve ! Top creators of their day discuss the development of the art synonymous with the music you know and love. From Abbey Road, Hotel California, and Dark Side of the Moon to Breakfast in America and Nirvana’s Nevermind, hear the stories behind the creation of these iconic covers and the music that drove them.

Francesco Borromini, a true great of Baroque Rome, is known for his unparalleled genius, serving to revolutionise architecture forever. This documentary tells his story.

The art critic examines Ukraine's efforts to protect its cultural heritage from destruction during the Russian invasion

Rockstar Liam Gallagher gives unparalleled access as he heads to the famous Rockfield Studios in Wales with his sons, Lennon and Gene, for 48 hours of music, memories, and mayhem.

The notorious artist Tracey Emin is revealed in intricate detail, as her drawings, paintings, embroideries and found works are examined, her friends interviewed and her life presented.

Following the fascinating story of British Rock Star Gary Numan and his turbulent careers – from the crushing lows to the exhilarating highs.

Learn more about the boom in British cinema as new, pioneering techniques saw productivity skyrocket and creativity flourish within the industry.

As Count Dracula continues to resonate with audiences across all forms of literature, commemorate 100 years since the release of Nosferatu with this special presented by Ian Nathan.

Camille Pissarro followed a dramatic path and through it all, wrote extensively as this film reveals his life and work.

Uncover the untold story of African people who lived during the Italian Renaissance, often appearing in famous paintings only to be unacknowledged and hidden in plain sight.

Celebrated painter Mark Rothko is considered one of the most renowned figures of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Yet for many years he was snubbed by the art establishment. This documentary charts his tumultuous journey and includes interviews with Rothko's daughter Kate and son Christopher, and Oscar-nominated writer John Logan. It also features scenes from the Tony Award-winning play Red, with Alfred Molina in the role of Rothko

Eric Ravilious: Drawn to War is a documentary about the life of Eric Ravilious (1903-1942), a British artist and designer who died in a plane crash while serving as an Official War Artist in Iceland in 1942. The film explores Ravilious's life and work through his own words, private correspondence, and rare archive film.

Spotlighting the life and career of the fondly-remembered Irishman, bear witness to comedian and poet Spike Milligan's never before aired film, interviews and scripts.

Tasked with the installation of two ambitious shows during the Venice Biennale of 2022, the 70-year-old Anish Kapoor is documented by art critic Waldemar Januszczak.

The Nazis founded Germany’s top swing band despite the Third Reich’s prohibition on jazz. The fascinating journey of Karl Schweidler and his band is chronicled in this documentary.

Exploring festive themes featured in novels and poems written by authors including Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, Kenneth Grahame, J.M Barrie, JRR Tolkien, Rudyard Kipling, CS Lewis, Noel Streatfeild, Edith Nesbit, Dylan Thomas and John Masefield.

Waldemar Januszczak explores the mystery of the famous old tale, which has seen artists through the ages conjure extraordinary visions to fill the missing details of the story.

Forgotten after his death in 1593, rediscover the enigmatic 16th-century artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo with this documentary exploring the Milanese painter's skill.

Inaugurated with "Withering Heights" by Emily Brontë, the fourth season of the collection "The great novels of the scandal" embraces the history of masterpieces among the most burning and transgressive of literature, which have not lost anything of their acuity. Released in 1847, this romantic work against the backdrop of cursed passion and revenge, proved to be out of step with his time and stunned criticism. Because if the story stages the romantic feelings between Cathy and Heathcliff, the bastard adopted, it also deploys an implacable revenge. In this tale, Emily Brontë addresses all the taboos: the family, whose toxicity she denounces; incest, through the prohibited connection between a brother and an adoption sister; The evil, finally, to which it gives the wild beauty of Heathcliff. By adapting it to the cinema in 1939 with Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier, William Wyler helped to hoist "Withering Heights", the only novel by Emily Brontë, to the rank of myth.