Before Monet painted water lilies, he almost died in the deserts of Algeria. Drafted into a brutal colonial war at just twenty, the young dreamer from Le Havre found himself in a uniform instead of an artist’s smock — until a twist of fate, a stubborn aunt, and a defiant decision brought him back to Paris.
This episode dives into Monet’s unlikely escape from the army, the moment Oscar became Claude, and how one fateful friendship changed his path forever. Meet Bazille — the loyal friend, secret patron, and fellow rebel who helped Monet break free from old masters and find new ones in the forests outside Paris.
What does it take to defy your father, abandon your teacher, and invent modern art with nothing but an empty wallet and fierce belief in light and nature?
"Monet - Century of Change" is a production by Studio Jot for the Museum Barberini Potsdam.
Presenter: Alice Loxton
Author: Janis Gebhardt
Research: Erwin Hitzler and Max Radestock
Sound design: Sufian Auda, Alexander Hemsen and Fabian Klinke
Voice direction: Friederike Wigger
Executive Producer for Studio Jot: Janis Gebhardt.
Producer: Vanessa Neumann and Alex Hemsen
Executive Producers for the Museum Barberini: Carolin Stranz and Achim Klapp.
A production by Studio Jot for the Museum Barberini Potsdam.
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30:39
New Masters | 1
In 1872, Claude Monet painted Impression, Sunrise — the picture that gave Impressionism its name and changed art forever. But who was the man behind the myth? Genius, braggart, rebel — Monet shaped his own legend and rewrote the rules of what art could be.
In this opening episode, we unpack secrets hidden in crates, dig through lock books and stargazers’ notes, and follow young Monet from rebellious schoolboy to the Paris salons that rejected him — until he broke them open. How did a boy sketching caricatures in a seaside town become a master who redefined modern art?
Join us on a cinematic journey through the storms, scandals, and strokes of genius that made Monet an icon.
"Monet - Century of Change" is a production by Studio Jot for the Museum Barberini Potsdam.
Presenter: Alice Loxton
Author: Janis Gebhardt
Research: Erwin Hitzler and Max Radestock
Sound design: Sufian Auda, Fanny Huder, Alexander Hemsen and Fabian Klinke
Voice direction: Friederike Wigger
Executive Producer for Studio Jot: Janis Gebhardt.
Producer: Vanessa Neumann and Alex Hemsen
Executive Producers for the Museum Barberini: Carolin Stranz and Achim Klapp.
A production by Studio Jot for the Museum Barberini Potsdam.
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32:37
MONET - Century of Change
Author and historian Alice Loxton presents the biopic of one of Europe's most important painters: Claude Monet. His life is traced in six episodes. His conflicts are by no means out of date. It is about the harmony between man and nature, about major social changes. And it is about war and peace. This is the story of a world-famous man who is surrounded by numerous myths. This documentary podcast finds answers to the last questions about the French artist of the century.
"Monet - Century of Change" is a production by Studio Jot for the Museum Barberini Potsdam.
Presenter: Alice Loxton
Author: Janis Gebhardt
Research: Erwin Hitzler and Max Radestock
Sound design: Sufian Auda, Fanny Huder, Alexander Hemsen and Fabian Klinke
Voice direction: Friederike Wigger
Executive Producer for Studio Jot: Janis Gebhardt.
Producer: Vanessa Neumann and Alex Hemsen
Executive Producers for the Museum Barberini: Carolin Stranz and Achim Klapp.
A production by Studio Jot for the Museum Barberini Potsdam.
Author and historian Alice Loxton brings to life the story of one of Europe’s most influential painters: Claude Monet. In this six-part biographical podcast, listeners journey through the pivotal moments of Monet’s life — from personal struggles to creative triumphs. Far from being relics of the past, his conflicts resonate deeply with today’s world: the fragile balance between humanity and nature, sweeping social change, and the enduring tension between war and peace.
Surrounded by legend and myth, Monet remains a towering figure in art history. This documentary podcast seeks the truth behind the icon — and explores the final, unanswered questions about the French artist.
A production of the Museum Barberini in Potsdam and Studio Jot.