Great Art ITV returned to screens!

"Remarkable, educational and hugely enjoyable" The Times

“Illuminating and valuable” The Observer 

“Accessible and entertaining” The Telegraph

Our latest TV series Great Art returned to ITV screens on Thursday 10th May, 2018 for a second series which featured five new 50-minute episodes delving into the lives of iconic artists including Hockey, Bosch and Manet. After Series One aired in January this year, marking ITV’s return to arts programming, we were determined to increase our audience with the second series and further encourage ITV audiences to fully embrace our art films on television. Something that stuck with us from Series One, and encouraged us to work tirelessly on Series Two, was Mark Hudson (Art Critic) of The Telegraph's comment on the series:

"There’s nothing like a product name that tells you exactly what you’re going to get. With its resolutely uncomplicated two-word title, ITV’s new art series has a ring of back-to-basics bluntness. Produced by Phil Grabsky, whose Exhibition on Screen films have taken blockbuster exhibitions to cinemas around Britain – and the world – in the form of easily comprehensible, immersive documentaries, Great Art, which starts tonight, is out to bring “serious art” back to mainstream TV from the ghettoes of BBC 4 and Sky Arts" 

We knew that cementing our place on a commercial TV channel was going to be an arduous task, especially as ITV arts programming has been scarce of recent years but after a fantastic response from Series One - from press and public, we were delighted to see the second series sparked even more interest and appreciation. Series Two received over 50 previews and reviews.

 
We've been making art films for TV and cinema for over twenty years now. Our Great Art series for ITV has been a real highlight and pleasure. It's wonderful to work on a project that sheds new light on some of the world's renowned artists, and bring these new perspectives to a mainstream audience. With this experience comes the knowledge that we cannot just rely on the press to encourage audiences, we need to be speaking directly to them at home. So, we need to ask ourselves 'what excites your imagination?' and 'what will make you stay up until (the rather late slot of) 10:45pm every Thursday to watch the series?'. With a limited budget and no commercial ad coverage, we took to social media, our newsletters, contributors, regional art groups, universities and galleries we know to help spread the word. 

Social media was certainly vital: we were overwhelmed to see how people took to social media to express their appreciation and share information. We were naturally delighted with how many viewers contacted us via email and Facebook to tell us they enjoyed the films. That's what makes it all worthwhile. If you enjoyed the series, please do contact us and ITV at this address and share your thoughts:

ITV Studios

2 Waterhouse Square

140 Holborn London EC1N 2AE  

And, finally, some good news to end on: a new season is on the way in 2019. 

#GreatArtITV