A brush with..., sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, is a podcast by The Art Newspaper that features in-depth conversations with leading international artists. Host Ben Luke asks the questions you've always wanted to: who are the artists, historical and contemporary, they most admire? Which are the museums they return to? What are the books, music and other media that most inspire them? What do they get up to in the studio every day? And what is art for, anyway? The podcast offers a fascinating insight into the inspirations, the preoccupations and the working lives of some of the most prominent artists today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest episodes

A brush with… Cecilia Vicuña

October 6, 2026 · 51 min

Cecilia Vicuña talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Born in 1948 in Santiago, Chile, Vicuña is both a poet and a…
A brush with... Sunil Gupta

September 1, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

Sunil Gupta talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to film-makers, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Across more than half a century Gupta has explored queer…
A brush with... Richard Tuttle

August 25, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min

Richard Tuttle talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Tuttle, who was born in 1941 in Rahway, New Jersey and grew up…
A brush with... Dawoud Bey

August 18, 2026 · 1 hr 14 min

Dawoud Bey talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Bey, who was born in 1953 in New York, makes photographs and film…
A brush with... Katharina Grosse

August 11, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

Katharina Grosse talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Grosse, who was born in Freiberg im Breisgau, Germany, in…
A brush with... Pio Abad

June 30, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

Pio Abad talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Abad explores objects and images that have personal resonance and…
A brush with... Anne Imhof

June 23, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

Anne Imhof talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Imhof, who was born in 1978 in Giessen in Germany, is primarily…
A brush with... Caragh Thuring

June 16, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min

Caragh Thuring talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Thuring, who was born in Brussels in 1972 and has lived in the…