John Hoyland BBC releases celebrated Arena film showing Hoyland in action

September 7, 2014

BBC releases celebrated Arena film showing Hoyland in action

The BBC is celebrating its autumn abstract art season, ‘BBC Four Goes Abstract: When Art Broke Free’, by making permanently available on iPlayer a classic 1979 episode of Arena featuring John Hoyland. Titled ‘Six Days in September’ it shows Hoyland making an entire painting over the course of six days.

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It’s part of a season of programmes exploring 20th-century abstraction, which opens on BBC4 on Monday September 8 at 9pm with ‘Abstract artists in their own words’, in which artists tell the story of the development of abstract art in Britain. It will feature memorable clips from the BBC archives, including the BBC’s landmark 1961 film on Barbara Hepworth and Hoyland’s ‘Arena’ film. Also featured is fascinating footage revealing the public’s uncertain response to abstract art, including a film in which Anthony Caro discusses his work with a group of students who have been mistakenly using a sculpture as a bike rack.

It will be followed by ‘The Rules of Abstraction’, in which Matthew Collings will attempt to answer basic questions about abstract art and visits 92-year-old Bert Irvin in his Stepney studio.

7 October, 2021