BBC: Art of Scandinavia

So, if you watch BBC’s Art of Scandinavia, you get the impression that there were and are no noteworthy female artists (one Danish female artist is mentioned and that is in a somewhat negative light as part of the rampant nationalism of the mid 19th century). [I have not seen the Swedish episode yet, but the same pattern applies to the Norwegian one].

Add to this that the two museum custodians are women (but mostly silent – though to be fair, the host tries to engage the first one in some conversation) while the actor (who is being interviewed) is a man.

And let’s not get started on the simplifications – after all, this is one man’s opinion, and I guess one cannot expect a complex analysis of history in one hour…

I don’t believe that a particular gender should be ‘added’ to a programme just for the sake of adding it, but there are so many interesting female artists that could have been included that this must be a choice (whether conscious or not) and it really reflects poorly on the programme and the BBC.

I can only say: Scandinavian art and culture are so much more than this!