Rushdie’s novel The Moor’s Last Sigh culminates in the search for a portrait that has been painted over. His starting point for the book was his interest in a real lost portrait – one of his mother, painted some fifty years ago. Unfolding a tale as fabulous as Rushdie’s fiction, this programme travels to India in search of this painting. Meanwhile, in London, the author talks about The Moor’s Last Sigh and the extraordinary conditions in which it was written. As he speaks, he himself is being painted by Bhupen Khakar, one of his favourite Indian artists.
The Secret of Marcel Duchamp
Duchamp (1887-1968) was one of the most provocative and influential artists of the twentieth century. From 1923 onwards, he ceased to produce new work. Only after his death was the Etant Donnés revealed – an elaborate peepshow put together over twenty years. Including archive footage of the enigmatic artist himself, this programme explores the life and work of Duchamp, telling the story of a late love affair which affected him profoundly and inspired his final creation.