Waldemar Januszczak
Birthday: Born in 1954-01-12 in Hampshire, England
Deathday: Alive
Januszczak was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, to Polish refugees who had arrived in England after the Second World War. After studying history of art at the University of Manchester, Januszczak became an art critic – and then arts editor – of The Guardian. In 1990 he was appointed head of arts at the UK's Channel 4 television and in 1992 he became art critic for The Sunday Times. He has been voted Critic of the Year twice by the Press Association. Januszczak has been described as "a passionate art lover, art critic and writer. His presentation style is casual but informed, enthusiastic, evocative and humorous. He bumbles about on our TV screens, doing for art what David Attenborough has done for the natural world," and someone who acts out of "a refusal to present art as elitist in any way. He makes it utterly accessible and understandable."
TV Credits
Baroque! From St Peter's to St Paul's
Character: Host
In this three-part documentary series Waldemar Januszczak discovers paintings, sculptures and architecture of the Baroque period. Starting from the square of Saint Peter's Basilica in Italy to St Paul's Cathedral in England....
The Renaissance Unchained
Character: Self - Presenter
Four-part series in which Waldemar Januszczak challenges the traditional view of art's most important epoch - the Renaissance....
The Dark Ages: An Age of Light
Character: Self - Presenter
Christianity slowly emerged from being a persecuted minority to the state religion of the Roman Empire. This episode is a history of the ways believers grappled with a way to depict Jesus. Simple symbolic meaning developed into splendid art and churches....
The Impressionists: Painting and Revolution
Character: Himself
Art writer Waldemar Januszczak explores the revolutionary achievements of the Impressionists....
Big Sky, Big Dreams, Big Art: Made in the USA
Character: Host, Narrator
A history of American art with Waldemar Januszczak...
The Art Mysteries with Waldemar Januszczak
Character: Host, Narrator
Art historian Waldemar Januszczak uncovers the secret meanings hidden within some of the greatest paintings by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Seurat ....
Rococo: Travel, Pleasure, Madness
Character: Host, Narrator
Rococo art is often dismissed as frivolous. But Waldemar Januszczak disagrees and in this three-part series he tries to bring Rococo art closer to us, and argues that the Rococo was the age in which the modern world was born....
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Character: Self - Participant
Antiques experts accompany celebrities on a road trip around the UK searching for treasures and competing to make the most money at auction...
Art's Wildest Movement: Mannerism
Character:
Art critic Waldemar Januszczak delves into the heart of Mannerism, as he explores the development of the art style, examines its characteristics, and questions what it achieved....
Handmade in Bolton
Character: Narrator
Shaun Greenhalgh and Dr Janina Ramirez research and remake a selection of precious objects from the past using traditional materials and methods....
Movie Credits
The Michelangelo Code: Lost Secrets of the Sistine Chapel
Character: Self
Art critic Waldemar Januszczak is on the quest to explain exactly what the Sistine Chapel's ceiling is actually trying to tell us....
Sickert vs Sargent
Character: Self
Sickert vs. Sargent brings to life two of the biggest characters in modern British art; Walter Sickert - the gruff, aggressive man-of-the-people; and John Singer Sargent - the urbane and charming dandy. The film focuses on some of the most beautiful and alarming paintings ever made in this country; pictures of aristocrats and prostitutes, coronations and killings, opera houses and music halls, and will evoke the long-lost atmosphere of Edwardian London. But above all it will show that from thei...
Waldemar Januszcak: My Ukrainian Journey
Character: Self
Art critic Waldemar Januszczak goes to Ukraine to see how Ukrainian art is being preserved in times of war....
The Michelangelo Code Secrets Of The Sistine Chapel
Character: Self
Art critic Waldemar Januszczak is on the quest to explain exactly what the Sistine Chapel's ceiling is actually trying to tell us....
Manet: The Man Who Invented Modern Art
Character: Narrator
Manet is one of the main candidates for the title of the most important artist there has been. As the reluctant father of Impressionism, and the painter of Dejeuner sur l'herbe, he can probably be accused of inventing modern art. But his story is fascinating on many other levels. As a piece of compelling biography, Manet's is the unlikely tale of the stubborn son of the most highly placed judge in France who decides to become an artist and embarrass his father. The resulting family tensions are...
The Mystery of the Nativity
Character:
Join Waldemar Januszczak as he delves into the mysteries of a renowned old tale, as artists throughout the ages developed incredible ideas to fill in the gaps....
Borromini: The Dark Side of Baroque
Character: Himself
Francesco Borromini, a true great of Baroque Rome, is known for his unparalleled genius, serving to revolutionise architecture forever. This documentary tells his story....
Gauguin: The Full Story
Character: Presenter
Art critic and broadcaster Waldemar Januszczak wrote and directed this examination of a man who was not only a great painter but sculptor, wood carver, musician, print maker, journalist and ceramicist. As well as telling the remarkable story of Gauguin's life, Januszczak also celebrates Gauguin's achievements and examines the various accusations of sexual misconduct, familial neglect and racism that are frequently made against him....
Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story
Character: Himself
In 1978 the Undertones released Teenage Kicks, one of the most perfect and enduring pop records of all time - an adolescent anthem that spoke to teenagers all over the globe. It was the first in a string of hits that created a timeless soundtrack to growing up, making the Undertones one of punk rock's most prolific and popular bands....
B movie
Character: Himself
This mini documentary features a rare interview with infamous graffiti artist Banksy, delving into how he started out as a graffiti writer up to his shift to gallery art, installations, CDs, and more. Til this day only a hand full of people know his real identity, such as friends appearing here: 3D of Massive Attack, Damien Hirst, and others....
The Lost Supper
Character: Self - Narrator
This rare film tells the strange, disquieting and protracted story of the restoration of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece, The Last Supper. Some say the results of the restoration are glorious. Others have called them tragic. Da Vinci’s famously fragile fresco was always going to be a challenge for its secretive Italian restorers. No one, however, could have foreseen how problematic and strange their task would become. Marked by a series of extraordinary mishaps, mistakes, and miscalcula...
Ugly Beauty
Character:
Documentary in which art critic Waldemar Januszczak argues that beauty is still to be found in modern art, despite several recent books claiming the contrary....
The Lost Genius of British Art: William Dobson
Character:
Has one of Britain's greatest artists been unfairly forgotten? Waldemar Januszczak thinks so. In this documentary, Januszczak argues that the little known 17th-century portrait painter William Dobson was the first English painter of genius. Dobson's life and times are embedded in one of the most turbulent and significant epochs of British history - the English Civil War....
Beijing Swings
Character: Self - presenter
Art critic Waldemar Januzczak explores Beijing's controversial and challenging modern art scene....
Mary Magdalene: Art's Scarlet Woman
Character: Presenter
Waldemar Januszczak explores the impact of Mary Magdalene's myth on art and artists. In art all Christian saints are inventions but Mary Magdalene has been the subject of more invention and re-invention than any other....
Toulouse-Lautrec: The Full Story
Character: Presenter
Art Critic Waldemar Januzczak presents this documentary which details french artist Toulouse-Lautrec's life....
Holbein: Eye of the Tudors
Character: Himself
A survey of Hans Holbein's career from his beginnings as a religious painter to his work for Henry VIII and beyond. The program also includes a close analysis of "The Ambassadors"....
Paradise Found
Character: Himself
We imagine many things when we think of this word. However, we do not think about Islamic Architecture, which influenced the art of Europe so profoundly. This documentary tours through the Muslim world, in search of that "atmosphere of Paradise," hidden away in mosques and palaces....
William Dobson: The Lost Genius of Baroque
Character: Presenter
Acclaimed British art critic, Waldemar Januszczak, investigates the few known facts about William Dobson and seeks out personal stories he left behind as it follows him through his tragically short career. Among the Dobson fans interviewed in the wonderful film is Earl Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, who agrees wholeheartedly that William Dobson was the first great British painter....
Rubens: An Extra Large Story
Character: Presenter
These days, nobody takes Rubens seriously. His vast and grandiose canvases, stuffed with wobbly mounds of female flesh, have little appeal for the modern gym-subscriber. And it's not just the bulging nudity we don't like. The entire tone of Rubens's art offends us. Everything in it is too big - the epic dramas full of tragedy, the fantastical celestial scenery, the immense canvases and murals adorning the walls and ceilings of Europe's grandest palaces. All of it seems too much for modern sensib...