Best Bruegel Podcasts (2025)

1
Pope Francis and art, JMW Turner’s 250th birthday, John Singer Sargent’s Madame X 1:02:02

1d ago1:02:02

1:02:02

Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, The Art Newspaper’s managing editor, Louis Jebb, who has written an extensive obituary of the late pontiff, joins Ben Luke to talk about the late pope’s engagement with art and with the Vatican art collections. Wednesday 23 April was the 250th anniversary of the birth of JMW Turner, one of the g…

1
Wired for the future: building Europe’s next-gen electricity grid 38:16

3d ago38:16

38:16

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie talks to Bruegel energy experts Conall Heussaff and Georg Zachmann about the urgent need to upgrade and connect Europe's electricity grids. They discuss their recent paper outlining the challenges, opportunities, and necessary policy responses to modernise Europe's energy infrastructure. R…

1
Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader, teamLab in Abu Dhabi, Vermeer’s final painting? 52:20

9d ago52:20

52:20

ollowing on from opening her exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, which continues until August, the US-born, Berlin-based artist Christine Sun Kim this week opened a show in London in collaboration with Thomas Mader. The exhibition, 1880 THAT, uses a notorious historic conference in Milan in 1880, which effectively outlawed sign langua…

1
The Western Balkans: a region in waiting 39:12

11d ago39:12

39:12

The Western Balkans are often seen as Europe’s periphery, but they are in fact embedded within the continent’s history and future ambitions. Despite close economic ties with the EU, these six countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia—remain outside the Union, navigating a complex path toward accessio…

1
Trump’s assault on museums and libraries, the art market’s 12% fall, Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett 58:38

16d ago58:38

58:38

In two-and-a-half months since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, a series of executive orders and other initiatives have attempted systematically to eliminate and defund some of the federal agencies responsible for the distribution of federal money to museums, libraries and other organisations. The Art Newspaper’s editor-in-chief in the A…

1
Greece's debt crisis: a decade of resilience 43:59

18d ago43:59

43:59

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we mark a decade since the Greek debt crisis, reflecting past hardships and the progress made and the challenges that lie ahead. Host Rebecca Christie is joined by George Papaconstantinou, former Greek Minister of Finance, and Eleni Varvitsioti, journalist and expert on European affairs. Together, they exp…

1
Museum visitor figures—highs and lows, William Morris mania, Marguerite Matisse, the unsung hero of her father’s art 1:00:51

23d ago1:00:51

1:00:51

he Art Newspaper’s annual report on museum visitor figures is out and shows that the slow build-back after the Covid-19 closures is over, and museums are back at what we might consider their “natural level”. Host Ben Luke talks to the co-editor of our report, Lee Cheshire, about what that means, and who were last year’s big winners and losers. A ne…

1
Trump’s tariffs and the EU 1:00:39

24d ago1:00:39

1:00:39

How should Europe respond to the new US administration’s aggressive rhetoric on trade? Bruegel’s Uri Dadush, Niclas Poitiers and Ignacio Garcia Bercero join a conversation with Rebecca Christie for a special live edition of The Sound of Economics podcast.By Bruegel

1
The Frick: Annabelle Selldorf interview and our review. Plus, Taiso Yoshitoshi 1:00:55

1M ago1:00:55

1:00:55

After a five-year closure, the Frick Collection in New York will reopen to the public on 17 April and this week opened its doors to the press. The Gilded Age mansion, created on Fifth Avenue for the industrialist Henry Clay Frick, has been restored and enhanced by Selldorf Architects, with the executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle. It is the bigg…

1
How the war in Ukraine is reshaping EU-China relations 42:08

1M ago42:08

42:08

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced the EU to reassess its ties with both Moscow and Beijing. As the EU navigates its dependencies on Russian energy, Chinese markets, and US security, how is its long-term strategy evolving? Can Europe maintain a unified stance on China? And what does this mean for global power dynamics? In this episode of The S…

1
Jack Whitten at MoMA, New York, Paris Noir at the Pompidou, Arpita Singh at the Serpentine 1:09:01

1M ago1:09:01

1:09:01

The largest ever exhibition of the work of Jack Whitten opens this weekend at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. Ben Luke speaks to Michelle Kuo, the curator of the show, about the political and experimental commitment that drove Whitten’s remarkable body of work. In Paris, one of the final exhibitions to open at the Centre Pompidou before …

1
Ireland’s journey from crisis to confidence 46:52

1M ago46:52

46:52

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie discusses Ireland's economy with Eamon Gilmore, former Foreign Minister, and Patrick Honohan, former Governor of the Irish Central Bank. They explore Ireland’s recovery from the global financial crisis and current political outlook, alongside issues such as public debt, low interest r…

1
The big art slowdown, Dutch funding crisis, Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow 54:23

1M ago54:23

54:23

After a challenging year in which international galleries, auction houses and museums have been forced to scale back their operations and make redundancies on an alarming scale, a slower, more considered approach to business seems to be emerging. So are we into an era of longer, more in-depth exhibitions and bespoke events concerned more with authe…

1
Where are Europe's animal spirits? 39:46

2M ago39:46

39:46

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie is joined by Jeromin Zettelmeyer and Peter Praet to discuss the economic outlook for Europe and the United States, the impact of prospective tariffs, and the role of monetary and fiscal policies. The conversation touches on the impact of geopolitical uncertainties, structural reforms, and …

1
Censorship and Australia’s Venice Biennale pavilion, a controversial AI auction, and Elizabeth Catlett in Washington 1:08:37

2M ago1:08:37

1:08:37

It seems absurd that more than a year ahead of the next Venice Biennale, one of the major pavilions in the Giardini might be empty for next year’s event. But that is the dilemma facing Creative Australia, which is responsible for that country’s Biennale presentation. Last month, it announced the team comprising the Lebanese-born Sydney-based artist…

1
The choices Europe must make to secure its future 43:36

2M ago43:36

43:36

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we examine the rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape in Europe, driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine, shifting alliances, and the changing role of the United States in NATO. Host Rebecca Christie is joined by Bruegel experts Heather Grabbe and Guntram B. Wolff to discuss the critical questions facing Eur…

1
Leigh Bowery at Tate Modern, Ukraine and art—three years on, Max Beckmann and the Gothic Modern 1:10:38

2M ago1:10:38

1:10:38

Tate Modern this week opened a vast exhibition exploring the life and work of the maverick Australian-born performance artist, fashion designer and self-styled “club monster”, Leigh Bowery, as well as the variety of cultural figures in his orbit in London. It coincides with other related London shows: one analysing the fashion work of Bowery and hi…

1
Is China headed for its own ‘lost decade’? 25:04

2M ago25:04

25:04

Since the bursting of China’s real-estate bubble in mid-2021, there has been a growing concern that the country’s economy could end up like that of Japan in the early 1990s. In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan invites Alicia García-Herrero and Jianwei Xu to discuss China’s structural deceleration, the striking similarities and key…

1
Gee’s Bend quiltmakers, “Degenerate” Art in Paris, and Mel Bochner remembered 1:03:31

2M ago1:03:31

1:03:31

Shows opening in Washington and Dublin this month explore quiltmaking by African American women. Ben Luke talks to Raina Lampkins-Fielder, chief curator for the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, and the organiser of the exhibition Kith & Kin: The Quilts of Gee’s Bend at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), about the history of quiltmaking in this smal…

1
How to fix a staggering Germany 41:12

2M ago41:12

41:12

Ahead of Germany’s federal elections on February 23 2025, Rebecca Christie invites Jens Suedekum and Niclas Poitiers to take a look at the country’s economic situation, what needs to be fixed and how. This election may decide which fundamental economic strategy Germany pursues for the next years, with implications for Europe and the world. They dis…

1
Anselm Kiefer, Hoor al Qasimi on Sharjah, a Picasso Blue Period mystery 1:14:45

2M ago1:14:45

1:14:45

Next month, the German artist Anselm Kiefer will be 80, and the first of a number of shows internationally to mark this landmark moment opened this week at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK. It focuses on his early works, and Ben Luke visits Oxford to discuss this pivotal moment in his career with Lena Fritsch, the curator of the exhibition. The lat…

1
The price of a liveable future: Financing climate action 48:04

2M ago48:04

48:04

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie is joined by Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation, and Bruegel fellows Jean Pisani-Ferry and Alissa M. Kleinnijenhuis to discuss the urgent financial steps needed to address climate change: Now that the US has pulled back, the EU is needed more than ever to help mo…

1
Trump tariffs and Zona Maco in Mexico, India Art Fair, and American photography at the Rijksmuseum 56:56

3M ago56:56

56:56

Last weekend, the US President Donald Trump signed executive orders placing 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, which were due to take effect on Tuesday. But at the last minute, the tariffs were postponed, at least for a month. Inevitably, though, the talk of a trade war set nerves jangling at Zona Maco, the art fair in Mexico City, which open…

1
Satellites and Space Races: The role of Europe in the space economy 50:55

3M ago50:55

50:55

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we delve into the future of space in Europe, examining the challenges and opportunities ahead. Host Rebecca Christie, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, is joined by Hermann Ludwig Moeller, Director of the European Space Policy Institute, and Reinhilde Veugelers, Bruegel Senior fellow. Together, they discuss the fi…

1
Peter Hujar, Gregg Bordowitz and Rotimi Fani-Kayode: art and the Aids struggle 1:14:51

3M ago1:14:51

1:14:51

Peter Hujar, Gregg Bordowitz and Rotimi Fani-Kayode are three artists whose work reflects in different ways on the Aids crisis that has devastated communities across the world since the 1980s. Hujar, who died from Aids-related pneumonia in 1987, is the subject of a new show at Raven Row in London, the largest to date at a UK gallery. Host Ben Luke …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Bruegel Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
The Sound of Economics

Bruegel

1
Bruegel event recordings

BruegelEvents

1
The Week in Art

The Art Newspaper

1
Pope Francis and art, JMW Turner’s 250th birthday, John Singer Sargent’s Madame X 1:02:02

1
Wired for the future: building Europe’s next-gen electricity grid 38:16

1
Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader, teamLab in Abu Dhabi, Vermeer’s final painting? 52:20

1
The Western Balkans: a region in waiting 39:12

1
Trump’s assault on museums and libraries, the art market’s 12% fall, Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett 58:38

1
Greece's debt crisis: a decade of resilience 43:59

1
Museum visitor figures—highs and lows, William Morris mania, Marguerite Matisse, the unsung hero of her father’s art 1:00:51

1
Trump’s tariffs and the EU 1:00:39

1
The Frick: Annabelle Selldorf interview and our review. Plus, Taiso Yoshitoshi 1:00:55

1
How the war in Ukraine is reshaping EU-China relations 42:08

1
Jack Whitten at MoMA, New York, Paris Noir at the Pompidou, Arpita Singh at the Serpentine 1:09:01

1
Ireland’s journey from crisis to confidence 46:52

1
The big art slowdown, Dutch funding crisis, Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow 54:23

1
Where are Europe's animal spirits? 39:46

1
Censorship and Australia’s Venice Biennale pavilion, a controversial AI auction, and Elizabeth Catlett in Washington 1:08:37

1
The choices Europe must make to secure its future 43:36

1
Leigh Bowery at Tate Modern, Ukraine and art—three years on, Max Beckmann and the Gothic Modern 1:10:38

1
Is China headed for its own ‘lost decade’? 25:04

1
Gee’s Bend quiltmakers, “Degenerate” Art in Paris, and Mel Bochner remembered 1:03:31

1
How to fix a staggering Germany 41:12

1
Anselm Kiefer, Hoor al Qasimi on Sharjah, a Picasso Blue Period mystery 1:14:45

1
The price of a liveable future: Financing climate action 48:04

1
Trump tariffs and Zona Maco in Mexico, India Art Fair, and American photography at the Rijksmuseum 56:56

1
Satellites and Space Races: The role of Europe in the space economy 50:55

1
Peter Hujar, Gregg Bordowitz and Rotimi Fani-Kayode: art and the Aids struggle 1:14:51