Distinctly referred to as “a redwood tree, with deep roots in American culture,” icon Maya Angelou gave people the freedom to think about their history in a way they never had before. Dr. Angelou’s was a prolific life; as a singer, dancer, activist, poet, and writer she inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought that pushed boundaries.
Explore the complicated history of the American South and its music through the life of country star Charley Pride. Raised in the brutally segregated Mississippi Delta, Pride’s buttery voice, talent and steely resolve led him to the Country Music Hall of Fame. A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, his journey shows the ways that artistic expression can triumph over prejudice and injustice. Directed by Barbara J. Hall (Patsy Cline: American Masters).
Experience the power of song in the struggle for equality through the story of feminist singer and activist Holly Near, who for the last 40 years has worked on global social justice coalition-building in the women’s and lesbian movements. Directed by Jim Brown (American Masters — The Highwaymen: Friends Til The End; American Masters – Pete Seeger: The Power of Song).
Playwright, librettist, scriptwriter and outspoken LGBTQ activist Terrence McNally has long believed in the power of the arts to transform society and make a difference. The new documentary American Masters – Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life, premiering nationwide Friday, June 14 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) in honor of LGBT Pride Month, lifts the curtain on the life, career and inspirations of the complicated and brilliant Emmy- and four-time Tony Award-winning writer.
Thrust into the limelight for discovering the secret of life at age 25 with Francis Crick, influential Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson has thrived on making headlines ever since. His discovery of DNA’s structure, the double helix, revolutionized human understanding of how life works. He was a relentless and sometimes ruthless visionary who led the Human Genome project and turned Harvard University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory into powerhouses of molecular biology. With unprecedented access to Watson, his wife Elizabeth and sons Rufus and Duncan over the course of a year, American Masters explores Watson’s evolution from socially awkward postdoc to notorious ...
American Masters – Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me is the first major film documentary to examine Davis’ vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America. Sammy Davis, Jr. had the kind of career that was indisputably legendary, so vast and multi-faceted that it was dizzying in its scope and scale. And yet, his life was complex, complicated and contradictory. Davis strove to achieve the American Dream in a time of racial prejudice and shifting political territory. He was the veteran of increasingly outdated show business traditions trying ...
Uncovering the lives and works of four groundbreaking visual artists, American Masters presents an “Artists Flight” of new documentaries, premiering Fridays, August 31-September 14 on PBS (check local listings). Four films tell the stories of four artists: Eva Hesse, the 1960s art world icon who changed art history and women’s place in the picture; New York contemporary art maverick Elizabeth Murray; painter Andrew Wyeth, one of America’s most popular, but least understood, artists; and Jean-Michel Basquiat, the New York graffiti artist turned ’80s art world rock star who died 30 years ago (August 12, 1988). Each film will be available ...
THIRTEEN’s American Masters Presents Exclusive U.S. Broadcast Premiere of Itzhak Perlman Documentary October 14 on PBS Features new interviews with the world-renowned violinist, his family, friends and colleagues including Billy Joel, Alan Alda, pianist Martha Argerich and cellist Mischa Maisky From Schubert to Strauss, Bach to Brahms, Mozart to…Billy Joel, Itzhak Perlman’s violin playing transcends mere performance to evoke the celebrations and struggles of real life. Director Alison Chernick’s (The Jeff Koons Show, Matthew Barney: No Restraint) new documentary provides an intimate, cinéma vérité look at the remarkable life and career of this musician, widely considered the world’s greatest violinist. American Masters: Itzhak ...
Premieres nationwide Friday, August 31 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) As the wild ride of the 1960’s came to a close, Eva Hesse, a 34 year-old German-born American artist was cresting the wave of a swiftly rising career. One of the few women recognized as central to the New York art scene, she had over 20 group shows scheduled for 1970 in addition to being chosen for a cover article in ArtForum Magazine. Her work was finally receiving both the critical and commercial attention it deserved. When she died in May, 1970 from a brain tumor, the life ...
Premieres Friday, September 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) Available to stream September 8 on pbs.org/americanmasters and on PBS apps This intimate portrait of maverick painter and printmaker Elizabeth Murray explores the relationship between her family life and career, and reconsiders her place in contemporary art history. Excerpts from her journals voiced by Meryl Streep, verité footage and home videos show Murray’s internal struggles and incredible ambition. Exclusive interviews with art world luminaries describe the thriving New York art scene within which Murray challenged and captivated her viewers. In 2005, Murray was the fifth woman to be celebrated with a retrospective at ...
