Why'd They Put That In A Museum?

Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Visual Arts
  • Weekly

Art. Objects. Museums. Ideas. Questions. What happens when you put things on display and invite people in to look? Have you ever seen art on display and wondered, “Why’d they put that in a museum?”  Museum curator Sarah Lees and author Beth Bacon start each conversation with one item, in one specific museum. We explore the object, its history, and the cultural ideas surrounding it. In the end, that object takes on new meaning as listeners discover the fascinating reasons it ended up in a museum.

  1. Episode 1

    Acrobats Leaping over a Bull

    Beth Bacon and curator Sarah Lees are back for season three of “Why’d They Put That in a Museum?” This episode focuses on a listener request that traces back to an archeological site on the island of Crete from way back in 1900. When British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans excavated the site at Knossos, he invited an artist named Emile Gilliéron (and Gilliéron’s son) to document what they found using watercolors. “Acrobats Leaping over a Bull” is Gilliéron’s depiction of a Bronze age wall painting that was uncovered during the dig. Sarah explains this image’s ties to the Minoan culture, which existed in 3000 BCE, and was named after the mythical King Minos. She discusses how Gilliéron used surviving fresco fragments as a base for the composition, then filled in the parts that were lost over the centuries. Why are the people in the image leaping over a bull? Turns out, bull-leaping was a sport in Minoan culture. How did this piece end up at Harvard? Tune in to the podcast to find out!  Artist:  Emile Gilliéron and/or son Item: Acrobats Leaping over a Bull (after a wall painting from the Palace of Knossos, Crete, c. 1900 – 1910 Details: Watercolor on paper. 87.63 x 158.75 cm (34 1/2 x 62 1/2 in.) framed: 108 × 179.1 × 2.5 cm (42 1/2 × 70 1/2 × 1 in.) Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/291790  Time code: 00:00 Welcome Back Season Three 01:07 Listener Request At The Fogg 01:34 Meet The Bull Leaping Watercolor 04:00 Fragments And Reconstruction 05:46 Knossos And Arthur Evans 07:25 Myths Minos And The Minotaur 11:05 Gilliéron The Archaeological Illustrator 14:50 How Harvard Acquired It 17:00 Why Museums Collect Copies 20:11 Was Bull Leaping a Real Sport? 22:49 What This Artwork Teaches 23:29 Wrap Up And Listener Call Send us ideas & feedback. © 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum  podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

    Acrobats Leaping over a Bull

  2. Episode 2

    Urban Light by Chris Burden

    “Urban Light” shines on LACMA Museum Museum curator Sarah Lees and co-host Beth Bacon answer a listener’s question about the grid of lampposts outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). This site-specific installation is a popular spot and a common social media background for Los Angelenos. But where did Urban Light come from, who made it, and why? It turns out, the installation is made up of actual, salvaged streetlights that once lit up the local neighborhoods of LA. The varied styles of the poles reflect LA’s decentralized makeup and hint at the city’s car-centric identity. This piece may be playful and fun, but Sarah explains that the artist, Chris Burden, is best known for making vivid, sometimes dark, performance art. For example, for his work called Shoot, Burden arranged for a friend to shoot him in the arm. That work was temporary, but to the delight of Los Angelenos, the immersive, cathedral-like experience of Urban Light is around to stay.   Artist: Chris Burden (American, 1946 – 2014) Item: Urban Light, 2008 Details: (size & location) 202 restored cast-iron streetlamps Dimensions: 320 1/2 x 686 1/2 x 704 1/2 in. (814.07 x 1743.71 x 1789.43 cm) Los Angeles County Museum of Art https://collections.lacma.org/object/138700  Time Code: 00:00 Podcast Intro 00:56 Listener Question 04:04 What Is Urban Light 04:54 Salvaged Streetlamps 07:42 Why It Matters 08:38 LA History In Lamps Send us ideas & feedback. © 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum  podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

    Urban Light by Chris Burden

  3. Episode 3

    Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte

    How do you capture a view of a modern city? Back in 1877, Paris was going through a transformation and the Impressionist artist Gustave Caillebotte documented it with masterful skill in Paris Street; Rainy Day.  The city and costumes look old to us today, but viewers in 1877 interpreted this scene of wide boulevards, uniform buildings, and gas lampposts as wholly modern. The artwork is nearly life-size and carefully detailed, which is different from the lively brushwork and soft focus of many of Caillebotte’s Impressionist colleagues.  Why is it so famous? What makes it stand out in today's pop culture? Sarah explains the unexpected composition, showing numerous pedestrians walking through a Parisian intersection, all headed in different directions. She discusses how Caillebotte made this painting, developing  multiple studies with a camera lucida prism. Listen to this podcast and discover why this artwork is one of the signature paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago. Artist: Gustave Caillebotte (French, 1848 – 1894) Item: Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877 Details: Oil on canvas, 83 ½ x 108 ¾ in. Art Institute of Chicago https://www.artic.edu/artworks/20684/paris-street-rainy-day  This episode is about: Gustave Caillebotte Paris Street; Rainy Day analysisHistory of Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877)Impressionist paintings at the Art Institute of ChicagoHow Gustave Caillebotte painted Paris Street; Rainy DayModern Paris in 19th-century Impressionist artCaillebotte's use of perspective and compositionCamera lucida in 19th-century paintingFamous paintings of Parisian street lifeSend us ideas & feedback. © 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum  podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

    Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte
See All Season 3 (3)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Art. Objects. Museums. Ideas. Questions. What happens when you put things on display and invite people in to look? Have you ever seen art on display and wondered, “Why’d they put that in a museum?”  Museum curator Sarah Lees and author Beth Bacon start each conversation with one item, in one specific museum. We explore the object, its history, and the cultural ideas surrounding it. In the end, that object takes on new meaning as listeners discover the fascinating reasons it ended up in a museum.

Information

  • Creator
    Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees
  • Episodes
    24
  • Seasons
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 © 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum? Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees
  • Show Website
    Why'd They Put That In A Museum?

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