Frame Job

Twin Engine
  • 2.0 (1)
  • Arts
  • Updated Biweekly

**Season 1 has wrapped, and Frame Job is on a hiatus. Look out for Season 2 in the near future** Frame Job is a storytelling podcast exploring the intersection of fine art and true crime. We dive deep into the psyche of master forgers, the drama of high-stakes robbery and the modern scandals currently shaking the art world. From art history to art heists, hear tales of villains, heroes and skullduggery. Hosted by Leslie, who has an BFA in Art History and a background at MTV, Frame Job is independently produced, backed by historical research and free of ads or AI.

Episodes

  1. Jul 28

    Episode 11: Loosen Up Your Buttons - Art, Politics and Ai Weiwei

    False imprisonment is a crime, and it’s happened to artists in the past like Egon Sheile and the present like Sherrill Roland. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was once held against his will in a detention center straight out of a psychological horror movie. Listen to the story of his life told in parallel with his art and his endurance under harsh conditions. His current show is Ai Weiwei: Button Up! and runs until Sept. 6 at Aviva Studios in Manchester.

  2. Jul 21

    Episode 10: The Goths Are Back in Town

    Welcome to Rome. In the middle of an invasion? Sure. The Goths are back in town, but it’s not a Cure cover band. This one is for the moody poetry lovers, however, because we trace backwards from the medieval writings of the Venerable Bede right into the 1st-century mind of Pliny the Elder to pose a massive question. What if a bronze Roman colossus as big as King Kong survived straight into the Middle Ages? When it finally came down is a mystery today. Odysseus might have had an epic adventure first, but we’re going to copy the vibe just like Pliny copied the Greeks, passing this ancient wonder down to you through ekphrasis and oral tradition. The second half of this episode goes into war crimes towards art and culture. There are antiquities that are at risk of being destroyed like the Colossus, and it's happening right now.

  3. Trailer

    Frame Job Trailer

    Frame Job is a podcast about art & crime. Listen to compelling art crime stories all backed up by historical research. You'll hear about dangerous art recovery missions, cultural debates around stolen antiquities, AI/Copyright threats, shameless criminals and lots and lots of fine art. Bonus episodes are a deeper dive into the topics you love and with more shocking details that I can only provide to a select few curators. All ad-free and with no AI. Hosted by Leslie Sink who has a BFA in Art History, a background at MTV and also experience as a juror on a high profile murder case. If you love the arts and you love true crime, you’ll find out why all is fair in love and art on Frame Job. Subscribe now to get weekly bonus episodes starting on July 15. That's in addition to the regular weekly episodes - so we're talking two episodes a week for super-fans and patreons. Join today!

  4. Jul 14

    Episode 9: The Kardashian, the Met Gala Selfie and the Stolen Coffin

    A shady collector, a brilliant curator, an opportunistic looter, and a mega-celebrity. Find out how all of these players came together to solve an art crime at the Met. It wasn’t an eagle-eyed antiquities detective. And even though it was “a coffin to die for," the starlet fell in absolutely in love. What started as a glamorous Instagram post turned out to be the final piece of a puzzle involving one of the biggest international art theft rings in the world. How did a single viral photo cause a multi-million dollar criminal empire to unravel? Find out on The Kardashian, The Met Gala Selfie and the Stolen Coffin.

  5. Jul 7

    Episode 8: Hunting Ground - The Art of Maria Farmer

    Could art itself catch a predator? In Episode 8 we trace the story of Maria Farmer—artist, survivor, and target of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Find out why she became the first suvivor to report them to the FBI. And what did she hide in the art that followed? Today, we go frame-by-frame through her surrealist masterpiece, The Setiles. Is it a map of a global criminal network? What do the clues reveal? Find out right now, on Frame Job.

  6. Jun 30

    Episode 7: The Librarian and the Paper Tiger

    Director Yuan, in the library with... an ink brush? Yes and it's worse than that because the main suspect of this crime was the one person hired to protect the priceless art in the library itself. Find out the rest of the story on The Librarian and the Paper Tiger. Artists mentioned include the historically celebrated Chinese painters Zhang Da-chien, Qi Baishi and Zhu Da. References include:"Master Forger Swaps 143 Artworks with His Own" from Artnet News, 2015-07-21  "China librarian busted replacing masterpiece paintings with forgeries, which were replaced with forgeries - CBS News, 2015-07-21 "Out-Faking the Fakers: Chinese Librarian Proud of Forged Masters" by Ramzy, Austin, 2015-07-22, Sinosphere Blog, New York Times

  7. Jun 23

    Episode 6: The Rock and Roller and the Rembrandt

    Disguises, fake personalities, helicopters landing on the roof of an art museum? It's all here. And it’s even weirder than that.  Because notorious Boston art thief and felonious front man, Myles Connor, while awaiting trial for stealing a famous Andrew Wyeth painting, decided to try and beat the charges through an impossible gamble of an even bigger art crime, but did it work? Is Myles Connor the Nicolas Cage of the art crime world? Find out on Frame Job. Rembrandt and Wyeth are the primary artists discussed along with Connor's story. References include Anthony Amore's The Rembrandt Heist and the Catherine B. Scallen article called "Rembrandt, Reputation and the Practice of Connnoisseurship".

  8. Jun 16

    Episode 5: The Art of Twin Peaks Part Two

    The owls are not what they seem. Neither is this episode of Frame Job. Because the art discussed may surprise you. What do Frida Kahlo and the Bangles have in common with David Lynch’s iconic crime show? And why so many twins? Find out on The Art of Twin Peaks Part Two. We also cover the scariest murderers and monsters, go back to the 6th century BC and contemplate some influential artists like Claude Cahun, Francis Bacon and Francisco Goya.

  9. Jun 11

    Episode 4: The Suspicious Death of Hilde Lynn Helphenstein American artist, critic and the voice behind Jerry Gogosian

    In this first bonus episode of Frame Job, we report upon the suspicious death of Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, better known as Jerry Gogosian, an American artist, critic and memer whose untimely passing has the art world talking. What are the circumstances? Why do police think it's suspicious? Hunting for clues, we’ll dive into her body of work and detour into the controversial Mountain Park Baptist Boarding Academy where she spent her early years.

  10. Jun 2

    Episode 3: The Art of Twin Peaks Part One

    Get your pot of coffee ready! We're serving up a dollop of Garmonbozia and a slice of cherry pie here on Frame Job. In Episode 3 we dive into the high and low art of one of television's most enigmatic crime franchises, unraveling its iconic mysteries one Venus De Milo at a time. Packed full of surrealism, hidden lore, paintings, poems and as much BOB as you can handle. Art discussed includes: Franics Bacon, Rene Magritte, Laura’s painting given to her by Mrs. Tremont as well as her angel painting, Laura’s poetry, The Hotel Room by Anton Machek, The Hudson River School landscape painters, pop art, Edward Hopper, Triumph by James Thomas Russell and the iconic Venus De Milo.

  11. May 19

    Episode 2: Indiana Don and the Raiders of the Lost Farm

    What happens when an eccentric art collector treats the world like his personal museum? Was Don Miller of Indiana trying to "Make Archeology Great Again?" Find out on Episode Two of Frame Job and hear about largest single recovery of cultural property in FBI history. In addition to the case, I touch upon the Pipestone National Monument quarry and the sacred ceremonial pipes created by Native American artisans, painter George Catlin and the Kohinoor Diamond. Episode Notes The Grave Robber by Timothy Carpenter was the main reference source for this episode. Continuation of US policy adjustments that harm indigenous communities. Rollbacks of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): Major policy adjustments via legislative restructuring have stripped billions of dollars intended for clean energy, infrastructure, housing, and economic resilience specifically obligated to Indian Country. Retracted Energy Grants: Multiple federal funding packages meant to bolster tribal energy sovereignty have been retracted, forcing tribes across dozens of states to halt ongoing climate adaptation and self-sufficiency developments. Staffing and Contract Reductions: Federal cuts targeting the Department of Veterans Affairs and the broader safety net directly affect Native American veterans, who statistically serve in the military at higher rates than any other demographic. Federal Support Reductions: Broader policy proposals aim to transition sovereign tribal healthcare and education programs toward private, for-profit systems, while looking to cut structural funding for organizations like the Bureau of Indian Education.

  12. May 5

    Episode 1: A Diamond Is Forever Cursed

    A priceless Renoir is taken in the dark of night, a heist carried out so perfectly the masterpieces are still missing.From the million dollar secrets the art world is desperate to keep to the notorious villains and the unexpected heros in between, we’re tracking stolen jewels and paintings into the dark heart of colonialism with scandals so provocative they may have caused a famous revolution. In the episode ‘A Diamond is Forever Cursed' we dive into the high-stakes, lucrative arena of art crime and a historically cursed diamond once owned by a decadent Queen.

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Ratings & Reviews

About

**Season 1 has wrapped, and Frame Job is on a hiatus. Look out for Season 2 in the near future** Frame Job is a storytelling podcast exploring the intersection of fine art and true crime. We dive deep into the psyche of master forgers, the drama of high-stakes robbery and the modern scandals currently shaking the art world. From art history to art heists, hear tales of villains, heroes and skullduggery. Hosted by Leslie, who has an BFA in Art History and a background at MTV, Frame Job is independently produced, backed by historical research and free of ads or AI.

Information

  • Creator
    Twin Engine
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Twin Engine
  • Show Website
    Frame Job