Home TV Shows Documentary art21 First aired September 21, 2001 1h/ep 12 seasons · 43 epsRunning Overview The first series on television in the U.S. to focus exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists, "Art in the Twenty-First Century" is a Peabody Award-winning biennial program that allows viewers to observe the artists at work, watch as they transform inspiration into art, and hear how they struggle with both the physical and visual challenges of achieving their visions.
"Art in the Twenty-First Century" airs on PBS and online in the U.S. Full episodes are available to watch on Art21.org and YouTube.
Seasons Season 1 4 episodes · Sep 21, 2001
Season 2 4 episodes · Sep 9, 2003
Season 3 4 episodes · Sep 16, 2005
Season 4 4 episodes · Oct 28, 2007
Season 5 4 episodes · Oct 7, 2009
Season 6 4 episodes · Apr 13, 2012
Season 7 4 episodes · Oct 24, 2014
Season 8 4 episodes · Sep 16, 2016
Season 8 provides unparalleled access to the most innovative artists of our time, revealing how artists engage the culture around them and how art allows viewers to see the world in new ways. For the first time in the show’s history, the sixteen featured artists are grouped into four one-hour episodes by their unique and revealing relationships to the places in which they live—Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Vancouver.
Season 9 3 episodes · Sep 21, 2018
Season 9 charts art-making in three urban centers across three continents: Berlin, Johannesburg, and the San Francisco Bay Area. From the post-Cold War cultural and economic rebirth in Berlin, to the dramatic fall of apartheid in South Africa and the technological boom in the Bay Area, the twelve artists and one non-profit art center highlighted in this season respond to the forces that have shaped the places where they live and work, while pursuing their personal visions for a better future.
Season 10 3 episodes · Sep 18, 2020
In season 10, twelve artists and one collective are presented across three episodes, charting artmaking in London, Beijing, and regions around the United States-Mexico border.
Season 11 3 episodes · Apr 7, 2023
Season 12 2 episodes · Oct 17, 2025
Season 12 of Art in the Twenty-First Century features twelve of today’s most acclaimed contemporary artists as they use art to address the pressing questions of our time. Viewers observe the artists at work, watch as they transform inspiration into art, and hear how they struggle with both the physical and aesthetic challenges of achieving their visions. This landmark season builds upon a quarter century of shaping how audiences experience art and artists today.
Last Air Date
February 11, 2026
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