M.C. Escher

Misha Glenny and guests discuss the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972), the graphic artist and printmaker best known for his impossible buildings, paradoxical perspectives, and repeating geometric patterns. Born in Leeuwarden and trained as a printmaker, Escher visited the Alhambra in Granada and found inspiration in the tessellating shapes of Islamic art. Through his career he went on to create some of the most famous images of the twentieth century and has been called a one-man art movement. After his work was exhibited in a 1954 conference, Escher’s work also caught the eye of mathematicians who appreciated his intuitive geometric precision. Escher was influenced by their work, and they were influenced by his – despite Escher never thinking he was actually very good at maths himself.

With

Marcus du Sautoy

Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, Professor of Mathematics and Fellow of New College, University of Oxford

Sarah Hart

Professor Emerita of Mathematics and Fellow of Birkbeck, University of London, and Fellow of Gresham College

And

Judith Kadee

Exhibitions project manager and public programme curator at Hague Historical Museum

Producer: Martha Owen

Reading list:

Marcus du Sautoy, Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity (Fourth Estate, 2025)