The Private Life of a Masterpiece: Christmas Masterpieces

Go behind the scenes of some of the world's most famous works of art. Discover how three seemingly placid Nativity-themed paintings - van Eyck's "the Annunciation," Bruegel's "The Census at Bethlehem" and Paul Gauguin's daring "God's Child" - were born from revolution, scandal and strife.

This award-winning series reveals the full and fascinating stories behind famous works of art, not just how they came to be created, but also how they influenced others and came to have a life of their own in the modern world.

Pieter Bruegel - The Census at Bethlehem: The issue of Bruegel's political engagement is still a hot topic. Some scholars believe that The Census is an attack on Spanish economic repression. When Bruegel was dying, he apparently instructed his wife to destroy some of his work, which might get him into trouble.

Jan van Eyck - The Annunciation: Behind this stunning painting, packed with complex and extraordinary imagery, lies an even more complicated story, worthy of any spy novel.

Paul Gauguin - God's Child: The most unusual feature of the painting is the way that it presents Mary. Traditionally, decorum prevented Mary from being depicted as if she had really gone through the painful experience of labor, but Gauguin's Mary is clearly worn out from the process of giving birth. It was extremely daring to show May partially naked in a Nativity scene.