This lecture examines the extraordinary  life and dramatic times of Oscar Wilde from his Irish roots to his days as a student at Oxford and his meteoric rise to the heights of celebrity. We travel with him to the United States and examine his starring role within the artistic & theatrical worlds of late 19th century London. We visit his home in bohemian Chelsea and some of his favourite West End haunts. Finally, we learn how ‘tired of being in the heights, he plunged into the depths’ and became famous for being Infamous...

Simon Whitehouse:

Simon is a (recovering) actor, lecturer, presenter, Alexander Technique and voice teacher and award winning London Blue Badge guide. He has worked as a guide lecturer in house at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Opera House, the BBC and the National Gallery guiding both public and private tours. He is on the faculty of Ithaca College and also lectures for the Blue Badge Guide training course on the performing arts and English literature. Simon’s specialisms and passions are theatre, literature, fashion and art history but whatever the subject, Simon will weave a wonderful story from it.

Next year, 2027, will be the 500th anniversary the birth of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, one of the strangest and most intriguing artists of all time. He captivated his contemporaries with his depictions of the human face composed of objects such as fruits, flowers, fish and books. After centuries of obscurity, he was rediscovered in the 19th century and then revered by the Surrealists who saw him as a pioneer for their mining of the subconscious. Arcimboldo worked at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II, one of the greatest collectors in history who acquired masterpieces by Bruegel, Titian and Durer. He also assembled hundreds of artists, wizards and alchemists at his castle in Prague. This lecture examines Arcimboldo’s unique career in the context of his patron’s grand project of pursuing occult knowledge at the frontier of art and science . 

Rupert Dickens:

Rupert Dickens is an art historian based in south London with a special interest in Dutch and Flemish 16th and 17th century painting. He works at the Wallace Collection as a guide conducting public and private tours and lecturing on aspects of the collection. Rupert has accompanied groups on art-themed tours to the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria and Italy. He has lectured to large audiences on subjects as diverse as the game of chess in art and Madame de Pompadour’s artistic patronage in 18th century France. He studied art history at Birkbeck College before undertaking a Masters in Dutch Golden Age Studies at University College London. Before that Rupert had a 26-year career as a BBC journalist ending as an editor in radio news. 

The Maya lived in Central America between 1000 B.C. and 1528 at which time they were conquered by the Spaniards. The peak of their civilization was between 300 and 900 AD. During that time, they built enormous monuments, produced jade and ceramic items of great beauty and developed a calendar that was far more advanced than anything in Europe at the time. They had an advanced understanding of mathematics and astronomy and developed a hieroglyphic script which scholars are beginning to decipher, allowing us to understand their achievements much more fully. 

Dunan Pring:

Educated at Oxford (BA, MA) and London (MA, Ph.D) universities. PhD thesis on “The Preclassic Ceramics of Northern Belize”. Subsequent articles, mainly on Mayan ceramics. The Protoclassic in the Maya Lowlands published in 2000 by British Archaeological Reports. Recent publication on Early Maya Ceramics in "Pre-Mamom Pottery Variation and the Preclassic Origins of the Lowland Maya" ( Ed. Debra Walker University Press of Colorado 2023).

Van Gogh and Cézanne made little impact on the public mind during their lifetimes – the British art world remained in thrall to the academic art of the nineteenth century and the French and British Impressionists. Both were rebels with art as their cause – Van Gogh painted quickly, exploiting the power of vibrant colour to express his emotions. Cézanne’s analytical approach led him to ponder each and every brushstroke. Neither sold much in their lifetime – only their artist friends appreciated the changes they brought into being. This lecture looks at how the work of Van Gogh and Cézanne went from unsold to blockbuster in the early years of the 20th century because a few brave, but important art dealers and critics decided to sponsor them posthumously.

Biography:

Julia Musgrave got her first degree in Chemical Engineering and went on to become a Chartered Information Systems Engineer and IT project manager. In 2008 she decided that life was too short for just one career and decided to become an art historian. She now has a Graduate Diploma in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art and an MLitt in ‘Art, Style and Design: Renaissance to Modernism, c.1450 – c.1930’ from the University of Glasgow. She gained her PhD at the University of York for her research into the involvement of Roger Fry and the Bloomsbury Group and the social networks of the British art world in the development of the Contemporary Art Society from 1910 to 1939. She teaches Art History at the City Literary Institute (City Lit) and the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) in London.

From the early sixties, when he left the Royal College of Art more famous than his teachers, Hockney's paintings have shown a charm and humour that sets them apart from others of his generation. A naturally gifted draftsman, his love of ingenious visual devices has led him to experiment with a whole range of techniques, from stage design to coloured paper making. From the early abstract expressionist images, through his famous Californian scenes of swimming pools to the photo-montages of the mid eighties, this lecture follows the career of an artist whose wit and imagination has never faltered.    

Douglas Skeggs read History of Art at Magdalene College Cambridge and has been a lecturer on paintings since 1980. In that time he has given over 8000 lectures to universities, colleges and art societies. He was the director of  'The New Academy of Art Studies' for three years and is presently a regular lecturer at 'The Study Center', 'Christie's' course 'The History of Art Studies' and other London courses. Among his more improbable venues for lectures are the bar on the QE2, MI5 headquarters, the Captain's Room at Lloyds, and an aircraft hanger in a German NATO base. Overseas he has lectured in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain, and has taken numerous tours around Europe. He helped set up the Abercrombie & Kent “Private Label tours” and is presently cultural adviser to Ultimate travel

  He has written and presented various TV documentaries, notably the Omnibus programme on 'Whistler' and the exhibition video on 'William Morris.' Three one-man exhibitions of his paintings have been held in England and Switzerland. He has published five novels, which have been translated into 8 foreign languages, and his book on Monet, 'River of Light', has sold 30,000 copies in England, America and France.

Please note.  Booking is essential for non-members (£10).  Contact:   info@theartssocietysouthdowns.org.uk

Fascinating as much for her life as her art, Carrington (as she preferred to be known) eventually formed one corner of a typically Bloomsbury triangular relationship. She was born in 1893 and studied at the Slade School of Art where she joined an extraordinary generation of modern British artists. Her student work showed promise but at a time when it was unusual for a woman to succeed as a professional artist.   Her long (and improbable) relationship with the biographer Lytton Strachey was followed by marriage to Ralph Partridge and these complexities played a part in her death at the age of only 38.

Alan Read has a masters and first-class honours degree in History of Art from Birkbeck College, University of London. He is a gallery guide at Tate Britain and regularly lectures at both London Tates. For twenty years he was a gallery guide and lecturer at the National Portrait Gallery and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. He also works as a London Blue Badge Guide.

We might assume that our modern Christmas owes much to the Victorians. In fact, carol-singing, present-giving, mulled wine and mince pies were all just as popular in Tudor times. This lecture is based on my book with Alison Weir 'A Tudor Christmas'. It was a twelve-day-long festival, over which the Lord of Misrule held sway; so beloved by English people that its traditions survived remarkably unchanged in an age of tumultuous religious upheaval. 

Biography:

Siobhan Clarke BA Hons has worked for Historic Royal Palaces for 20 years delivering tours and lectures on Hampton Court, Kensington, the Tower of London and the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace. Her experience includes education sessions and tours for schools, universities, corporate and private clients.  She has lectured for the British Museum, National Trust, National Archives and the Smithsonian and featured on BBC Radio 'Woman's Hour' and Television's 'Secrets of Henry VIII's Palace'. 

Her published work includes: 'A Tudor Christmas', in collaboration with Alison Weir, (2018), 'The Tudors: The Crown, The Dynasty, The Golden Age' with Linda Collins (2019), 'King and Collector: Henry VIII and the Art of Kingship' (2021) and 'Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the Art of Queenship' (2022).

Website:

http://www.thehistoryguides.com

Traditional artisans continue to work metal, ceramics, wood and fabrics in the fertile Ferghana Valley, as they have done for thousands of years. Their beautiful creations, such as the vibrant silk 'ikat' dresses are still worn by women on special family occasions. Centrally located along the Silk Road, Uzbekistan has produced amazing art under diverse rulers such as Alexander the Great, Ancient Persians and Soviets. Famous UNESCO cities include Bukhara and Khiva, but if any place encapsulates this multi-culturalism then it is Samarkand, capital of Timur – known as Tamerlane in the West.

Biography:

Expert in the history and culture of the Middle East and North Africa. As a professional tour guide and lecturer he has led groups throughout the Middle East and Asia. He writes extensively on Arabia and is the author of the Insight Guide to the Silk Road and Berlitz Guides to Cairo; Abu Dhabi, Nile Cruising, Libya; the Red Sea; Oman and the Discovery Guide to Yemen. As a photographer he has pictures represented by several photographic libraries. As a film producer and cameraman he made documentaries for the BBC, National Geographic TV and Channel 4.

In the late 18th century writers of fiction began to embrace the Gothic – or ‘the art of freezing the blood.’ Many of these authors were women. They wrote about dark abbeys and ruined monasteries; they reported supernatural goings-on and blood curdling screams. The early readers of gothic fiction lapped these stories up. Some readers – such as Mary Shelley and the Bronte sisters - were inspired to create their own gothic worlds, peopled with madwomen and monsters. Others – like Jane Austen – chose to laugh at them. More recently, Daphne du Maurier, Margaret Atwood and Susan Hill have all channelled the Gothic in their own dark fictions. This fascinating lecture tells the story of the Gothic women - the writers, the artists, and their leading ladies - who have dared to explore the darker side of life and the imagination.

Biography:

Following a career in teaching, Annalie spent several years working on education programmes at museums and literary houses across the UK, including the Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere; Wordsworth House in Cockermouth; Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire; and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. At Jane Austen’s House, Annalie won 2 Sandford Awards for Excellence in Heritage Education; she also worked with the British Library, the Bodleian Library, and Chawton House Library in promoting Austen’s work to young people.  Annalie’s lectures focus on aspects of Romantic and Victorian literature. She uses her knowledge and personal experience of literary houses - and their collections - to offer a unique perspective on writers and their works. 

There is a universal delight in being deceived and in this lecture Bertie Pearce takes his audience on a whistle stop tour of art which fools, surprises and amuses the viewer. Beginning and ending with the Belgian surrealist, René Magritte, it encompasses Trompe L’eoil, Banksy, Bridget Riley, Arcimboldo and Escher to name a few. Hold on to your seats and get ready to be visually fried.

Biography:

Has a BA (Hons) in Drama from Manchester University, and a Diploma Internationale from the École Internationale du Théatre, Jacques Lecoq. A member of the Inner Magic Circle, with Gold Star. Past experience includes lecturing and performing on cruise ships, and to U3A, historical societies, festivals, schools and colleges. In addition, has toured the world with a magic cabaret show and a one man show entitled All Aboard. Has written articles for newspapers and magazines on entertainment and theatre.

Before the Normans invaded in the 11th century, Sicily had been colonised by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths and Islamic tribes from North Africa. This lecture looks at the island’s historic role as the crossroads between Europe, North Africa and the Middle East – and how the different cultural strands were woven together by the Normans during their remarkably enlightened rule, which saw Palermo become one of the most important cities in Europe. 

Biography:

Richard is a professional artist who graduated in English and Art History from York University in 1986. From 1988-1994 he lectured at the adult education departments of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities, and then went on to become a full-time figurative artist, executing large-scale public commissions, and exhibiting widely throughout the UK. He now lives and works in Chichester, West Sussex. 

Deborah Devonshire, the youngest of the Mitford sisters and wife of the 11th Duke of Devonshire, was hefted by marriage to one of Europe’s greatest treasure houses, Chatsworth. In the second half of the 20th century, in partnership with her husband, she imbued it with a spirit, elegance and sense of welcome that transformed it from being the worn-out survivor of decades of taxation, war and  social change into one of the best-loved, most-emulated and popular historic houses, gardens and estates in the country.

Biography:

Having grown up wanting to be an architect, Simon studied art and architectural history at Warwick University, which included a compulsory term living in Venice, an experience of cultural immersion from which he is still recovering! For 19 years until 2010, he worked at the great treasure house of Chatsworth, in Derbyshire, in a variety of roles, starting with a summer job cleaning lavatories and car parking, and ending as Head of Communications. In that time he lectured extensively about Chatsworth, the Devonshire Collection and associated topics, throughout the UK and on several US tours, and he continues to lecture on a growing range of cultural topics. Since then he has fulfilled another passion by training as a Life Coach, working with people one-to-one to support their life and career choices, and he also works part time for John Ruskin’s educational charity the Guild of St George. For more than 30 years he has lived with his family in the heart of Derbyshire's beautiful Peak District.

Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) was one of the most celebrated artists her time. She displayed exceptional early talent, and on 31 May 1783 became one of just four women elected to France’s prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de sculpture. Vigée Le Brun was Queen Marie-Antoinette’s favourite portraitist, creating royal portraits that were astonishing in their informality. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, that relationship became a liability. Vigée Le Brun fled France with her nine-year old daughter, travelling through Italy, Austria, Russia, Germany, England and Switzerland.

Biography:

Dr Lois Oliver is Professor in History of Art at the University of Notre Dame in London, and a Visiting Lecturer at the Courtauld Institute. She has worked as a Curator at the V&A, the National Gallery, and the Royal Academy. Her recent exhibitions include ‘Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism’ at Dulwich Picture Gallery and ‘Jock McFadyen: Tourist without a Guidebook’ for the Royal Academy. She has created audio and multimedia tours for many of the UK’s leading arts institutions and has appeared on BBC Radio and TV. Also a keen violinist, Lois plays regularly with Kensington Chamber Orchestra and the Endellion Festival Orchestra. Lois studied English Literature at Cambridge University, and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, completing an MA in Venetian Renaissance Art and writing her PhD thesis on The Image of the Artist, Paris 1815-1855.

This lecture celebrates the 400th Anniversary of Charles I’s accession to the throne in 1625. Charles I’s obsession for collecting works of art began when as a 22-year-old prince he travelled to Spain and saw the magnificent collection of the Spanish king, Philip IV.  On becoming King in 1625 Charles purchased the fabulous collection of the Gonzaga Dukes of Mantua which included works by Titian, Raphael and Andrea Mantegna’s astonishing series of paintings “The Triumphs of Caesar”.  Charles engaged Peter Paul Rubens to paint the ceiling of the Banqueting House in Whitehall and he appointed Anthony van Dyck as his Court Artist.  By the end of his reign Charles had amassed over 2000 works of art but in doing so he had bankrupted England and alienated his people.  His life ended on the scaffold in 1649 and most of the collection was sold in what was known as “The Commonwealth Sale” in 1650. While many works were retrieved by Charles 2nd during the Restoration others now hang in the great Art Galleries of Europe.

Biography:

Historian and London Blue Badge Guide since 1988. Lecturer, Examiner and Course Director on Blue Badge Guide Training Courses and an acknowledged expert on Royalty and Windsor Castle. The only Blue Badge Guide accredited to guide the Albert Memorial. Offers guided visits and walking tours linked to her lectures.

http://www.windsorheritagetalksandtours.co.uk

This lecture complements the forthcoming Royal Academy Exhibition 'Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Florence, c. 1504'  

The first decade of the sixteenth century in Florence was an exhilarating place for an artist to work, brimming with new ideas and approaches. For a brief but intense period Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael coincided in Florence. These are the years of Mona Lisa, David and Raphael’s many serene Madonnas. We explore the rivalries between the artists and the impact that Michelangelo and Leonardo had on the young Raphael.

Biography:

Dr Antonia Gatward Cevizli is an independent art historian specialising in both Italian Renaissance art and Ottoman art. She gained her PhD from the University of Warwick. Her publications focus on cultural and diplomatic exchange between the Italian city-states and the Ottomans. Antonia has lectured for a number of institutions including Sabancı University, Istanbul; Sotheby’s Institute of Art; the National Gallery; the V&A Academy and The Courtauld summer school. Her interests are wide-ranging and she also worked across the collections of both Tate Modern and Tate Britain as a professional guide. She has lived in Siena, Venice and Istanbul.

Saint George, patron saint of England, is - perhaps surprisingly - not even English, but his image abounds in diverse places all over the country. This lecture tells the story of how, not only his cult, but his image, originally appeared in England and then was disseminated throughout the realm and the centuries. Using a multitude of images from around the country Alison will demonstrate how Saint George was part of the fabric of early modern England and a popular figure for all strata of society.

Biography:

Dr Alison Barker taught History and Art History at further and higher education for eighteen years before her current role as a Frontline Support Assistant at the University of Essex, Albert Sloman Library. She speaks widely to diverse groups on many historical and art historical topics, and has led guided tours at the British Museum and the National Gallery. Alison wrote her PhD thesis on the depiction of Saint George in art and has published work on his image in both England and Italy. Her forthcoming book, The Dissemination of Saint George in Early Modern Art will be published by Routledge in 2025.

Lectures in the main museums in London for American universities, and has toured widely in the USA and lectured for the Smithsonian Institution. Has also worked for the Art Fund, taught courses for Cambridge University, has been a guest speaker on cruises. Trained as a painter at Central St Martin’s, she exhibits abroad, most recently in Berlin and France. Lives in London and in Provence.

The “Star” of Bethlehem apparently did exist. But what it was exactly and when it shone in the night sky are questions that for two thousand years people have taken on trust. Astronomy can now recreate the night sky at any given moment historically, and we can actually see an intense light, when looking south from Jerusalem towards Bethlehem one November night in 7BC – the year Jesus is thought to have been born. The “Star” signalled a new King for Israel and for the West because of the ancient astrological meanings attached to the planets and signs of the Zodiac. Deep space photos from NASA confirm the wisdom of the Magi who read the night skies accurately, astrologically, so many centuries ago. The question is why would the Magi, if Persian as has always been assumed, set out to find the Saviour? Why would gentiles do this? Would it not make more sense if the wise men were in fact Jewish?  And this conclusion in also part of the story.

Dr John Stevens gained his PhD in History from UCL, beforeB going on to teach British Imperial History, Indian History and Bengali Language at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, University of London). His biography of the Indian guru Keshab Chandra Sen – Keshab:Bengal’s Forgotten Prophet - was published by Hurst and Oxford University Press in 2018. He is a regular visitor to India and Bangladesh and has lectured at numerous Indian universities. He also works as a consultant on Indian affairs and teaches the Bengali language to private students. He has appeared many times in the Indian media, and was a guest on BBC Radio Four’s In Our Time, discussing the poet and artist Rabindranath Tagore. 

Calcutta was the second city of the British Empire and a hub of cultural and artistic production throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This lecture provides an overview of the arts (poetry, theatre, literature, song) and architecture of this extraordinary city, which was India’s capital until 1911. At the epicentre of the ‘Bengal renaissance’, Calcutta played a central role in shaping the arts and culture of modern India, as a huge variety of artists sought to interpret India’s classical heritage in new ways, and to combine this heritage with Western cultural forms. This lecture examines how Calcutta’s arts and architecture were affected by British rule, and explores the fascinating ways in which Indian artists viewed the British in India.

Trained as an artist before gaining a PhD in Art and Critical Theory from the University of Sussex. Has lectured in art history for the City Lit, Tate Modern, the Course, Art in London, London Art Salon, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and many private art societies; also runs art history study tours abroad and is a Director of InFems art collective for whom she curates exhibitions and writes.

Caravaggio is known for his adherence to reality but how did he weave the real lives of his models into his paintings? What became of Fillide Melandroni, courtesan to cardinals, the star of Caravaggio’s Judith and Holofernes who was under the control of pimp Ranuccio Tomassoni whom Caravaggio murdered? Why did Caravaggio choose Fillide’s friend, street prostitute Anna for the penitent Magdalene? What role did fellow artist Mario Minniti play in Caravaggio’s works? And was Caravaggio his own best model?

This is the story of a recently discovered portrait of Emily Treslove, painted by Constable in 1726, along with a portrait of her husband Thomas Treslove QC. The couple were neighbours of Constable in Charlotte St, London. The portraits had been kept in the Treslove family for five generations since completion, and had only recently come to light in 2019 and were brought to Sarah Cove for restoration.

Sarah’s research has uncovered a fascinating history of the wealth, vanity, fashion, and politics of the time in the letters of Constable and his sitters. This also throws light on the frivolous nature of the nouveau riche of London in that period.

Sarah Cove is an accredited paintings conservator-restorer, technical art historian and lecturer with more than 35 years’ experience working on paintings for the heritage and private sectors. She is based in London and Falmouth and is a specialist in British portraits, 19th-20th century British landscapes and oil sketches on paper and board. In 1986 she founded the Constable Research Project and she is now the leading authority on Constable’s materials and techniques. She has appeared in several TV programmes for the BBC notably 'Constable in Love' with Andrew Graham-Dixon and twice on 'Fake or Fortune' where she was instrumental in the discovery of 3 ‘lost’ Constables. Other research interests include Tudor and Jacobean Portraiture, the 19th century Newlyn and St Ives schools and early-to-mid 20th century British painting generally. 

Simon is an actor, lecturer, presenter, Alexander Technique and voice teacher and award winning London Blue Badge guide.

He has worked as a guide lecturer in house at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Opera House, the BBC and the National Gallery guiding both public and private tours. He is on the faculty of Ithaca College and also lectures for the Blue Badge Guide training course on the performing arts and English literature.

In 1663, following the restoration of the monarchy, King Charles II revived the fortunes of British theatre. After 18 years of closure, he issued two royal licences to two men, Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant. These royal licences laid the foundations of the present-day Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. 

Meet the men that shaped the buildings and starred at the theatres: David Garrick, Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Augustus Harris. We travel the centuries to encounter the trailblazing women who took the two stages by storm including Nell Gwynne, Mrs Siddons and Adelina Patti. We learn how despite frequent fires, riots and financial ruin, time and again the theatres made spectacular comebacks proving that the show MUST go on.

Clive studied on the Sotheby's Works of Art course and has now been working in the fine art world for 47 years. Until recently he was a Director of Woolley and Wallis, the UK's leading regional firm of auctioneers, in Salisbury, and was a specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow for 25 years between 1991 and 2016. Has also lectured on cruise ships as well as for many other groups, and recently published a major article in the Journal of the Decorative Arts Society on Betty Joel. He is now an independent art advisor.

Betty Joel, born Mary Stewart Lockhart, ran a furniture making and design business. At its peak, in the 1920s and 30s, Betty Joel Ltd employed 50 craftsmen and had showrooms in Knightsbridge. With no formal training, she created, through a flair for branding and marketing, the leading furnishing company of the day in London. The talk explores her early life and marriage to David Joel, exhibitions, and projects. Her clients included royalty, high society, politicians, banks, hotels (such as the Savoy in London) as well as film companies and theatres. With rare access to three surviving schemes, the style and glamour of 1930s' design is brought to life and retells the story of a determined woman in a world still run by men. 

Tessa Boase is a freelance journalist, author, lecturer and campaigner with an interest in uncovering the stories of invisible women from the 19th and early 20th-centuries – revealing how they drove industry, propped up society and influenced politics.

She’s the author of three books of social history: The Housekeeper’s Tale: The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House (2014); Etta Lemon: The Woman Who Saved the Birds (first published as Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather in 2018), and London’s Lost Department Stores: A Vanished World of Dazzle and Dreams (2022).

Since uncovering the feminist origins of the RSPB, Tessa has been campaigning for public recognition of its female founders with plaques, portraits and a statue. 

As the most senior of upper servants, the housekeeper typically carried a family’s secrets with her to the grave. She ran the English country house, controlled its female servants and conserved its many treasures – and yet she has not been remembered history. Using old letters, secret diaries and neglected archives, Tessa has resurrected a series of fascinating stories from 19th and 20th century domestic service, at some of our most prominent households.

This lecture investigates the process of creating, through the collaboration between A A Milne and E H Shepard, the iconic images for one of the leading worldwide children's all-time favourite books. This was the first time that author and illustrator worked together feeding off each other’s creative input and reaction to words and pictures – with never previously published drafts and drawings of Winnie-the-Pooh and friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

James Campbell has an MA in the History of Art, and a particular interest in the work of the artist, illustrator and cartoonist E H Shepard (1879-1976). He has been lecturing for over twenty years, and has lectured across the UK and overseas to community groups, Literary Festivals, Art societies, military museums, and to private clubs and societies. His books Shepard’s War and The Art of Winnie-the-Pooh were published in 2015 and 2017 respectively. He is currently working on a joint biography of A A Milne and E H Shepard commissioned for the centenary of the Winnie-the-Pooh books.  

Peter has degrees in Decorative Arts & Historic Interiors and Fine Art Valuation; he also holds a DPhil in Art History. Has forty years' lecturing experience, including to the Art Fund in Jersey and Guernsey, the Ringwood Antiques Club Hampshire, the Jersey College for Adult Education, and various after-dinner engagements. Has given talks on local radio, and held antique road shows for various organisations. Interests include eighteenth century fine & decorative art, the Grand Tour, Oriental decorative arts, and silver and jewellery. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.The great names of the mid-to-late 18th century travellers will loom large in this lecture; Payne-Knight, Townley, Mann, Hamilton, together with the artists who travelled with them to record these magnificent cultural and social sojourns abroad. The hazardous conditions that could be encountered, methods of travel and the necessity in some areas to employ bodyguards, are interspersed with the architectural beauty of the major cities of Italy, and the decorative arts are viewed with an 18th century eye.

The talk includes the tour of William Beckford, who was on a visit to his uncle Sir William Hamilton. Sir William Hamilton was a major collector of Roman, Etruscan and Greek vases, the second collection of which is part of the core collection of the British Museum. Townley also contributed to the core collection of that institution with his Roman artefacts. 

Gavin is a writer and broadcaster, appearing on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and contributing to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes worldwide. Lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. Recent talks include the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Trust, the National Theatre, the British Museum, the V&A, the Southbank Centre, the Tate and the Neue Galerie, New York. His first book, A Home for All Seasons, is published in June 2022.

 In 1565, Pieter Bruegel the Elder was commissioned to create a series of paintings for a dining room in Antwerp. The images, charting the course of a year, changed the way we view the world through art. Landscape had previously been a decorative backdrop to dramas both sacred and profane. But in Bruegel's hands the landscape and our interaction with it became the focus. Looking at paintings such as The Return of the Herd, Hunters in the Snow and The Gloomy Day, this lecture explores how Bruegel pioneered a whole new way of thinking about the environment and our individual places within a shifting cosmos.

CHRISTOPHER BRADLEY has a broad range of lecturing experience, including to the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Institute of British Architects. As a film producer and cameraman he has made documentaries for the BBC, National Geographic TV and Channel 4.

Nicholas was the Greek Bishop of Myra, a 4th century port in Anatolia. Following his death, his legendary generosity established him as the principle gift-giving saint as well as the patron saint of seafarers. The body of St Nicholas was stolen by Italian sailors to protect their own ports in the Adriatic. Over the centuries the image of St Nicholas changed constantly until the Dutch re-invented him as Sinterklaas. Taking him to their new colonies in America, he transformed into kindly Santa Claus. Later re-imported into Britain without his Catholic baggage, he gradually emerged as Father Christmas.

Caroline Shenton was Political Writer in Residence at Gladstone’s Library in 2017, has appeared at the Cheltenham, Hay and Henley literary festivals and on BBC radio and TV. Caroline’s third book, 

National Treasures, will tell the extraordinary and sometimes hilarious stories behind the saving of London’s art and museum collections in World War Two, which is the subject of today's lecture .Dr Caroline Shenton is an archivist and historian. She was formerly Director of the Parliamentary Archives in London, and before that was a senior archivist at the National Archives.

BRIAN STATER has written on architecture for a wide range of publications and an exhibition of his own photographs was held at UCL. He is a member of the Association of Historical and Fine Art Photography and he works with a pre-War Leica camera, as used by his great hero, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and many others.

The work of women photographers has often been unfairly neglected. This lecture seeks to correct that by examining the contribution of three outstanding British practitioners; Julia Margaret Cameron, a Victorian pioneer; Jane Bown, a brilliant portraitist; and Fay Godwin, who excelled in landscape photography. We also explore the work of two highly influential Americans: Dorothea Lange, who produced brilliant documentary images and Annie Leibovitz, who continues to both surprise and delight her audience.

PEPE MARTINEZ qualified as a London blue badge tourist guide in 2011, graduating at the top of his class. Since qualifying as a guide he has specialised in the graffiti and street art of East London. Prior to becoming a London blue badge he was a tour manager for 15 years, travelling extensively, all over the world. 

In this lecture we will look at work by Banksy, quite possibly the most famous living street artist in the world, as well as street art by Ben Eine whose piece “Twenty First Century City” was recently presented by Prime Minister David Cameron to Barrack Obama. We will also see work by Shepherd Fairey the most celebrated street artist working in the US today, known around the world for his Obey and Hope campaigns.  

You will discover how the huge growth and popularity of Street Art is reflected in the astonishing transformation of Spitalfields and Shoreditch from a once seedy and deprived area into one of the most vibrant, most fashionable, most happening neighbourhoods in London.

JANE CHOY-THURLOW is an active member of The Arts Society, she is a founding member of DFAS of The Hague and has fulfilled committee positions including chairman and Mainland Europe Area Chairman and presently is Area Trainer and a New Societies committee member. She received her BSc from Salem State University, USA, her MEd from Trinity College Dublin and continued art history studies at Leiden University.

In 2018 she was given the honour of Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau by the Dutch King Willem Alexander of Orange for her knowledge and work in the field of the Arts especially 15th to 17th century Dutch and Flemish art. Based in Holland she is making a special trip to us for this talk

In this lecture we will explore this phenomenal artist who through his portraits esp. of the Henry VIII, his wives and courtiers have done so much to determine our image of this turbulent time. We will examine the life and career of this 16th century ex-pat who travelled to many countries in pursuit of his career. But what makes his work so special? Why are his portraits so intriguing and fascinating for so many people? Is it his unbelievably refined technique and the beautiful use of colour which he used to make his paintings come to life? Or is it his talent to reveal the characters of these people so mercilessly? NOT TO BE MISSED

Alexadra Epps is an Official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Guildhall Art Gallery. Qualified Guide to the City of London, offering lectures and walks about many aspects of the arts for societies, corporations and private individuals. Member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association. Co-author of the book Lord Mayor's Portraits 1983-2014 (2015). Alexandra’s background is in design having practised as a graphic designer running her own design consultancy for many years. 

Not only was Peggy Guggenheim ahead of her time but she was the woman who helped define it. She discovered and nurtured a new generation of artists producing a new kind of art. Through collecting not only art but the artists themselves, her life was as radical as her collection.

JOHN IDDON is a Lecturer and Guide at both Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Ran an MA course in Heritage Interpretation at St Mary's University College. Has lectured freelance to numerous art societies, to the National Trust and the Peggy Guggenheim Gallery in Venice.

Possibly the greatest figure painter of the second half of the 20th century, Lucian Freud, also led an extraordinary life, from his family’s escape from the Hitler regime in the 1930’s to his colourful and combative life in London. This talk will look at his unforgettable paintings (many of which have a penetrative scrutiny that is almost the visual equivalent of his grandfather Sigmund’s analysis of patients) as well as his relations with his models and fellow artists.

Born on the Isles of Scilly and educated at Truro School, Cornwall, and Birmingham University.Mark Cottle's career has been spent in education and training at home and abroad. He has lectured at Exeter College on Medieval and Tudor history, St Mark's & St John's University College, Plymouth, and at Bath University on Anglo Saxon and medieval England.

The Bayeux Tapestry, “one of the most enchanting pieces of narrative art in existence” (Talbot Rice), is a unique and magnificent survival from a time when wall-hangings of all kinds were common among the wealthy and powerful. Like a Viking Saga, it narrates the heroic tale of William’s invasion and battle at Hastings in graphic detail, real energy and on a grand scale. The style and quality of the needlework place it, by general consent, as English – a product of a long tradition of high quality needlework known throughout Europe as Opus Anglicanum. The aim of the lecture is twofold: firstly, to demonstrate the artistic achievement of a magnificent work of art and secondly, to place it in the context of its time – who created it? How and where was it created? Who commissioned it and why? 

Sarah Lenton has spent her working life in the theatre: her principal employers are the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Garsington Opera. She writes programme articles, radio and play scripts, gives lectures on the operas and ballets in the rep. and broadcasts regularly for BBC Radios 3 and 4. She is also a cartoonist.

Lilian Baylis, the supremely pragmatic manager of the Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells, is a theatrical enigma. The founder of English National Opera, the National Theatre and the Royal Ballet, she is still remembered as a comic Cockney with a talent  for devastating one-liners and frying supper for her employees in the wings. This talk covers new ground. Based on a collaboration with Zoë Anderson, ballet critic and writer, we’ve discovered another Lilian. A woman who constantly reinvented herself to keep her theatres going, she comes across as extraordinary as ever, but considerably more formidable

Jo is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers and Freeman of the City of London. Originally a trained singer, pianist and orchestra administrator, Jo is now a decorative artist who gilds antique lace and crochet, often combining with hand printing and painting.

 In June 1520 Henry VIII and Francis 1 meet to ratify an Anglo-French alliance and celebrate the betrothal of Henry’s daughter Mary to the Dauphin. The two handsome ‘Renaissance Princes’ are in their 20s with similar reputations in military prowess, sport and patrons of the arts. Both have imperial ambitions and are eager to display themselves as magnificent nobleman and warrior kings. Each brings an entourage of 6,000 to a field south of Calais for 18 days of various events and entertainments staged to display the skill and splendour of each King and country. How did they do it all ?

Barry graduated from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth with a BA in history, formed a touring theatre company bringing new plays to audiences in rural Wales, was then employed for a year as an actor/writer with the Channel Theatre Company in Ramsgate, Kent, before giving up acting and becoming a cartoonist instead.

For the last ten years he has  been performing his cartoon workshop Release Your Inner Cartoonist in its many different guises, to audiences as diverse as schoolchildren, business executives and festival goers.

For a great many members of The Arts Society, the cartoonist Carl Giles was as much a part of the festive season as the Christmas tree, crackers and the Queen's Speech. So popular were the Giles annuals as Christmas presents that they helped to make him Britain's best loved, most successful and wealthiest cartoonist. The talk looks at Giles's life and work with a particular emphasis on his seasonal cartoons, particularly those featuring Grandma and the Giles family. They include some of his funniest cartoons, 

Giles Ramsay is an independent theatre director and producer who specializes in creating new work with artists in developing countries. He is the Founding Director of the charity Developing Artists (www.developingartists.org), a Fellow of St. Chad’s College, Durham University and Course Leader in Theatre at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Giles has run theatre projects in Botswana, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Kosovo, Palestine, Mexico, Thailand and ZimbabWE                                                                                  

 In a period of just over 100 years a city state called Athens invented a new form of communal expression called theatre and found that living amongst them happened to be four of the greatest writers the world has ever known; Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. It all starts here!

Malcolm has lectured on the Victoria & Albert Museum Short Course and Year Course Programmes since 2009, devising and developing a range of courses on Theatre History and Practice. He also lectures on theatre for Road Scholar and London Arts Discovery Tours for theatre groups visiting UK from America.                                                                                        John Osborne said, “Mr Coward is his own invention and contribution to this century. Anyone who cannot see that should keep well away from the theatre.” From fairly humble beginnings Noël Coward went on to establish himself as the most astonishing theatre animal of the 20th century. Playwright and composer, performer and director Noël Coward created some of the most memorable songs and plays in theatre history and some very witty quotes along the way.

CHANTAL HAS AN MA in History of Art from Edinburgh, PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University. With 40 years' experience as a lecturer, Chantal has taught at Sotheby's Institute of Art on the MA in Fine and Decorative Arts since 1989, and as a freelance lecturer for a number of societies in London, Italy and America. Having also trained as a paintings conservator, she brings an understanding of the making and the physical painting to her lectures and study sessions. 

 This lecture asks “what is the magic of Raphael?” It takes a fresh look at Raphael, exploring what he achieved, and looking, as if for the first time, at the beauty and grace of his work. It will examine his astonishing ability to grow and transform himself over the years of his career, and whose tragically early death leaves us wondering – had he lived, what would have come next?

Ian Gledhill has had a very varied career, from designing underground railways as an engineer for London Transport, to appearing in pantomime with Julian Clary. In between he has worked in travel and tourism, music publishing, television, and especially the theatre, where he has been an actor, director, set designer, stage manager and opera translator. His main interests include architecture, history, transport and classical music, especially opera and operetta, and these are reflected in the wide ranging list of subjects for his lectures. He began giving lectures in 1997, and now gives on average around 140 a year. 

A light-hearted look at seaside entertainment over the years, from Bathing Machines to End of the Pier Shows and “What the Butler Saw” machines. The British seaside began with the fashion for sea bathing in the 18th century, but expanded enormously in the 19th century with the arrival of the railways and the era of mass travel. We look at the specialist buildings which proliferated at the seaside in the 19th century, such as piers, towers and aquaria, that provided entertainment for the masses – not to mention that famous breed, the seaside landlady!

2022 is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and 2023 marks the 70th Anniversary of her Coronation, events which are unique in the history of our nation.

This lecture celebrates these events and looks at the evolution of the coronation ceremony from Saxon times to that of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It examines the different stages of the ceremony from the Recognition through to the Homage and explains the significance of the different items of the Coronation Regalia.

 Finally, the lecture gives an account of the ill omens and memorable mishaps which have occurred at coronations throughout the centuries and ends with the coronation of Her Majesty the Queen, the first to be genuinely witnessed by the people through the medium of television.

A SPECIAL CELEBRATORY LUNCH WILL BE HELD FOR MEMBERS FOLLOWING THE TALK.  COST £15.00

Jo Banham is a freelance curator, lecturer and writer. From 2006-2016 she was Head of Adult Learning at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and before that Head of Learning and Access at the National Portrait Gallery, and Head of Public Programmes at Tate Britain. She has also been Curator of Leighton House and Assistant Keeper at the Whitworth Art Gallery. She has published on many aspects of Victorian and early 20th century decoration and interiors. She is currently curating an exhibition on William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement for the Juan March Fundacion in Madrid and the Museu Nacional d’Art Catalunya in Barcelona. She is also Director of the Victorian Society Summer School.                                                                                                             

 This lecture explores the history and impact of Japanese art in Victorian Britain on the work of artists and designers such as J. M. Whistler, D. G. Rossetti and E. W. Godwin and the widespread adoption of Anglo-Japanese styles and motifs in the furnishings, textiles and wallpapers sold by fashionable retailers like Liberty’s .

Jacqueline is Managing Director of an art tours company, running residential courses in Andalucía, Southern Spain in the art and culture of the region. Jacqueline is a course director and lecturer at the V&A and also lectures at The Royal Academy, Christies Education, The Art Fund, The London Art History Society . Her specialist field is Spanish Art, but she also lectures on European Art 1790-1950. She has recently published A Taste of Art, London (Unicorn Press 2019).

This lecture will examine how after the ‘Reconquista’ of Spain, which began long before 1492, Christians continued to build in a Moorish style, called Mudejar. The lecture begins in Toledo in 1085 showing buildings which fuse Muslim, Christian and Jewish building styles. It ends in Granada at the Alhambra. It will chart the gradual take back which took 400 years and affected the whole continent. It will examine how the Christians took back Spain, mostly destroying 800 years of cultural heritage yet at the same time there are examples of how they preserved and admired the culture.

Lucrezia is a regular lecturer at the National Gallery both in front of the paintings and in the lecture theatre. For the Tate Gallery's Development department she speaks to their corporate sponsors in their offices and at their private receptions in both Tates. She teaches US undergraduates on their Study Abroad semesters in London. She was Lay Canon for the Visual Arts at St Paul's Cathedral 2010                                                                                                                                                                                                          John Peter Russell was an.Australian artist and friend of the Impressionists of whom the sculptor Rodin, said would be as famous as himself and their friend Monet. Matisse said that Russell had taught him everything he knew about colour. During their lifetimes Russell was more successful than his friend, the unknown van Gogh. What reversed this situation? How do artists become famous, and who writes the canon?

Apologies for this last-minute change of topic and lecturer, which has had to be made for health reasons. 

Jim Thompson arrived in Bangkok as a US army officer in 1945, fell in love with it and stayed. Captivated by the beauty of Thai silk, an ancient craft in decline, he resuscitated it and made it famous, creating costumes for films and embellishing his house, which today is a museum. An aesthete and art collector, he created an exquisite home from six handcarved teakwood houses brought from the countryside and filled it with Asian art. Here he became a legendary host. This lecture tells the story of his achievements, showing the intricate process of silk production and its illustrious heritage, including royal robes and temple murals. It touches on films featuring his silks, reveals his house and its art and reflects on a life that ended with his mysterious disappearance.

Everyone knows the ingredients of a traditional Christmas: gathering round the Christmas tree, pulling crackers, eating Christmas pudding and mince pies.  Those last-minute cards sent to people you’ve not seen all year. These are the festive celebrations with which most of us grew up and they still hold a special magic as representing the timeless Christmases of days gone by. But where did they start? This lecture looks at the characters and personalities of the people who began those traditions or introduced them to this country.

Between 1885 and 1916, Carl Fabergé made fifty jewelled eggs – Easter presents from Russia’s last two emperors to their wives. They have become the most famous surviving symbols of the Romanov Empire: both supreme examples of the jeweller’s art and the vulgar playthings of a decadent court. Given almost total artistic freedom, Fabergé and his designers had to conform to only three rules: that each year’s Easter present should be egg-shaped, that it should contain some surprise to amuse or delight its recipient, and that it should be different from any predecessor. The result was a series of creations demonstrating ingenuity and creativity for which there are few parallels in any other field.

Best known for his outlandish appearances dressed as his feminine alter ego, Claire, Grayson Perry is now a core part of the art establishment, a Turner Prize winner, Royal Academician, popular broadcaster and colourful character. He’s possibly one of the world’s best-known contemporary artists. His works of ceramics, textiles, tapestries and prints are highly sought after. Often controversial, he tackles difficult subjects in a poignant yet witty way and holds a mirror up to society. This talk will examine Grayson Perry’s work, his exciting and thought-provoking exhibitions, and the unique character inside the flamboyant frocks.

This is the gripping and sometimes hilarious story of how a band of heroic curators and eccentric custodians saved Britain’s national heritage during our Darkest Hour. As Hitler’s forces gathered on the other side of the Channel to threaten these islands, men and women from London’s national museums, galleries and archives forged extraordinary plans to evacuate their collections to safety. Utilising country houses from Buckinghamshire to Cumbria, tube tunnels, Welsh mines and Wiltshire quarries, a dedicated team of unlikely heroes packed up their greatest treasures in a race against time during the sweltering summer of 1939, dispatching them throughout the country on a series of secret wartime adventures,

Pablo Picasso had a tumultuous relationship with Britain over the course of his life, related to both his personal politics and the shock of his art. This hour-long talk examines the lasting effects of Picasso on Britain, looking not only at the artist's two visits to England (1919 and 1950) but also the turning point that the display of his monumental Guernica (1937) in 1938-9 precipitated for British artists. This relationship – and the surrounding public controversies – reveal a multitude of fascinating connections between the most prolific artist of the twentieth century and a country on the verge of its global artistic renaissance.

WE WILL BE ANNOUNCING THIS SPECIAL LECTURE AND CELEBRATION AT A LATER DATE

Hampton Court is one of our most familiar historic sites, routinely associated with Henry VIII. But what were its origins? What does Cardinal Wolsey's magnificent building work tell us about England's relationship with Europe at the turn of the sixteenth century, and how did Henry obscure Wolsey's name and reputation. Finally, what do the diaries of visitors to the palace tell us about the palace Elizabeth I inherited?

THIS WE HOPE WILL BE A VERY SPECIAL LECTURE AND CELEBRATION TO BE ANNOUNCED AT A FUTURE DATE

To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, born in December 1770, Sandy guides us through the life and work of this brilliant, cantankerous, visionary and astonishingly original composer, a man who tore up the rule book of classical music.

This story features outstanding work by artists as varied as Rembrandt, Reynolds, Canova and Freud, and comes right up to date with the current Duke and Duchess's passion for modern British sculpture. The lecture includes Old Master drawings, fine books and archives, silver and rare jewels, portraits ancient and modern, sculpture spanning 2000 years of European culture, furniture by outstanding cabinet makers and other unique treasures. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS LECTURE IS SCHEDULED FOR THE LAST WEDNESDAY IN MARCH

This lecture reveals the real family that dominated the Papacy and Italian politics during the last decade of the 15th century: the charismatic figure of Pope Alexander VI, living inside his sumptuously decorated apartments, the career of his son, Cesare, cardinal, general, employer of Da Vinci and the model for Machiavelli’s The Prince, and the journey of Lucrezia Borgia from “the greatest whore in Rome” to a devout and treasured duchess of the city Ferrara. Sometimes truth is more intoxicating than myth.

In his talk Andrew guides you through the extraordinary periods and events between 1890 and 1929, where the great fashion houses collaborated with the finest of jewellers to produce works of art of outstanding quality and glittering opulence. Along with this he discusses the clients and patrons who commissioned the jewels and how they were worn with the sumptuous gowns.

 The lecture explores the paradox of this man whose flamboyant and eccentric ways made him both admired and detested in equal measure and yet whose quiet, meditative paintings, in which more is suggested than actually seen, ultimately assured him a place alongside Oscar Wilde as one of the high priests of the Aesthetic Movement.

THIS LECTURE IS OFFERED ONLINE TO OUR MEMBERS ONLY

The history of this enduring and peculiarly British institution, from its origins in 16th century Italian commedia dell’arte through the influence of 19th century music hall, to the family shows that are still much loved today. On the way we examine the origins of some of the stories used in pantomime as well as such traditions as the (female) principal boy and the (male) pantomime dame. The talk is interspersed with personal anecdotes from the speaker’s years of working (and appearing) professionally in pantomime.  This is a zoom lecture and will commence at 10.30am

THIS LECTURE IS OFFERED ONLINE TO OUR MEMBERS ONLY

Raphael is often referred to as one of the three giants of the High Renaissance in Italy, alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci His career was short-lived as he died aged 37. Yet in this relatively short space of time Raphael managed to move from humble initial commissions to the covetous position of one of the leading artists at the court of Pope Julius II, for whom he created some of the most sublime and influential frescoes of the early 16th century. We explore how Raphael achieved this extraordinary rise in status. This will now be a Zoom lecture commencing at 10.30 am

THIS LECTURE IS OFFERED ONLINE TO OUR MEMBERS ONLY

The Royal Academy of Arts in Burlington House is a familiar place to many members of The Arts Society. Its series of excellent exhibitions draw in crowds of visitors. If you have ever wondered how this institution began, what was its purpose and who were its founder members, this lecture will provide the answers. Unsupported by government funds, the Academy remains an independent institution run by its members.This will now be a Zoom lecture commencing at 10.30am

THIS LECTURE WAS POSTPONED FROM JUNE AND IS NOW OFFERED ONLINE TO OUR MEMBERS ONLY

In the spring of 1889 the young Edwin Lutyens, later to become the most famous British architect of the 20th century, met the artist-gardener-craftswoman Gertrude Jekyll for the first time at an afternoon tea-party in rural Surrey. She was a well-known eccentric.Though they always maintained their independence from one another, their joint creations of house and garden became the talk of Edwardian society. His ever-ingenious geometry, soft-furnished by her colour-graded herbaceous borders, his superb textures of terrace and pergola lined and hung with her signature plantings, set a standard of excellence which has been admired ever since. Separately they were interesting, curious, isolated: together they proved irresistible. This will be a zoom lecture commencing at 10.30 am

This lecture was postponed from its original date on the 3rd of June and will now be held online, for our members only.

Shakespeare described actors as 'the abstract and brief chroniclers of our time'. Yet in the past, they were often seen as rogues and vagabonds. Their road to respectability was long and lively, and not until the early 20th century was acting established as an honourable profession.

The theme of this talk is particularly poignant as theatres are fighting for their survival after many weeks of closure due to the pandemic and the acting profession is once again at risk.

This talk differs from our original programme and was held online for our members only.

This talk has had to be postponed due to pandemic regulations. 

This talk has had to be postponed due to pandemic regulations.

This talk has had to be postponed due to pandemic regulations.

The pen is mightier than the sword! In today’s digital world of emails and tweeting, the art of writing has largely been left behind. Adding personality and individuality to communication, the tools of writing have a fascinating history dating back to prehistory and peaking in the golden age of the fountain pen in the 20th century. As well as a full history of development, major makers, keys to identification, dating and value are examined. Mark Hill is a regular contributor to the Antiques Roadshow

Hans Holbein was the first great mainland painter to spend much time in England. His ‘Ambassadors’ is recognised by the National Gallery of London as one of its greatest treasures. This lecture considers the tempestuous circumstances of its creation and tells us much about the state of Europe at the time and the hopes and fears of its major players.

Many of the greatest and most moving works of art ever created have been inspired by the life of Christ. This lecture will explore art representing his birth and imagery it has inspired.

In the 1950s a pile of old books were found outside Garrards in London. They turned out to be the account books of the business tracing back to their foundation in 1735. The dusty pages of these customer and workmen’s books reveal the evolution of a luxury business that came to serve not only British royalty but also famous and infamous figures from all over Europe. In this lecture we will discover who made the handsome silver dinner services, who bought the fine gold boxes, and how the business developed over time. 

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego Rivera (1886-1957) have iconic status in Mexico. Rivera's intricate visual narratives, rich with allegory and symbolism, adorn the walls of public buildings. Inspired by Aztec and Maya imagery, and by early Italian fresco painting, his vast murals combine social criticism with faith in human progress. Kahlo's work, unlike Rivera's, is small in format. Arguably Mexico’s most original painter, she made herself the principal theme of her art. Her paintings reflect her experiences and dreams. This lecture  chronicles the two artists’ turbulent marriage and Mexico's history after the 1910 Revolution. 

Victoria and Albert were enthusiastic patrons of the arts throughout their marriage, commissioning and collecting works from both British and European artists. These included Old Master paintings, sculpture, furniture, jewellery and fine buildings. Victoria and Albert viewed their roles as patrons of the arts as being part of the public duties of the monarchy. Buckingham Palace was known as "the headquarters of taste". 

Due to a fire in Fittleworth Village Hall on the evening of the 2nd of April, this lecture had to be cancelled. We have now been able to reschedule it for Wednesday, the 7th of August at the usual time. We hope you can join us!

Marc is shortly to begin his 20th year as a specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow and has appeared on numerous television and radio programmes. He has a passion and reputation for divining the unusual through ‘a desire to connect with history through the interpretation and pursuit of objects and their origins.’

The City of London’s relationship with heraldry is a unique one, since it is home to the oldest civic arms of any town or city in the United Kingdom, and the oldest corporate arms still in use to this very day. Each of the City’s many Livery Companies proudly displays their arms in an array of heraldry that blends the old with the new from heraldic banners to social media avatars. Heraldry in the City of London is at once spectacularly ancient and ultra modern.

During Ernest Shackleton’s third Antarctic expedition in 1914, his ship, the Endurance, was trapped and eventually crushed in the pack ice. After camping for five months on the ice, Shackleton’s men rowed to the remote Elephant Island. From there, Shackleton sailed for help to South Georgia over 800 miles away. Over three months later he returned to rescue the crew of the Endurance. Frank Hurley, one of the great photographers of the 20th century, was the expedition’s official photographer. His photographs are a visual narrative of an epic journey which capture with great artistry new and amazing landscapes within which a remarkable human drama is played out. The aim of the lecture is to capture Hurley’s achievements as a photographer of the Antarctic in the first flush of human contact when it was still essentially terra incognita.

Dame Zaha Hadid died on March 31st 2016 at the age of 65. Architectural historians of the future will surely recognise her as one of the most important architects of the early 21st century. She was born in Iraq and her reputation was global, but she made Britain her home. This lecture tells the story of her career from the visionary projects of the 1980s, through the years of frustration when her designs were considered unbuildable, to the prolific crop of successful projects built all over the world in the last decade of her life.

This lecture will look exclusively at Leonardo's fascination with portraits and Madonnas, a theme constant throughout his long life 

A light-hearted, yet educational look at the beloved tradition of the Punch and Judy show, a favourite Christmas entertainment for centuries, presented by the ever-popular magician Bertie Pearce, Member of the Inner Magic Circle.

One of the most derided towns in England, renowned for its dullness, Basingstoke is distinguished only by its numerous roundabouts and absurd Modernist architecture. Rupert explains that the post-war planners, who inflicted such features as ‘the Great Wall of Basingstoke’ on the town, were politically-motivated and bent on destroying all traces of its past. He reveals the nobler Basingstoke that is buried beneath the concrete, and the few historic gems that have survived the holocaust. Hilariously told, it is a story that neatly illustrates the ugliest episode in England’s architectural history

No cabinetmaker’s name is better known than Thomas Chippendale’s. This lecture (or study day) examines the basis for his fame and concludes that he was to English Furniture what Shakespeare was to English Literature! It was Chippendale’s creative design talent together with his traditionally skilled craftsmanship which enabled him, through his cabinet making business, to design and produce some of the finest and most innovative examples of 18th century English furniture in the Rococo, ‘Chinese’, Gothic and Neo-Classic style, as this lecture will show.

This lecture examines the events in 1911 when the proud city of Paris and the entire cultural world went into shock. On Monday, 21 August the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. This was the first major art theft of the 20th century, the most famous painting in Western Art History, Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece had gone! The discovery of the theft and its investigation revealed absurd blunders, failures and misadventures. Lampooned in songs, postcards, variety shows and the world’s press. We explore the events that led to the remarkable repatriation of the painting in Florence two years later. Also, the motivation of the thief, his trial and the Italian perception of his crime. As with any good mystery there is an incredible twist to the plot! 

​PLEASE NOTE THIS LECTURE WILL BE DELIVERED AT WEST DEAN COLLEGE DURING A MEMBERS ONLY EVENT!

Swimming is Britain’s second favourite form of physical recreation (after walking). Almost everyone has memories of visiting their local baths. But whilst not all these memories might be positive – drooping knitted cozzies anyone? – for many swimmers the baths themselves are cherished. Some, particular those built in the late Victorian and Edwardian years, are rich with decorative tilework, stained glass, polished wood and terracotta detailing. In this lecture, Simon highlights the treasures of aquatic art that survive, and considers how the pools of today compare

. 

What do these have in common: The Penguin Pool at London Zoo; the Glyndebourne and Edinburgh Festivals; the publishers Phaidon and Thames & Hudson; Pevsner's Buildings of England; "The Red Shoes" and the Amadeus Quartet? Each was created by émigrés from Central Europe who found refuge in Britain. Artists, architects, film makers, musicians, publishers, historians, psychologists and scientists: all brought something of their continental legacy to Britain. 

The discovery of the grave of King Richard III in Leicester raised an army of new, fascinating questions. The severe scoliosis exhibited by the last Plantagenet King’s skeleton revealed that the twisted physique of Shakespeare’s ‘Black Legend’ did have at least some basis in fact. But how could such a diminutive person, suffering from a significant spinal condition, have been skilled in the knightly fighting arts? How could he have worn full armour and fought in three major battles? More importantly for the art enthusiast, what would his armour have looked like?

Ravilious has been described as the greatest English watercolourist of the 20th century and his images of the landscape and of everyday objects attract passionate devotees. A prolific painter, printmaker and designer, he became an Official War Artist in 1939, and was killed in 1942 but his legacy is a body of work reflecting deep delight in the world in which he lived. This talk looks at his work and that of some of his contemporaries working on the Home Front in the Second World War.

At the turn of the last century, Vienna was the capital of a vast empire and one of the most exciting artistic laboratories in the world. It produced painters such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka, architects like Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos and Josef Hoffmann, the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, the composer Gustav Mahler and the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. Looking at these and others figures in the context of the society in which they worked, this talk asks how and why the City of Dreams became a cultural hotbed around 1900. 

This is an introduction to the most important Spanish artists of the 16th and 17th centuries. We look at El Greco’s unique style of painting in Philip II’s Spain. Velázquez’ formal and informal portraits of members of Philip IV’s family and court are studied, as well as the white robed monks and tranquil saints of Zurbarán which contrast with the lively beggar boys and triumphant Virgins of Murillo.

The Nativity must be one of the most popular subjects of all with artists, north and south of the Alps and from the 13th to the 20th centuries. The lecture will explore the many variations of the scene and the possible meanings involved with the attendance or not of midwives, Joseph's presence, either awake and active or asleep, and the varying postures and gestures of the Christ Child and the Virgin as she adores the Christ Child.

In the two decades before the Great War of 1914-18 a group of children were born who, arguably, became the greatest generation of actors the United Kingdom has ever seen. Using paintings by artists such as Sickert and photographic images from the cameras of Beaton and Snowdon amongst others, we shall trace their careers and their influence on the major actors of today including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellen and Simon Russell Beale. The torch is handed on and they have all proved that theatre is a fine art. 

What do we mean by jewellery? What does it mean to different societies across time and across the world?

One of the oldest civilizations in the world and the first nation to declare Christianity as its religion, Armenia retains a unique church architecture and art.

Photo by Pauline Chakmakjian, MA

The lecture traces the development of the medium from its origins, focussing on some of the greatest exponents: Cozens, Sandby, Girtin and Turner.