Tuesday 5 July 2016
Clothing or Costume: Decoding Dress in the National Gallery
Speaker: Jacqui Ansell
Lecturer in fine and decorative arts at Christie’s Education London, who specialises in decoding dress in art.
Tuesday 2 August 2016
The Beauty of Picture Frames
Speaker: Julia Korner
Julia will talk about the history of frames, combined with information about their design and construction, their conservation, and how to choose the right frames for your paintings.
Tuesday 6 September 2016
Legend and Lustre: Jim Thompson and Thai Silk
Speaker: Denise Heywood
This lecture shows the intricacy of silk production and its artistic heritage, including royal robes and dance costumes.
Tuesday 4 October 2016: our annual “Bring a Friend Free” lecture
Romans and Romantics – The Guildhall Art Gallery, London’s real hidden gem
Speaker: Ian Swankie
This talk explores the varied display of works in the Guildhall Art Gallery.
Tuesday 1 November 2016
The Art of the Passport
Speaker: Martin Lloyd
From hand written paper to the technically expert document we see today, art has played an important part in the longstanding desire to confound the forger.
Tuesday 6 December 2016
The Pretty German Toy – Musings on the Christmas tree
Speaker: Peter Medhurst
The Christmas tree is arguably the most iconic aspect of our midwinter celebrations, yet how much do we actually know about its origins and history. Peter Medhurst delves into the past – as far back as the Book of Genesis – in order to tell the story of this remarkable ‘German toy’ as Dickens described it.
Music performed includes: Adam lay ybounden, Jesus Christ the Apple Tree – Elizabeth Postern, O Tannenbaum, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O Holy Night – Adolphe Adam.
Tuesday 7 February 2017
Pevsner in Surrey: Nickolas Pevsner and the Buildings of Surrey
Speaker: Susie Harries
This lecture explores what Pevsner, a German refugee from Hitler said about Surrey buildings – churches, houses, shops, tower blocks, factories, cinemas – and sets his pronouncements in the context of “The Buildings of England” as a whole.
Tuesday 7 March 2017
Dutch and English Delft
Speaker: Jane Gardiner
The lecture will consider the importance of Dutch and English Delftware in the history of European pottery, and how it dominated 17th century ceramic production.
Tuesday 4 April 2017
The Mysterious Language of Paintings: more than meets the eye
Speaker: Valerie Woodgate
This lectures explores the way artists manipulate colour, form, composition and subject-matter (even facts!).
Tuesday 2 May 2017
The Prince Regent and the Excesses of Regency Period Style
Speaker: Stephen Richardson
Stephen will explore the many facets of Regency architecture, interior decoration and furnishing.
Tuesday 6 June 2017
The Scoliotic Knight: Reconstructing the Real Richard III and His Armour
Speaker: Tobias Capwell
This lecture discusses the results of the latest research and experimentation carried out by Tobias for the Channel 4 documentary “Richard III: The New Evidence”.
Tuesday 4 July 2017
The River of England: Turner and the Thames
Speaker: Nicola Moorby
This lecture examines Turner’s engagement with the River Thames. Rich in meaning and visual effects, the Thames became one of Turner’s most frequently depicted subjects.
Tuesday 1 August 2017
The Great Fire of London in 1666
Speaker: Barbara Askew
This lecture examines the devastation wrought by the fire and looks at the inspirational plans put forward for the rebuilding of the City.
Tuesday 5 September 2017
Les Parisiennes
Speaker: Anne Sebba
This lecture tells the story of how the women of Paris lived, loved and died in the 1940s, as epitomised by Coco Chanel and Genevieve Gaulle.
Tuesday 3 October 2017
Chatsworth House and the Devonshire Collections in the Modern Age
Speaker: Simon Seligman
The lecture describes Derbyshire’s treasure house in the modern age.
Tuesday 7 November 2017
Inspired by Stonehenge
Speaker: Julian Richards
Julian will examine Stonehenge’s architecture, the production of stone tools and the beliefs that may have driven its development.
Tuesday 5 December 2017
Ghosts!
Speaker: Susan Owens
Susan tells the fascinating story of ghosts in English art and entertainment.