Simon Inglis was unable to deliver his lecture last year, so we are delighted that he will be here to bring us the story of the rich decorative tilework, stained glass, polished wood and terracotta detailing from the late Victorian and Edwardian years onwards. Many wonderful treasures of aquatic art survive - how do the pools of today compare?!

Photo:  Mounts Baths, Northampton (Grade II listed) built 1936

"I wish that each day I may walk unceasingly on the banks of my pool...that I may refresh myself in the shade of my sycamore tree"  (Tomb inscription, c1450 BC).  A leafy garden with a pool, fruit trees and flowers epitomised the ancient Egyptian idea of paradise.  This lecture explores images of gardens in Ancient Egyptian art associated with palaces, élite houses, temples and tombs.  We will consider the significance of the garden to ancient Egyptians and their belief system.

Image:  In garden with tree goddess, tomb of Sennedjem, Luxor

Around 1900, some of Finland's most famous painters - joined by the composer Sibelius - gathered on the shores of tiny Lake Tuusula to build their own country homes. They are still standing today. It was an artists' community that changed Finland's soul. Not only was this the Golden Age of Finnish painting, but a pivotal moment in Finnish history. This talk visits four of these houses to reveal how Jean Sibelius, Pekka Halonen, Eero Järnefelt and Venny Soldan-Brofeldt made such a deep contribution to Finnish and world culture, and explores what their homes and works reveal about their extraordinary lives...and hidden secrets.

As a tie-in with the exhibition at Tate Britain, this lecture will explore the life of this bohemian artist.  American by birth, he trained as an artist in Paris where he became one of the personalities of the city with his art and his razor-sharp wit.  He later moved to London and scandalised London society in the 1870s.

Image:  James McNeill Whistler 'Harmony in Grey and Green, Miss Cicely Alexander', 1872-4, public domain

Sicily has a unique historic role in linking Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, having been colonised by numerous cultural strands.  These were woven together by the Normans from the 11th century during their remarkably enlightened rule, which saw Palermo become one of the most important cities in Europe.

Photo montage: Richard Whincop

Few artists are as rooted in a place as Stanley Spencer and Cookham.  This Thames-side village was his birthplace and his home for most of his life.  It was central to his unique vision of English domestic and spiritual life and was the location for many of his greatest paintings.

Image: Stanley Spencer View from Cookham Bridge 1936

Angels have inspired much wonderful music.  Patrick Craig will investigate their roles as guardians, messengers and fighters through imaginative music by Britten, Elgar and Mendelssohn and through liturgical texts by composers such as Bach, Mozart and Walton.  He will call on some of the world's finest art and poetry to further expand this journey into the heavenly realm.

Image credit: Christ Church, University of Oxford (ArtUK)
Bernardo Daddi Four Musical Angels

This lecture looks a how photography intersected with painting in the late 19th century before becoming an art form in its own right by the start of the 20th.  It developed in the midst of scientific, social and artistic revolutions.  We also see how it documented history and how it has been used to create celebrity.  We will also explore certain technical aspects of the medium to see how changes in technology impact our perception of the world.

Photo credit:  Julia Margaret Cameron, Sir John Herschel, April 1867 via Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection, Public Domain

Our morning lecture focuses on women artists throughout the 19th century, from Rosa Bonheur to Berthe Morisot, as well as less famous painters such as Elizabeth Jane Gardner and Marie Braquemond.  Caroline Levisse will consider how they trained, their styles and their subject matter.  And we will see the obstacles that they had to overcome to be professional artists.

This lecture will be followed at 1.15pm by a 45-minute lecture in French  La Provence de Vincent van Gogh.  Take your seats by 1pm;  to be sure of a place please reserve in advance by emailing Kate Wilson kate.tasp@gmail.com

Feel free to join us from 12.15pm, and you are welcome to bring a picnic lunch.  We will provide soft drinks or a glass of wine.    

Vincent van Gogh ne resta que quinze mois a Arles et St-Remy-de-Provence.  Cette periode est pourtant riche en chefs-d'oeuvres se distinguant par leurs couleurs vibrantes, et on y reconnait des sujets typiquement provencaux.

Image:  Rosa Bonheur Ploughing in the Nivernais,  Musée d'Orsay, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons / Google Art Project

Since the first commercial flight in 1919 airlines have designed iconic and beautiful posters to show an initially-wary public where their services run.  This lecture spans a century of wonderfully colourful posters from Art Nouveau and Art Deco right up to satellite images of our planet.  Mark will take us on a delightful and colourful visual journey to far-flung destinations.

Please note the change in our programme as Simon Inglis is unable to deliver his lecture on Historic Swimming Pools and Lidos.  Instead we will be enjoying summer days and the coastal light of Cornwall with Sarah Burles.  We will hear about the Lamorna artists which included Laura and Harold Knight, Alfred Munnings and Samuel 'Lamorna' Birch.  Summer days aplenty, but with darkness and tragedy just below the surface...

Image:  The Cornish Coast Laura Knight, copyright reproduced with permission of the estate of Dame Laura Knight / Bridgeman Images/ National Museum of Wales

Steve King's previous lecture finished in 1965 with British music dominating the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.  Meanwhile in America the civil rights and anti-war movements were gaining momentum, influencing a new breed of writers and musicians.  This talk will feature the music of the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan.

We will look at ten famous portraits from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that shocked and delighted audiences in equal measure - from the scandal of Sargent's little black dress, Whistler's women in white, Klimt's golden visions to the swirling drapery of Leighton's Flaming June.  Fashion and art have long been entwined and each dress has a story to tell!

Image: John Singer Sargent in his studio, with Portrait of Madame X, c. 1885  © Public Domain

Mark Fisher will introduce the principles of arts criticism and show us how to put them into practice.  He will ask questions about the place of the artist, the role of the critic and the ways in which all of us can discuss the art we enjoy in a productive and creative way.   As usual, coffee will be served from 10am, with the lecture commencing at 10.50am.  But a special feature this month will be the opportunity to discuss the questions Mark raises in an interactive workshop, starting at 1pm.  This will be an informal and entertaining way of following up on the lecture, for example: what do you look for when you read reviews?  What would you like to say about the art, films, books and plays that you enjoy?  For more details and tickets contact kate.tasp@gmail.com.

Stuart Harvey is a professional guide in Rome, and he will take us on a virtual stroll spanning twenty-eight centuries to discover some of the hidden treasures of the Eternal City.

Image:  Terme de Caracalla,  ©  Wikimedia Commons Attribution 3.0

Chippendale's creative design talent coupled with his skilled craftsmanship enabled him to produce some of the finest and most innovative examples of eighteenth-century English furniture in the Rococo, 'Chinese', Gothic and Neo-Classic styles.  The image shows a Chippendale Breakfront bookcase, circa 1750

Image ©  Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes called Britain’s greatest ‘Art Form’, Pantomime has been a popular form of entertainment since the early eighteenth century and was based on the Italian Commedia dell’arte. Originally it was seen as an opportunity for political satire. It was not until the nineteenth century that the fairytale story plots were established and the extrovert Music Hall entertainers created the traditions that we know as the Christmas pantomime today.

The lecture is followed by our customary seasonal refreshments!

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 only a decorative backdrop but in Bruegel’s hands the landscape and our interaction with it became the focus. This lecture explores how Bruegel pioneered a whole new way of thinking about the environment and our place within a shifting cosmos.

We will see some of the artworks collected by the kings of Spain at the height of their wealth and power. Ranging from the early Renaissance to the Romantic periods, and meeting artists from Cotàn to Zurbarán this talk will take us to the Prado, the Real Academia de San Fernando, the Escorial and the new Museum of the Royal Collections.

St Pancras in London or New York Grand Central conjure up images of excitement and adventure. But there are dozens of other glorious stations in the UK and abroad. We will look at the magnificent architecture and the brilliant engineering and will also discover numerous artworks within the stations and examine many depictions of stations in art. This tour is lavish, colourful and fun (and not ‘anoraky’ at all!).

Sculptor and installation artist Cornelia Parker is best known for her large-scale pieces such as her (literally) explosive work Cold Dark Matter in which she took the archetypal British garden shed and its contents and had it blown up by the army. The debris was then arranged to create the dramatic effect of an explosion frozen in time. She is intrigued with the concept of transforming everyday objects in order to investigate their nature and value, and she shows us that destruction often results in works of extraordinary beauty

The stunning buildings and gardens of the Mughal emperors, constructed from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, have left an indelible stamp on India’s architectural and cultural landscape. Mughal architecture fused elements from many traditions and produced some of the most beautiful buildings in the world. In this lecture we will tour India and explore the historical context and colourful personalities involved.

William Hogarth, one of the major British artists of the eighteenth century, is best known for his popular paintings and prints exploring political and social issues, in which he poked fun at anyone and everyone. He was very proud of being English and his work explored this concept and how he generated new ideas of ‘Englishness’ some of which still exist today.

Image:  William Hogarth, The Beggar's Opera, 1729, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, B1981.25.349.  (Public Domain)

For over 300 years dolls houses have held a special fascination. With furnishings created by master guildsmen with extraordinary exactness and laced with charm, they are a valuable historic record of domestic life. You will be captivated by the craftsmanship, interiors and furnishings while glimpsing an insight into bygone everyday activities in enchanting and precise detail.

All the leading lights of the Pre-Raphaelite movement turned their hand to designing stained glass.  This lecture reveals some unexpected Victorian masterpieces tucked away in our churches, and sets them into the wider context of the Pre-Raphaelite revolution in art.

Few artistic experiences match the excitement of discovering a forgotten treasure.  Dr Griffiths's eventful research across Russia to reveal the Romantic figure of Leokadiya Kashperova offers a perfect example.  His presentation in images and music will illustrate the biography and works of a composer whom history had forgotten...until now.

Image courtesy of the Russian National Museum of Music, with thanks to Mikhail Bryzgalov and Olga Kuzina

E H Shepard loved Christmas, and this lecture brings us the magic and joy of successive festive seasons, from those of his own childhood to others throughout his long life. We see a range of artistic styles from full colour images to pen-and-ink personal Christmas cards, with cartoons, drawings and watercolours. These include iconic images from The Wind in the Willows and Winnie the Pooh, many of which have not been published for over fifty years.

Image: Copyright Creative Commons 'Christmas Greetings' by E H Shepard. Copyright licence CC BY 2.0.

The people of Ukraine are bound together by a shared culture. From the sacred art and architecture of Kyiv and its links to Byzantium, to the distrinctive characteristics of Odesa and Lviv, we will trace Ukraine's complicated multi-ethnic history and look at its rich folk-culture traditions. These range from native song and the secret codes embedded in ancient embroidery to Cossack dancing and borsch.

This is the story of the epic rivalry between two giants of British Art, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable. As unlike in background and temperament as their paintings were in style, these two creative geniuses transformed the art of landscape.Our lecture sets them head-to-head and examines their differences, their similarities, their batttles and their shared triumphs. But who will ultimately be crowned star painter?

The Nordic painters of the 19th century are often overlooked. From the national romanticism of Norway's Tidermand and Gude, to the mythical landscapes of Finland's Halonen and the impressionistic interiors of Norway's best-known female painter, Harriet Backer, this lecture showcases the visual creations that shaped a unique cultural identity forged from a battle against the elements, social deprivation and political power and provincialism.

Wine has been part of our history for over 7,000 years and this lecture tells us of its origins and appearance in all societies across the Mediterranean and through Europe. Wine has played an important role throughout, and was a component of faith, well-being and festivity. From Georgia to ancient Greece, from Pompeii throughout Europe, wine has always been present. Drawings, paintings, engravings, buildings, pottery and wine labels themselves all contribute to the story.

This journey focuses on the costume and dress accessories for both formal and informal occasions at the Imperial Court and Provincial Government during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). We will hear about both state robes and accessories and everyday clothing in the officials' private lives. There will be particular focus on the special clothing of high-ranking Chinese ladies, including highly decorated robes and accessories.

The First Folio, compiled 400 years ago by Shakespeare's two closest friends and colleagues, is the key to unlocking our knowledge of his art and performances. When viewed in the context of London and the Elizabethan playhouses, it supplies many surprising insights. Our lecturer's background in both production and academic study will bring a unique perspective to Shakespeare's London.

By 1960, interest in rock 'n' roll had started to fade, and a new generation of teenagers were seeing something different. It came in the form of the Beatles, who broke all the rules and all the records. This is the story of the first five years of the 1960s, one of the most creative and innovative periods in the history of music, featuring all the major artists, important songs and principal musical genres.

This lecture tells the story of men's tailoring over the past 200 years through the lives of the men who commissioned, created and wore it. Tailors, shirtmakers and hatters around Savile Row and Jermyn Street have shaped the way men dress since the Regency. How did Beau Brummell, the Duke of Windsor, Tommy Nutter, Montague Burton, Alexander McQueen and John Stephen create their signature looks which influenced men's fashion.

All the leading lights of the Pre-Raphaelite movement turned their hand to designing stained glass. This lecture reveals some unexpected Victorian masterpieces tucked away in our churches, and sets them in the wider context of the Pre-Raphaelite revolution in art.

Snow transforms places that we know, and makes them strange and magical, so it is no surprise that snowy winter scenes have fascinated artists throughout the ages. We will look at how different artists have depicted snowy and wintery landscapes to explore the landscape as they saw it, or human emotions, or ideas about painting. We may not get our own winter wonderland this year, but we can look at paintings of them together and explore how artists responded to them over the centuries. 

This lecture will be followed by Christmas drinks and canapes.

The light-filled canvases of Impressionist painter, Berthe Morisot, capture the pleasures of modernity. Yet her contemporaries perceived a connection with the eighteenth century and Renoir considered her 'the last elegant and "feminine" artist that we have had since Fragonard.'

Complementing a forthcoming exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery [31 March to 10 September 2023], this lecture traces Morisot's engagement with eighteenth-century art and culture, and highlights what set her work apart from that of her predecessors.

This talk takes six paintings which sum up the Dutch Golden Age, and all that made it special. These well-known paintings and artists reflect life in the newly-formed independent republic. Its tolerance of all backgrounds, ethnicity and religion was coupled with immense maritime and trading wealth. Although very proud of their country and its progress, the Dutch were also conflicted on how to fit this with their Protestant beliefs.

The American Civil War fought between the Union and the Confederate states between 1861 and 1865 claimed the lives of over 620,000 soldiers. In response to the antebellum period, the war and reconstruction, artists such as Winslow Homer and Frederic Edwin Church and photographers like George N Barnard and Matthew Brady produced an extraordinary body of work. This lecture will address the breadth of artwork that depicts this significant moment in American history.

During the Gilded Age, the historic port of Newport, Rhode Island welcomed the wealthy elite of New York city who visited their mansions or 'cottages' to enjoy the summer season. This was a period of huge generational change, when daughters demanded the right to vote, to play tennis in radical new sporstswear or even to bathe on a private beach without stockings! The lecture takes us on a carriage ride along Bellevue Avenue, and we visit the Tennis Casino and the glorious ballroom overlooking the cliffs at Rosecliff mansion. 

The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter in 1922 was arguably the greatest archaeological discovery of the twentieth century. The name of this boy-king conjures up wonderful imagery and mysterious tales of the pharaohs. In this lecture, we will explore this unusual tomb, the most famous in the Valley of the Kings - how it was discovered by Carter, its design and decoration and what happened to the incredible wealth of funerary goods found inside.

Britain possesses a fine collection of 'living' stately homes, representing one of our country's greatest assets and a significant contribution to the decorative arts worldwide. This lecture goes back in time to explain their origins, the changing nature of society and the way country houses have evolved. Consideration is given to the changing role of the country house, and asks if they still exert a powerful hold on our society.

How should we look at them today? How are they to survive and evolve in the future? This talk will use many local illustrations, specially tailored for our 40th anniversary lecture.

Bernini received commissions from an early age, designing many architectural features across 17th century Rome. It is his figurative sculptures, however, which ensure his reputation as one of the greatest European sculptors, the equal of Michelangelo, Canova and Rodin. His works were famous in his lifetime, and are credited with introducing the dynamic form of the Baroque in sculpture.

This lecutre discusses Bernini's life and reputation, and describes several of his key works including Apollo and Daphne and intriguing character studies of Charles I and Louis XIV.

The widespread developments in art, industry, social behaviour, science and technology in the 18th century laid the foundations of the Britain that we know today. The age of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution would mould British life for the next two hundred years. Joseph Wright of Derby portrayed the spirit of the Industrial Revolution and his paintings are still familiar today. 

This lavishly illustrated talk considers his paintings of both industrial scenes and the many associated characters, such as industrialists Sir Richard Arkwright and Erasmus Darwin, who were both his subjects and friends.

This lecture tells the remarkable story of the fabled Ballets Russes company which was established by Diaghilev in Paris in 1909. Building on the achievements of Tchaikovsky and Petipa, Diaghilev and his associates brought about nothing less than a revolution in classical dance, which was dazzling to the eye and would have a lasting impact on all the arts. Dr Bartlett will discuss how artists, composers, choreographers and dancers worked together to create ballet stagings of genius.

For many, the cartoonist Giles was as much part of the festive season as the Christmas tree, crackers and the Queen's speech. So popular were the Giles annuals, that they helped make him Britain's best-loved, most successful and wealthiest cartoonist. This talk looks at Giles' life and work, with a particular emphasis on his seasonal cartoons, particularly those featuring Grandma and the Giles family.

Born in a railway station north of Vienna, Schiele became the imperial capital's most shocking artist. Defying the authorities, the Academy of Fine Arts and the curvilinear lines of his idol Klimt's art nouveau, Schiele created his own brand of artistic expression, Looking at strained portraits, cramped cityscapes and sparse landscapes, this talk surveys twenty-eight years of tenacious creativity and his impact on artists such as Francis Bacon and Lucien Freud.

Opinions are divided about what would have become of Modigliani had he not died of TB (and excess) at the age of only 35. Some critics claim that he would have gone on to be a modern master, while others feel that he had already produced his greatest and most powerful works, both paintings and sculpture. Born in Livorno in 1884, from an Italian Jewish background, he settled in Paris in 1906 where he was friendly with other artists including Picasso and absorbed their many influences.

At a time when so many problems afflicting our world are a result of our distrust and fear of strangers, we take a timely look at representations of 'the other' in art hisotry. The Bible, history and classical mythology all abound in stories of adversity brought about by mistrust and mistaken intentions of strangers. stories of angels, heretics, gods and foreigners will help us to consider the problem of prejudice, racism and small-mindedness whch beset mankind.

As patrons, the Medici played a key role in the development of Florentine renaissance art. They used art to express their wealth, power, piety and civic pride. They were also discerning and innovative patrons and collectors, often forming close relationships with the artists they employed, We look at works they commissioned including Fra Angelico's frescoes at San marco and the magnificent Medici Palace's glittering Chapel of the Magi by Benozzo Goxxoli.

​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 by history. Using old letters, secret diaries and neglected archives, Tessa has resurrected a series of fascintating stories.

Here we will learn about the life of the housekeeper at Uppark, Mrs Sarah Wells, mother to H.G., who kept a revelatory diary for the 14 years she toiled below stairs. She was an elderly, anxious woman working in a notoriously old-fashioned household, but what grated the most was that her mistress was born a mere dairy farmer's daughter ...

Dr Griffiths will reveal his eventful research across Russia to unveil the romantic figure of Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940), composer and pianist. Previously known only as Stravinsky's piano teacher, and affectionately nicknamed the 'snow maiden' by Rimsky Korsakov, Kashperova's rediscovered music establishes her as the earliest-known female Russian composer of international stature. This lecture offers narrative, images and musical performances at the piano.

Photo: Courtesy of the Russian National Museum of Music, Moscow.

Albrecht Durer was a painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician and theorist and is regarded as one of the most important figures of the Northern Renaissance. However, he was also the first artist north of the Alps to paint a signed self-portrait, while his watercolours are the first autonomous landscape paintings. Shirley's presentation will study the works of this master, all of which remain icons to this day.

The image of the self portrait is registered copyright of the Web Gallery of Art.

This lecture covers the surprising attempts to create some graphic unity, even in the 1860s and 70s. We will look at the expansion of the Underground and the need to create some cohesion between the different operating companies; from Leslie Green's architecture and the Arts & Crafts Movement through Edward Johnston's typeface, Charles Holden's architecture and the Streamline Moderne/Art Deco movement to more recent schemes such as the Jubilee and Queen Elizabeth lines.

Woollen houses that warm in the depths of winter, carpets that tell stories, woven bands that appease ancestors, embroideries that ward off evil and kilims that store kitchenware: for nomads everything is ready to be packed and carried on yak or camel at a moment's notice. The little-known nomadic textile cultures of the Kyrgyz, Turkoman and Karakalpak are explored in this lecture, with Chris drawing on his own experience of working with yak herders in the High Pamirs.

The past decade has witnessed the meteoric rise of this versatile British designer, with his acclaimed Olympic cauldron, iconic new London bus and designs for a spectacular new HQ for Google.

Over the last twenty years, the Heatherwick Studio has used a intriguing combination of curiosity and experimentation to produce a vast range of solutions to design challenges around the world.

A common thread links the Incas of Peru, the Maya of Central America, the Aztecs of Mexico and the Navajo of the United States. Artists in cloth, they have created some of the finest textiles in the history of the world. Using natural resources and complex techniques, weavers across the Americas have produced sumptuous and richly coloured garments patterned with mythological creatures, natural elements and interlocking goemetric designs.

David Nash is a contemporary artist and Royal Academician working primarily in natural materials and live trees. His large wood sculptures are made using heavy equipment such as chainsaws, axes and blow torches, and yet his work shows an extraordinary sensitivity to the wood with which he works. This lecture will provide an overview of Nash's career, including some of his most famous works such as Wooden Builder and Ash Dome.

Cinematic images are modern art forms. In the golden age of cinema, before CGI, film makers had to construct sets to represent landscapes, townscapes and interiors. Sometimes they used paintings and photographs, sometimes scale models and at others, full-size replicas. This talk will use the films of renowned British director, David Lean, to explore the art of cinema. How do the artists choose locations, construct sets, and more generally, imagine the world they seek to represent? What are the influences on the way cinema depicts the world?

Occupying a pair of early Georgian houses in historic Greenwich is the Fan Museum. The story of how it came to fruition is interwoven with the fascinating biography of its founder, whose personal collection forms the basis of the museum's holdings. From a particularly rare Elizabethan period embroidered folding fan, to contemporary examples decorated by street artists, we can discover some of the key objects in the museum's collection of over 5000 fans.

The poor little rich girl who changed the face of 20th century art. Not only was Peggy Guggenehim 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.

At a time when so many problems affecting our world are the result of our distrust and fear of strangers, we take a timely look at the representations of 'the other' in art history. The Bible, history and classical mythology all abound in stories of adversity brought about by mistrust and the mistaken intentions of strangers. Stories of angels, heretics, gods and foreigners make us consider the problems of prejudice, racism, small-mindedness and folly which beset mankind.

This presentation covers the surprising attempts to create some graphic unity since the 1860s. We will look at the expansion of the London Underground and the need to create cohesion between the different operating companies, from Leslie Green's architecture and the Arts & Crafts Movement, through Edward Johnston's typeface, and the Streamline Moderne and Art Deco movements to recent schemes including the Elizabeth Line and the Northern Line extension.

The little-known textile cultures of the Kyrgyz, Turkoman and Karakalpak will be explored in this lecture. Houses made from wool that warm in the depths of winter, carpets that tell stories, woven bands that appease ancestors, embroideries that ward off evil and kilims that store kitchenware; everything was ready to be packed and carried on yak or camel at a moment's notice.

Raphael's is one of the most famous names in art hisotry, and until the 19th century, he influenced many artists. Yet today, he is not as well known as this might suggest. We will take a fresh look at Raphael, exploring what he achieved and look at the beauty and grace of his work, examining his astonishing ability to grow and transform himself. This is an artist whose tragic early death leaves us wondering, had he lived, what would have come next?

Klimt was one of the most prominent figures in the Viennese fin de siecle, creating paintings whose sexual themes and bold use of colour and gold shocked an unsuspecting public. Less is known about his early years as a muralist for the grand municipal buildings and royal and aristocratic palaces of the Austro-Hungarian empire. 

This lecture looks at the many changes in Klimt's life, his rejection of public pomp and its impact on his style and works.

The 20th century American illustrator, Norman Rockwell, was most at home portraying the ideal family Christmas, often with direct connections to Dickens and the English Yuletide tradition. A bounty of posters, magazine covers, cards and even Norman Rockwell Christmas gifts will keep us entertained throughout this seasonal lecture.

At the start of the Silk Road, the complex technologies required for the production of cultivated silk were only known in China. Within several centuries they had spread across Afro-Eurasia. Dr Whitfield will tell the story of this diffusion, discussing examples of silks surviving from this period and how we can identify their origins from the weaves and designs.

Founded in the wake of the First World War, under the leadership of Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus school strove to create a design ethos for a brave new world. Designers experimented with new materials as the mantra of Bauhaus shifted from art and craft to art and industry, embracing mass production and standardisation. This style is still with us in the 21st century, where iconic Bauhaus chairs sit happily in the post-modern  home

Arguably the most important Indian artistic figure of the modern era, Tagore became a global sensation when he won the Nobel prize for literature in 1913, the first non-European to do so. This talk provides an introduction to Tagore's remarkable life and work, including his novels, poetry, songs and paintings. Dr Stevens also explores the role Tagore's art played in India's struggle for independence.

This presentation unravels some of the Bayeux mysteries, placing the tapestry in the context of its age and firmly establishing it as a landmark in the history of western art. With lively illustrations of languid, party-loving moustachioed Englishmen, cavalcades of noble huntsmen and snorting Norman cavalry poised to charge into battle, the Bayeux tapestry was the next best thing to a moving picture in its time.

A highly topical lecture, given the current debate about the multi-billion pound restoration planned for Westminster. We will hear how Charles Barry created the most famous building in Britain, a masterpiece of Victorian architecture and a spectacular feat of civil engineering, which was finished at three times over budget and 24 years behind schedule.

This lecture traces the history of the last of the great independent publishing houses, one which has employed some of the most celebrated artists as cover illustrators; from Rex Whistler and Barnett Freedman to Peter Blake and Damien Hirst. In addition to images of book covers, advertisements and key individuals, the talk will also be peppered with personal insights and anecdotes from Toby, grandson of the founder, Geoffrey Faber.

The great composer, Franz Schubert, surrounded himself with a brilliant circle of artists, poets and musicians. This presentation tells the fascinating story of how he rewarded his friends with gifts of his 'divine music'. Celebrated images of Schubert will be illustrated by Dr Griffiths at the piano via musical postcards which immortalise Schubert's devoted companions. To conclude, there will be a performance of Impromptus (1828); masterpieces of great lyrical beauty and power.

Widely known for his appearances dressed as his alter ego, Claire, Grayson Perry RA is now a core part of the art establishment. His works of ceramics, textiles, tapestries and prints are highly sought after. This talk will examine Grayson Perry's works, his exciting and thought-provoking exhibitions and look at the character inside the flamboyant frocks.

In January 1490 a spectacular musical, with dance, entitled the Festa del Paradiso, was performed to celebrate the wedding of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and Isabella of Aragon. Commisisoned by Ludovico il Moro and staged by Leonardo da Vinci, it was inspired by the movements of the planets, a recurrent theme in many dances of the period. This lecture explores the relationship between art and dance at the court of Milan, as well as the role of Leonardo da Vinci more generally at the Sforza court.

2019 marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death

Cecilia Gallerani as The Lady with an Ermine, painted by Leonardo da Vinci around 1489 and displayed at the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków

How much do we really know about the Christmas tree and its origins and history? Peter delves into the past as far as the Book of Genesis in order to tell the story of this ‘German toy’ as described by Dickens. A very seasonal musical lecture.

We all are aware of paintings and sculptures from British artists relating to World War II. Instead of commemorating their own losses, German artists looked to creating art forms expressing apology and atonement. How does a nation of former persecutors mourn its victims?

In an age when the church demanded celibacy, but turned a blind eye to chastity, where did the rich high class men, married late to virginal women, go? Come to this lecture and discover ... listen to the stories and admire the wonderful pictures.

In the early 17th century, while Japan enjoyed peace and prosperity, artists flourished. The work of the Rimpa artists satisfied the demands of a newly affluent townspeople. They shared a style and visual language inspired by courtly literary themes from the past.

The Bridge was a German art association founded in 1905 by four students of architecture. They, together with the Blue Rider artists, represented the art movement of the German Expressionism period.

‘Ted’ Seago’s landscapes personified a respect for the traditions of British landscape as well as Impressionism. This lecture compares his work with those masters he most admired as well as the contemporary trends he chose to ignore. Should he now be considered a great master of British art? You be the judge.

La Mortella, Sir William and Lady Walton’s Italian garden paradise (with music)
The Place of Myrtles was a rocky outcrop acquired by William Walton and his bride on Ischia Island. This is the tale of its transformation into a garden of sounds which were poetic, mysterious, serene and joyous.

This lecture will examine the provocative and often beautiful work of Ai Weiwei in the context of dissident art in China, Europe and South America, and search for his sources of inspiration.

Wednesday 21 March 9.30 am
AGM & 50th Anniversary Meeting, Festival Hall

The AGM for members only will be at 9.30am in the main hall. Coffee will then be available for all in the Green Room from 10.00am. A series of talks commence in the main hall from 11.00am, culminating in a lecture at around 11.45am from Joanna Hardy, with whom you can 
explore behind the scenes of famous jewellery houses such as Cartier, Boucheron, Chaumet and Van Cleef & Arpels, whose goldsmiths’ skills were unrivalled. Travel through history to hear the stories behind the commissions that bring these fabulous masterpieces to life.

Photo with kind permission of Van Cleef & Arpels

This lecture explores the full meaning of paintings from the past due to the wealth of symbolism hidden within. Peel back the layers of Renaissance art to reveal the secrets with their true meaning which enable us to read these paintings.