Michelangelo was grumpy, dirty, ugly and tight-fisted but produced sculpture, painting and architecture of such startling beauty and originality that two biographies were written in his lifetime, we know exactly what he looked like in life and at his death and today we have over 1400 surviving letters by his own hand. Over 460 years have passed since the death of this talented yet tempestuous superstar, this lecture sets out to examine several of his drawings, a little of his poetry and several of his finished and unfinished works with the aim of all but summoning the great man to the room.

Dan is an educationalist with a passion for all things Italian. Dan is a Housemaster and Teacher at Cheltenham College, a full boarding and co-educational independent school established in 1841 and was formerly Head of History of Art at Wycombe Abbey School. He has been lecturing since 2001, and spent 9 years working as a senior lecturer, tutor and tour guide for Art History Abroad.

 For millennia mankind has been fascinated by the sea, marvelling at its awesome power and ethereal beauty, and utilising the coastal sea-roads and the great oceans for travel and trade. Artists have depicted the sea in all its moods and our involvement with it, and the range of subjects in marine art is wide, including seascapes, ship portraits, naval battles, strange sea creatures imagined and real, portraits of naval heroes and explorers, the seaside as a location for recreation and pleasure, and the reality of the seafarer’s life. In this talk Justin introduces unfamiliar and well-known examples from around the world and across the ages.

After officer service in the Royal Navy Justin had a long career in business management, latterly as Director of Studies for executive colleges in Oxford and Washington DC. He was one of the earliest consultants in knowledge management and e-learning, advising the UK Government, until he retired from business in 2000. Justin then studied the History of Art and Architecture at Oxford and later studied Classical culture with the University of Athens. While researching for a doctorate in naval history, Justin was invited to join the Bodleian Library as a senior academic manager, advising external researchers and graduate students, editing manuscripts in the Bodleian's collections, and acting as the Bodleian’s internal consultant on maritime documents and artworks. He is a published historian. A qualified teacher, he is a tutor in the History of Art and Architecture and Classical Studies for independent colleges at Oxford and for private graduate students. He was recently commissioned to write a university preparation course on human creativity and innovation in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of Europe’s best-known treasures and one of the greatest works of art from the medieval period. Its survival almost intact over nine centuries is little short of miraculous. Embroidered on linen cloth and using woollen thread, its brilliant colours are undimmed after nearly a thousand years. At a length of at least 70 m (the end is missing) by 50 cm wide and containing well over a 1,000 human and animal figures together with numerous ships, buildings and other representations, it is monumental and highly intricate. In fact there is no other contemporary work of art that comes near in terms of complexity of design.

After studying History of Art at Manchester University I spent three years in the editorial department of a fine art publishing company. My later career took a detour into the world of information technology, during which time I had the opportunity to live and work for several years in both continental Europe and North America. Having 'retired' from this field of endeavour I now devote my time to researching mainly: English and French eighteenth, and late nineteenth century art and architecture; and European garden history from the medieval period to that of the great landscape gardeners, Capability Brown and Humphry Repton.

With Venice firmly established as one of the great centres of artistic production in the sixteenth century, with painters such as Titian, Giorgione, Carpaccio and the Bellini family successfully exporting their artistic vision out of the city, a new generation of artists and architects emerged, inspired by 'outsiders' such as Sansovino from Florence, Andrea Palladio from Vicenza, and Paolo Cagliari from Verona, a new approach and look emerged, that would dominate art and architecture for decades.

A passionate arts educator, lecturer, and guide, based in London and Italy. Director of the highly regarded John Hall Venice Course, (est. 1965) Tour lecturer and leader for Kirker Holidays since 2013, and of independent tours in Italy. Designer and host of a series of art talks and events for the Soho House group of private member’s clubs. Designed and led courses for Christie’s Education and The Serpentine Gallery ‘Collector’s Circle’.

This is a man who took centre-stage in the world of art at a time when most artistic attention was focussed on Italy or the Netherlands. Albrecht Dürer came from Nuremberg and lived most of his 57 years there, although he travelled a great deal, constantly searching for new information and striving to improve his already prodigious skill. His early training was that of a goldsmith, following in the family tradition, but ‘my liking attracted me to painting rather than goldsmith’s work.’ That said, it stood him in good stead as we can see from the attention to minute detail and the ability to work in several media.

After nearly 20 years in the British army, went to the University of Kent to study Anglo-Saxon & Medieval History and Art, graduating with 1st class honours, followed by an MPhil from the University of Birmingham. Works as a freelance lecturer across Britain and Europe as well as lecturing on small cruise ships and running study tours and courses on land. Has written Stone on Stone: The Men Who Built the Cathedrals, published 2019. A Freeman of the City of London, being a Member of the Company of Communicators. Advisor on memorials and monuments for Canterbury's Diocesan Advisory Committee.

Birds have a long history in art, as they may be used to symbolise all manner of ideas, as well as being beautiful, colourful entities in themselves (intrinsically symbolic of the variety and multiplicity of nature). From the dove of the Holy Ghost to Tweety Pie (innocence triumphing effortlessly over evil?), from Aesop to Bosch (rampant sensuality and vanity), from Sindbad’s Roc, via the Firebird and the Phoenix to Foghorn Leghorn, (not forgetting Audaubon, Lear, Tunnicliffe and other notable chroniclers and travellers) we survey the rich and teeming world of our feathered friends.

Lecturer to universities and higher education institutions since 1973. Director, Development of the Arts in Northwich (1984-1990). Arts Development Officer, Chester City Council (1990-2009). Arts Development Officer, Cheshire West and Chester Council (2009-). Professional painter and illustrator (1973-2001).

The life of Lee Miller, told with reference to those with whom she exchanged creative inspiration – Man Ray, Roland Penrose, Pablo Picasso, David E. Scherman, her father Theodore Miller and her son Antony Penrose. A definitive view by her son and biographer this presentation has been acclaimed for its ability to embrace many different levels of the history of art and photography, social commentary and emotional connection with the subject. • Contains some war time images which may be disturbing. 

For the past 30 years he has conserved and disseminated the work of his parents, Lee Miller and Roland Penrose. He is the director of The Lee Miller Archives and The Penrose Collection at Farley Farm House in Sussex and has seen his parents' work featured in major exhibitions at the V&A, National Portrait Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Whitworth. He has lectured at museums and universities around the world and made documentaries for television. Publications include The Lives of Lee Miller, Lee Miller's War (editor), The Angel and the Fiend, The Home of the Surrealists, Roland Penrose the Friendly Surrealist and The Boy Who Bit Picasso.

We've told supernatural tales at midwinter for a very long time. In this talk Kirsty Hartsiotis takes us back to the earliest winter tales of the Middle Ages and the age of Shakespeare and Marlowe. We then explore the lost years of the 17th and 18th centuries, where it’s often thought that Christmas wasn’t celebrated much – but ghost tales at Christmastide were very part of the season.  In the 19th century many traditional Christmas ghost tales were collected, and even now it’s considered one of the spookiest times of the years.

Kirsty Hartsiotis was the curator of the decorative and fine art at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, Cheltenham from 2008 to 2023. She is currently a curator at Swindon Museums, where she also worked prior to 2008.  At Cheltenham she looked after the Designated Arts and Crafts Movement collection, which includes the important private press archive, the Emery Walker Library. She’s curated many exhibitions on the Arts and Crafts and Private Press Movements, including Crafting Change and Ernest Gimson: Observation, Imagination & Making.  Her most recent exhibition is A Very British Art Revolution at Swindon, and she's currently working on a touring exhibition about British studio pottery. Passionate about sharing her deep love for and knowledge of the arts, she’s also a freelance researcher, currently 

How do we make sense of the art of our time? In this lecture, I examine some of the recent trends and practices which have helped to define the art of the new millennium. I show how under the influence of globalization, art from other continents which has so often been overlooked in the past, now plays a major role in museum acquisitions and display. I also consider how and why documentary practices and new media have become so dominant, and the way in which ‘participation’ and ‘relational aesthetics’ have emerged as key expressions.  Artists include Ai Weiwei, Francis Alys, Jeremy Deller, Adrian Ghenie and Mona Hatoum.

I am a London-based lecturer and writer specialising in contemporary art. During the 1990s, I oversaw the development of the subject as the first master’s degree at Sotheby’s Institute. I have also taught at other institutions in London including The City Lit, the Royal Academy and Tate, as well as lecturing in cities ranging from Dubai to New York and Berlin to Sydney. I continue to offer guest lectures on the Sotheby’s Institute MA in Contemporary Art.  Apart from the many catalogue essays I have written on living artists, many of whom are women, my books include Abstract Art (1990, enlarged ed. 2020) and Sculpture Now (2013), both published by Thames & Hudson, and two books on the drawings of Antony Gormley, whose work I have curated at MACRO, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome. I enjoy introducing art to audiences in a lively and approachable way to make modern and contemporary art both accessible and interesting.

Raphael’s is one of the most famous names in art history, and until the late 19th century to emulate him was the goal for most artists succeeding him. Yet today he is not as well known as this might suggest. Is this because his biography is less dramatic than Caravaggio’s? or his career less tormented than Michelangelo’s? or is it because his qualities are difficult to define - the elusive qualities of grace, harmony and idealised beauty. 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.

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 and institutions in London, including the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection. Having also trained as a paintings conservator, she brings an understanding of the making and the physical painting to her lectures and study sessions.

Alexandre Antigna’s Scène d’atelier (1848 Paris Salon) depicts the artist with palette in hand, turning away from the sacred work in progress on his easel to enjoy a break with his two models: his ‘monk’ is now playing cards with his ‘angel’, who relaxes in an alluring state of undress. The picture wittily addresses the shift to realism in nineteenth-century France, a shift accelerated by the 1848 Revolution in France, as numerous artists turned to subjects of rural and urban life that were often highly politically charged.

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.

The first modern artist - everything he produced pulses with stuff of life: all the complexities and paradoxes of what it is to be human are here caught in paint or etched in ink. He is one of the very greatest of painters, the sheer virtuosity of his brushwork and colour and his extraordinary imaginative powers have never been equalled. He is truly an artist for our times.  Original works by Goya and other relevant artists will be available for viewing at the lecture.

Michael is a familiar face to The Arts Society. He is President of The Arts Society Bolton and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Although retired, he continues to teach at the Manchester School of Art. He has published widely on European art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, his books include: L. S. Lowry: A Visionary Artist; The Impressionists by Themselves; The Stations of the Cross / The Captive Figure and the award-winning dramatic interpretation and publication of material originally performed by the Zurich-based Dadaists of 1916. A New Order: An Evening at the Cabaret Voltaire. His book on Gauguin, was written in association with the Gauguin Museum, Tahiti, and his book on Monet for the Musée Marmottan, Paris.  One of his most recent books concerns his wife’s life and work: The Human Touch: Ghislaine Howard. (Ghislaine is also an accredited lecturer of The Arts Society).  Michael is a practising artist, and has exhibited at the Royal Academy, the New York Art Fair and elsewhere. He is represented in Manchester Art Gallery and in many private collections both here and abroad. He has appeared on television and radio many times and in 2004 he and Ghislaine worked the film, Degas and the Dance which has awarded one of the prestigious Peabody awards.

The audience is taken on a journey beginning in Outer Mongolia in the 5th century BC and follows the 11th century migrations from Turkmenistan, the cradle of weaving, into the Caucasus, Persia and Afghanistan. They will be introduced to the nomadic tribes of these countries and their woven rugs, carpets and dowry bags, with particular emphasis on those of the 19th century and earlier. These tribal weavings illustrate the skill of the women who produced exquisite works of woven art, using vegetable colours and age-old designs whilst living and travelling in primitive conditions and hostile landscapes.

Brian has been a dealer and consultant in antique oriental rugs and carpets since 1979 after his return from Iran. He is the author of 'Tribal Rugs - Treasures of the Black Tent' which was originally published in October 1997; re-printed in April 2010 and a completely new up-dated edition in the summer of 2016. Brian is one of few western dealers to have lived and worked among tribal groups in remote areas of Iran and Afghanistan during the 1970s and then again, after the Iranian Revolution, in the 1990s. In 1990 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for his work amongst the Persian tribes. 

The amazing fairytale of how Meissen porcelain - Europe’s first manufactory of ‘true’ porcelain – was discovered; the men involved, the design precursors of its first creations, its inspired inventions and continued history right into the 20th century; its influence on later factories throughout the world, from the 18th century to the present. We meet Augustus the Strong and the slippery alchemist Johann Friedrich Boettger as he saved his neck by coming up with something better than gold….

Since my 1986 debut on the BBC Antiques Roadshow (and all series since), I have spoken widely, within and beyond the UK. With over 40 years of experience in ceramics and other areas, I aim to combine several compelling narratives with enthusiasm and humour. Born in Copenhagen, I studied Archaeology at Cambridge and joined Sothebys where, as a director and auctioneer (1977-1993), I specialized in Chinese and European ceramics. Today my consultancy devises and curates exhibitions, advises on the acquisition, care and disposal of ceramics and other fields. I also speak a lot: many of my most popular talks concern the vast universe of clay and ceramics as well as the world and works of William Hogarth. 

In the eighteenth century the rise of enlightenment thinking challenged the authority of traditional religious ideas and popularised a vision of the world as a mechanistic universe governed by the laws of science. Early German Romantic writers and thinkers such as Friedrich Schlegel, Friedrich Hölderlin and Novalis sought to re-enchant the world in the face of enlightenment rationality and open up a space for a spiritual dimension in the post-enlightenment world. We’ll examine how these notions, of a new kind of spiritual experience, are reflected in the landscape art of Caspar David Friedrich, who sought to develop a new genre of spiritual landscape as an alternative to the calcified conv.

Colin Pink has a BA in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Southampton and a MA in the History of Art from Birkbeck, University of London. He specialises in twentieth century and contemporary art in Europe and North America. He lectures at Morley College London. He has also curated exhibitions of contemporary art and has published four books of poetry: Acrobats of Sound, 2016, The Ventriloquist Dummy’s Lament, 2019, Typicity, 2021 and Wreck of the Jeanne Gougy, 2021.

Above the portrait of the Duc de Berry in the January miniature of his Très Riches Heures the golden words “aproche aproche” hang – he is welcoming guests to his New Year’s feast where he is being lavished with riches. “Aproche” means “approach” and is as much an invitation as it is a welcome. The richness of the image does much to draw the viewer in; plates of food and bowls of wine, small dogs and colourful stockings are rendered in bright blues, reds, greens and golds.

speaks of the Duc’s relationships with a Venetian jewel merchant, the boisterous illuminators the Limbourg Brothers, and a friendship with Christine de Pizan. After a meeting between Pizan and the Duc, she describes him as a lover of beautiful books.

As Christopher leads us into the world of a medieval bibliophile, we stand like Christine de Pizan among the fine books and jewels, entering the demesne of the Duc de Berry as outsiders, travellers from another world. In this year’s lecture Christopher de Hamel and the Duc de Berry both beckon us into their world of fine collections and historical riches saying “aproche aproche”.

 Christopher de Hamel FSA FRHistS is a British academic librarian and expert on mediaeval manuscripts. He is a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and former Fellow Librarian of the Parker Library. His book Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts is the winner of the Duff Cooper Prize for 2016 and the Wolfson History Prize for 2017.

Since 1997, when I left Christie’s Auctioneers after 20 years, I have been based beside the River Thames in Chiswick and have maintained full-time studios involved in the conservation of paintings, frames, and polychrome sculpture and the making of handmade frames & display cabinets. I have been reminded repeatedly that an object of value, whether financial or sentimental, tends to have a history, even if unknown to the owner.

Julia Korner is a specialist and lecturer in fine art conservation and the restoration of paintings, sculptures and frames. She is also a valuer, passionate collector, advisor and curator of paintings and works of art. Julia trained in art history and conservation, Cambridge, England. Then, for twenty years, she worked for Christie's as a paintings’ specialist, building extensive knowledge of Old Masters, and of British, European and American paintings from the 1700s onwards. She set up Christie's Maritime Department in 1986, followed by the Frame sales, the Aeronautical, Exploration & Travel and the Polar sales. Julia was elected Huntington Fellow of the Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Virginia, USA, in 1997. A seven-year commitment there saw her catalogue this collection and that of its sister organisation, the South Street Seaport Museum, New York. Julia has worked independently in her own studio in West London since 1997. Here, she and her small team give specialist conservation work personal and expert attention through restoration, scientific analysis and research. Damaged paintings, polychrome statues, over-mantles, traditional gold leaf & gesso frames, along with unusual and exquisite handmade cabinets all emerge transformed by the conservation work, or created from scratch, under her expertise, knowledge and care. Julia acts as an advisor, valuer and exhibition curator for public and private collections, in the UK and abroad. She also gives illustrated talks and lectures. She is an elected member of The British Antique Dealers' Association, The British Association of Paintings Conservator Restorers, The Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars, and The International Institute for Conservation. 

A highly topical lecture, given the current arguments about the multi-billion-pound restoration planned for Westminster! The Houses of Parliament in London is one of the most famous and staggering buildings in the world. Its rises serenely from the Thames at Westminster, on a site which has been the centre of power and government in England from the earliest times. It is a masterpiece of Victorian architecture and a spectacular feat of civil engineering: but from the beginning, its design and construction were a battleground for its architect, Charles Barry.

 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. Her book The Day Parliament Burned Down won the Political Book of the Year Award in 2013 and Mary Beard called it ‘microhistory at its absolute best’. Its acclaimed sequel, Mr Barry’s War, about the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster, was a Book of the Year in 2016 for The Daily Telegraph and BBC History Magazine and was described by Lucy Worsley as "a real jewel, finely wrought and beautiful". Caroline’s third book, National Treasures, tells the extraordinary and sometimes hilarious stories behind the saving of London’s art and museum collections in World War Two. Caroline 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. In 2023 she was appointed by the government to the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA).

Whether drawing duchesses or portraying princes, John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was high society’s leading portraitist. Flaunting a consummate technique, his luxurious canvases mirrored his subjects’ wealth. Yet beneath the dazzling veneer of works such as Madame X, The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit and Lady Agnew of Lochnaw lurks a much rawer world by far. Sargent certainly scandalised Parisian society and the city’s Salon with his frank depictions of human sexuality, yet he was even more modern than they might have feared. This talk charts the artist’s life and his prolific output, showing that, like the era he came to represent, Sargent was always on the cusp of seismic change.

 A writer and broadcaster. Appears on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and contributes to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes. Lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. Recent appearances include Klimt and The Kiss in cinemas worldwide, and talks for the Hay and Cheltenham Literature Festivals, the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Trust, the National Theatre, the British Museum and the V&A. His first book, A Home for All Seasons, is out now. 

Founded in 1824, the National Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square houses one of the world's finest collections of European paintings, including such favourites as Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Marriage, Sandro Botticelli's Venus and Mars, John Constable's Cornfield and Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers. In contrast to its peers, however, this institution did not begin its life as a royal collection: the Gallery was founded by parliament and remains reliant on public funding. This lecture uses highlights from the NG's collection to show how our vision of the "ideal" art collection has evolved over time, along with ideas of the kinds of people the Gallery was supposed to serve.

Dr Jonathan Conlin is a cultural historian of modern Britain and Professor of Modern History at the University of Southampton. His books include Tales of Two Cities (2014), a comparative history of Paris and London, and biographies of Adam Smith and the Anglo-Armenian oil baron Calouste Gulbenkian. Born in New York, he studied History and Modern Languages at Oxford, subsequently moving to the Courtauld Institute and Cambridge for his MA and PhD. In 2023 he was commissioned by the National Gallery to write its bicentenary history. All his talks draw on his own archival research, allowing him to give audiences insights into how historians approach different kinds of evidence, the gaps and dead ends as well as the surprise discoveries

A highly topical lecture, given the current arguments about the multi-billion pound restoration planned for Westminster! The Houses of Parliament is one of the most famous and staggering buildings in the world. Its rises serenely from the Thames at Westminster, on a site which has been the centre of power and government in England from the earliest times. It is a masterpiece of Victorian architecture and a spectacular feat of civil engineering: but from the beginning, its design and construction were a battleground for its architect, Charles Barry. The practical challenges, even by the standards of Victorian invention, were immense Battling the interference of MPs and royalty, coaxing and soothing the genius of his partner Pugin, fending off the mad schemes of a host of crackpot inventors and busybodies, and coming in three times over budget and twenty-four years behind schedule, this lecture will tell the story of how Charles Barry created the most famous building in Britain.

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. Her book The Day Parliament Burned Down won the Political Book of the Year Award in 2013 and Mary Beard called it ‘microhistory at its absolute best’. Its acclaimed sequel, Mr Barry’s War, about the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster, was a Book of the Year in 2016 for The Daily Telegraph and BBC History Magazine and was described by Lucy Worsley as "a real jewel, finely wrought and beautiful". Caroline 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.

This is one of the quirkiest lectures you will ever hear. 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.

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. 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.

When Velázquez moved to Madrid from Seville with his young family, his life changed and so did his art. Working for an often-troubled Philip IV, we can see changes in the King through the numerous portraits Velazquez did of him. We will read the King’s letters and unravel the relationship between King and artist. We will meet the courtiers, dwarves, children, ladies in waiting and bodyguards who surrounded him as well as the royal family. This lecture will consider his time at court, his subjects, and his development as a great artist. It will end with a discussion of his work Las Meninas. This painting with its extraordinary understanding of perspective and fabulous use of paint, will be unravelled in terms of the artist’s own life and ambitions and his relationship with the Habsburg Monarchy at the time.

Jacqueline Cockburn is Managing Director of an art tours company, running residential courses in Andalucía, Southern Spain in the art and culture of the region www.artandculturetravel.com  Jacqueline is a course director and lecturer at the V&A and also lectures at The Royal Academy, The Art Fund, The London Art History Society and has toured New Zealand and Australia for The Arts Society. Her specialist field is Spanish Art, but she also lectures on European Art 1790-1950. Her most recent publication is A Taste of Art, London (Unicorn Press 2019). Jacqueline films her lectures and is currently delivering lectures, study days and courses online and live.

Picasso remains the twentieth century’s single most important artistic figure, a towering genius who changed the face of modern art. His influence on modern British Art is undoubtable, artists like Wyndham Lewis, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland, Francis Bacon, and David Hockney have all been indebted to the works of Picasso. Each one of these artists had an epiphany moment when confronted by Picasso’s work. Throughout the 20th century the shape shifting Spanish artist had an enduring influence on these major British artists. We can see how each artist took from and then adapted Picasso’s work, to create their own unique versions of Modern British Art.

Paul Chapman is an Art Historian and a National Gallery trained guide with many years of experience working in education. As a freelance Paul delivers courses and lectures for a wide range of educational organisations. Paul has also given talks and tours for art associations/societies in Museums and Galleries in the UK and Europe. As a writer, Paul has published a book, which examines the subject of cultural crossovers and appropriations in 20th century painting. Paul has a long-standing commitment, in conjunction with the National Gallery as a tour guide at the Longford Castle art collection and he is also a visiting tutor at Marlborough College and a tutor at MCSS.

This lecture originated in a series of talks given at the Wallace Collection, of which I am a trustee, called ‘the colours of Christmas’. It explores the allure and glamour of gold, explains something of its unique physical properties and looks at the myriad different uses it has been put to, from gold coins and status-enhancing plate and jewels, to a surface embellishment for bronze sculptures, silver and paintings. It draws on the treasures of the Wallace Collection and elsewhere to produce a visual feast of wonderful objects.

Timothy Schroder 

Historian of gold and silver. Curator of Decorative Arts, Los Angeles County Museum of Arts 1984-89. Director, Partridge Fine Arts 1991-7. Keeper, Gilbert Collection 1997-2000. Consultant Curator, V&A 2000-2010. Prime Warden, Goldsmiths’ Company,  2015-16 and 2019-20. Fellow, Society of Antiquaries 1994. DLitt (Oxford) 2013. Trustee, Wallace Collection from 2013. Trustee, City and Guilds Art School from 2020. Member, Westminster Abbey Fabric Commission from 2018. Publications include: English Domestic Silver (1988); Renaissance Silver from the Schroder Collection (2007); Gold and Silver in the Ashmolean Museum (2009); ‘A Marvel to Behold’, Gold and Silver at the Court of Henry VIII (2020); and numerous articles.

In an age where women had little public power, Isabella d’ Este (1474 – 1539) stands out as a formidable figure. She was one of the first and greatest female patrons and art collectors of the Renaissance. And her court in Mantua was filled with writers and poets of distinction. Her clever, educated and entitled voice sings out from thousands of letters which she composed in her meticulously designed study, and images – from Da Vinci to Titian – bring alive a woman whose eye for fashion was every bit as keen as her eye for art.

Novelist, broadcaster, and critic. Sarah Dunant read history at Cambridge, then worked for many years as a cultural journalist in radio and television on such programmes as Kaleidoscope (BBC Radio 4), The Late Show (BBC 2), and Night Waves/Free thinking (BBC Radio 3). She has published thirteen novels, taught renaissance studies at Washington University, St Louis and lectured around the world at festivals and conferences. Her last five novels have been set within the Italian Renaissance. In the Name of the Family completes the story of the Borgia family and the remarkable period of Italian history in which they lived. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s A POINT OF VIEW and these talks, alongside her series on history for Radio 4, When Greeks Flew Kites are available on podcast or BBC sounds.

Big exhibition taking place in Amsterdam.  Feature on i-player. Also try to catch the film of the exhibition

Honours degree in History of Art, Birkbeck College, University of London. Regular commitments include Centre for Lifelong Learning, London University, National Gallery, V&A Museum, WEA, Morley College, the City Literary Institute, the Art Fund and National Trust. Study tours abroad.

This lecture examines Hogarth’s Marriage à la Mode other “modern moral subjects”. It looks at how the artist used his work to wage war against London’s sex trade and child poverty as part of his personal crusade to establish modern urban life as an appropriate subject for high art. Insights into the darker side of life in 18th century London are blended with the story of how Hogarth worked his way up from an apprenticed engraver to successful painter and philanthropist.

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 is Co-Director of The London Art Salon.

Where to start in achieving the right look? How to avoid that unforgettable sartorial faux pas? ‘Power dressing’ in the latest fashions from France and the finest fabrics from Italy was essential to the status of the eighteenth century English gentleman or gentlewoman as a connoisseur of taste and style. In this period of social change and immense entrepreneurial activity in the arts and luxury trades market, the tailor, dressmaker and portrait painter played a vital role as adviser and sensitive diplomat on public image. This lecture uses a wealth of illustrations from portraits, caricatures, clothing and accessories with extracts from contemporary letters and journals to bring the individual players to life. 

Lecturer: Mary Alexander

Thirty years' experience as a lecturer, with a BA in History and History of Art and a MA with distinction in History of Art from University College London. Experience includes public lectures in museums, tutoring for the Open University, visiting lecturer at Christie's Education in London, museum curator at Platt Hall, the Gallery of Costume, Manchester. Now a freelance lecturer to various arts, heritage and antiquarian societies. She also worked in Pentagram design consultancy in London and New York, organising conferences and special events. Author of various articles on design and visual awareness issues, her background combines an unusual blend of academic and visual communications skills. Lectured for ADFAS Australia and New Zealand in 2011, 2013 and 2016. Mary is an enthusiastic member and President of The Arts Society Glaven Valley.

While the Sistine Chapel is synonymous with Michelangelo, what is not so familiar is the contribution made by other contemporary artists to its decoration. During the 1480s Pope Sixtus IV commissioned a team of Florentine artists to decorate the newly built chapel with scenes from the Lives of Christ and Moses. After Michelangelo had finished the ceiling for Pope Julius II (1508-12), his successor Pope Leo X commissioned Raphael in 1515 to ‘complete’ the chapel by designing tapestry cartoons to hang beneath the earlier frescoes. This lecture examines these less familiar contributions, setting them within the context of their respective patrons’ tastes and the Chapel’s unique position as the centre of the Catholic Church. 

Lecturer: Dr James Lindow

Dr. James Lindow was the first Renaissance PhD from the Royal College of Art and the V&A. He has convened and presented at international conferences, lectures widely in the UK and overseas and is currently a fine art underwriter in the City. He has written articles on diverse aspects of the Renaissance, and his book entitled The Renaissance Palace in Florence: Magnificence and Splendour in Fifteenth-Century Italy was published by Ashgate Press in 2007 to widespread critical acclaim.

Venice: the Serenissma, but also the Luxurissima. Venice was the port for Europe through which all the glamorous and luxurious products of India, the Middle East and the Far East passed, and she certainly made sure that the best pieces remained in Venice. Indian jewellery, silks and porcelains were given a starring role in the paintings produced by any Venetian artist from the 15th of 16th century -  Bellini and Cima through to the trio of great Venetian artists, Titian Tintoretto and Veronese. But of all of these, it is Veronese who delighted most in depicting the textures and colour effects of luxury goods. This lecture explores how he deployed his luxury props, and what it was in his style of painting that makes them such a feast for the eye.

Lecturer: Chantal Brotherton Ratcliffe

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. 

A general biographical lecture on Holbein, his life - what is known of it - and his work, focusing particularly on his two extended stays in England. This lecture will explore the religious and political background of Holbein’s times and the impact this had on his life and career as an artist. Looking at Holbein’s close links with the court of King Henry VIII during his second visit to England and how his images of the King have done a great deal to establish a certain view of Henry in modern minds. Also exploring the impact that Holbein had on the development of portraiture in this country, to the extent that those who followed him, for example Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680), would complain that all English patrons were interested in was ‘their own dull counterfeits’.

Lecturer: Rosalind Whyte

BA and MA from Goldsmith’s College, and an MA (distinction) from Birkbeck College. Experienced guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Greenwich. Lectures at Tate, to independent art societies and on cruises. Leads art appreciation holidays.

Poet, playwright and theatre entrepreneur, William Shakespeare became one of the wealthiest celebrities of the Elizabethan age. He also wrote some of the most brilliant plays the world has ever known. Giles examines how theatre moved into the modern era.

 Lecturer: Giles Ramsay

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 and given numerous talks for institutions ranging from The Foundation for Mexican Literature in Mexico City to The Royal College of Physicians in London. He regularly lectures on the history and practice of theatre on the Queen Mary 2 as it sails from New York to the UK. Giles combines academic analysis with hands on experience to bring a unique insight to the world of the theatre.

Our royal families have celebrated Christmas throughout their long history, from William the Conqueror making sure of his claim to the English throne by being crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. Feasting on a spectacular scale characterised medieval Christmases – we read of extraordinary culinary delicacies served to Henry II, crane’s flesh, peacocks and herons. Present-giving always marked the season, from the extravagant – the City of London presented Richard II with a camel and a pelican – to the witty – Mrs. Thatcher sent the Queen a pair of yellow washing-up gloves having seen Her Majesty doing the dishes without any. The Royal Christmas Broadcast is now an established part of our celebrations and we shall hear extracts from George V’s, George VI’s and our present Queen’s addresses.

Lecturer: Roger Askew

Roger was a chorister at Wells Cathedral School and a choral scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he graduated with an honours degree in English. He combined a teaching career with professional singing in London, and after obtaining a further degree in Music became Director of Music at Daniel Stewart’s and Melville College in Edinburgh.

After retiring in 2003 he returned to the south of England. He is President Emeritus of The Stoke Poges Society and Joint Chairman of the Arts Society Windsor.

The bleak midwinter held little appeal to the artist for many centuries until Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow in the 16th century. From pristine backdrop to the tempestuous snow storms of Turner to the capturing of ‘snow effect’ by the Impressionists, the ability of artists to convey snow as a symbol of peace but also of grandeur and terror is compelling.

 Lecturer: Sue Jackson

Originally in academic art and design publishing, Sue is also a Fellow of the Huguenot Society, a Freeman of the City of London, a tutor at the City Literary Institute and a Blue Badge guide, conducting a variety of walks and visits.

Robert Hughes declared of Still life painting; ‘Still Life is to eating what the nude is to sex’ (we won’t go there I assure you!), although he did also admit that Spanish Still Life painting is ‘more sacramental than gastronomic’. The lecture will cover a cabbage that has been painted with such astonishing accuracy that the painted version is more alluring than the vegetable itself. Goya’s painting of a pile of 6 silvery fish, is a political commentary on the disasters of war. These bream have been abandoned on a beach in the middle of the night, left to rot in the sand, evidence of reckless waste at a time of famine. Through this and others paintings by Velazquez, Zurburán, and Meléndez, we shall explore several stunning key themes that can all be discerned from arrangements of simple food stuffs; religious fervour and symbolism, the absence of presence and that importance generates waste.

Lecturer: Daniel Evans

Dan is an educationalist with a passion for all things Italian. Dan is a Housemaster and Teacher at Cheltenham College, a full boarding and co-educational independent school established in 1841 and was formerly Head of History of Art at Wycombe Abbey School. He has been lecturing since 2001, and spent 9 years working as a senior lecturer, tutor and tour guide for Art History Abroad. He was voted the British winner of the World Guide of the Year Awards in 2008 and alongside his lectures and special interest days he also leads educational study trips for groups of friends to a range of destinations in Italy.

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.

Lecturer: Ian Swankie

A Londoner with a passion for art and architecture, Ian is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral, and gives tours around each venue. He is also a qualified and active freelance London guide and leads regular tours for various corporations and organisations. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his home town of Richmond in West London. He is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City livery companies.

Douglas read Fine 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 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.

It is hard to know whether to be impressed or disgusted by Peter the Great. His personality was a confusing collection of contradictions. On one hand he was the enlightened sovereign who dragged the sprawling, medieval country he ruled into the modern age. Born with immense energy and drive, he taught himself the rudiments of ship design and founded the Russian navy, defeated the Swedes and seized the land on which to build the city of St Petersburg, which would grow into one of the most beautiful and ornate capitals in the world. On the other he was a violent and brutal tyrant, fascinated 

by freaks and cruel practical jokes, a coarse, foul speaking drunkard who personally tortured hundreds of his subjects and ordered the murder of his own son.

This lecture follows the course of his turbulent life from his childhood in Moscow, where he saw his family butchered before his eyes, through his wild teenage years in which he formed his own private regiments, presided over dissolute drinking clubs and taught himself to sail on an ancient boat once given to Ivan the Terrible, to the triumphs and conquests of his old age when he established Russia not only as a modern nation but also as a major political and military force in the western world.

Alice has lectured for Oxford University Department of Continuing Education since 1998. She lectures regularly at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. Her busy freelance career includes organising History of Art study days with colleagues, and regular weekly classes in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire. In 2004 Alice joined The Arts Society and has lectured in Britain and in Europe. Since 2003 Alice has been a tutor on study holidays. In 2010 she was elected President of Banbury Fine Arts Society.

Sienese art celebrated the Madonna, and urban life, through bright colour and decoration that delighted in the adventure and drama of the narrative style. The Golden Age of Sienese art belongs to the Trecento, with Masters like Duccio exemplifying the veneration of the Madonna. His “Maesta” of 1308-11 was so potent an image that it was cherished by all who saw it. Duccio perfected fluent rhythms and warm golden tonalities that replaced the more rigid Byzantine style, and were adopted by the masters who followed him, thus establishing a distinctive character for Sienese painting. The principal followers include Simone Martini, known his graceful Madonnas, and the Lorenzetti Brothers who provided a vivid narrative account of life in Siena in the mid fourteenth century. 

An understandable and accessible introduction to art from the early 20th century to date. 

Frank is a lecturer at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, lecturer for the Art Fund, the National Trust, U3A and other organisations. Lecturer and runs courses at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. 

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, as well as for history of art societies and The Art Fund.

Budapest was formed in 1873 by the unification of Buda and Pest, situated on either side of the River Danube. The new capital was the focus of resurgent Hungarian nationalism, which found expression through lavish new buildings, the continent’s first underground railway system and myriad paintings featuring specifically Hungarian subjects and locales. Meanwhile, in the countryside, composers Bartók and Kodály began to collect the music of their compatriots. Placing these endeavours in a historical context, this talk explores how the Hungarians came to understand national identity through cultural 

Now working as a freelance lecturer in the History of Art, Lynne originally trained as a fine artist and has taught painting, drawing and printmaking in higher and adult education. She lectured as an art historian for the universities of Sussex and Bristol where she introduced 'Understanding Art' to the Lifelong Learning programme and residential summer schools. Gives talks, lectures and guided tours to a wide range of organisations and institutions including ARCA colleges, the National Trust, National Gallery, art museums and art societies. She has worked as a professional artist specializing in oil painting and etching. Solo and group shows have included the RWA, British Museum and the Barbican.

The modern fashion for colour has left us all rather ‘tone blind’. But from antiquity through to the nineteenth century tone was often the most important property of a painting. Leonardo invented Sfumato. Caravaggio embraced Chiaroscuro. The Tenebrists depicted a world of shadows. A favourite device used by Constable and Corot was a small black convex mirror! Twilight often was referred to as ‘the painter’s hour’. Shading, together with perspective, can offer a convincing illusion of solidity and space. But how can the artist create this illusion? And why was the invention of oil paint so vital for the creation of realistic light effects? We explore a wide range of paintings from across the history of art to discover some tricks of the light

Sandy is one of the UK’s most versatile music commentators, enjoying a career that combines broadcasting, performing and lecturing. After studying at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and working as music director for the RSC, National Theatre and in London’s West End, Sandy Burnett spent a decade as one of the core team of presenters on BBC Radio 3. Combining engaging scholarship with hands-on expertise, he devises and leads cultural holidays all over the world, is the author of the Idler Guide to Classical Music, is a highly sought after double bassist on the London jazz scene, and was appointed the Academy of Ancient Music’s Hogwood Fellow for the 2018-19 season.

Sandy Burnett’s close relationship with Bach’s music stretches back for decades; between 1997 and 2010 he directed a complete cycle of Bach’s sacred cantatas in West London. In this illustrated talk he explores how Bach brings the Christmas story alive in his Weihnachtsoratorium or Christmas Oratorio, written for Lutheran congregations in 1730s Leipzig. Starting with an overview of Bach’s life and achievement, Sandy moves on to an examination of this magnificent work which draws on various forms ranging from recitative, arioso, aria, chorale, and instrumental sinfonia through to full-blown choruses which harness the power of music and deploy it in the service of God.

As a Classics Tutor for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Professor of History of Art for the European Studies Program of Rhodes College and The University of the South, he has spent much of the last 30 years travelling extensively in the world of the Greeks and Romans both physically and intellectually. He has published A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths (Robinson, 2007) and A Brief Guide to Classical Civilization (Robinson, 2010) and is currently working on A Brief Guide to the Roman Empire.

Two tombs, a couple of statues, one temple, a garden and a lighthouse have become celebrated as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. But how much do we know about them? Why and how were they chosen? And, given that six out of the seven were destroyed long ago, can we recreate their size, beauty and majesty, and the shock and awe that they generated? Combining literary and artistic evidence for the monuments with examination of the sites where they once stood, this talk will try to make the vestigial traces of their grandeur come to life once again.

As a retired country doctor with a lifetime of working in the NHS both in hospital and in rural practice I am passionate about all aspects of medicine, its history and its relationship to art and artists. I feel very strongly that lecturing should be stimulating, informative and entertaining. I have been very privileged to be able to share my interests with others lecturing to a variety of different groups and now as a lecturer for The Arts Society.

This talk covers seven hundred years of art history related to the plague from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. It illustrates how artists such as Tintoretto, Raphael and Titian, amongst many others, reflected in their art the wide range of human response to the devastating affect that plague had on individuals and communities. It also illustrates in many works of art the triumph of the human spirit in the face of such adversity.

Architectural historian, trained at the Courtauld and specialising in 16th to 18th century English and Scottish architecture. Lecturer at the V&A on year courses and short courses, and lecturer for the Art Fund, and for the Royal Oak Foundation in the US. Researched and wrote a history of Kensington Palace. Contributed to a book on the Cecil family, and has written several articles on architectural and social history and the history of travel. Wrote London's Country Houses (2009). Contributed a chapter to a history of the Royal Academy (Yale, forthcoming).

From the late 17th century towns and cathedral cities grew in size and prosperity, bringing in gentry from the surrounding countryside. To entertain the leisured classes, theatres and assembly rooms were built, subscription libraries started and race courses set up. Gentry families increasingly owned a house in their local town, where they could spend the winter, shop, attend concerts, and see their friends. In the 19th century some towns became industrialised and lost their charm, others still have some of their 18th century attractions.

This lecture examines a series of iconic photographs that are embedded in our collective memory. They range from records of historic events, to fabulous portraits and scenes of emotional release and joy. The talk analyses the power of these images, traces the fascinating stories of how they came to be produced, and places them in the context of our appreciation of art.

Brian Stater is a Senior Teaching Fellow at University College London, where he has lectured since 1997. His principal academic interest lies in the appreciation of architecture, while a strong personal enthusiasm is for photography. He therefore explores both business and pleasure by offering lectures on each of these subjects.

He has written on architecture for a wide range of publications and an exhibition of his own photographs has been 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.

Portraits provide a fascinating insight into the changing styles of dress over the centuries. This lecture follows the different fashions as revealed in paintings, looking at dress and accessories, and some of the more ridiculous styles of fashion from the 16th century to the 19th century. It focuses particularly on fashion in England, but looks also at some contrasting Continental fashions. In times when Sumptuary Laws prescribed what you could wear, according to your status in society, fashion was much less of a personal choice and more a reflection of social standing. The colour of your clothing or a plunging neckline could mark you out as belonging to a particular class. Whilst the ordinary working folk might have longed for a wardrobe full of reds, purples and golds (or, indeed, for a wardrobe at all!), their ‘superiors’ may well have envied them their ability to move freely in their clothes, without the restrictions of ruffs, stuffed sleeves, enormous petticoats, or headdresses the size of small animals …. sometimes also containing small animals! Have fun exploring the wildest extremes of fashion through the ages.

BA and MA from Goldsmith’s College, and an MA (distinction) from Birkbeck College. Experienced guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Greenwich. Lectures at Tate, to independent art societies and on cruises. Leads art appreciation holidays.

Patrick Reyntiens – a brilliant raconteur, an extraordinary personality, a life-force, a child within a man with a wicked sense of fun, hugely intellectual, an experimenter and innovator, whose work has transformed the conception and construction of stained glass. Not merely the interpreter of the work of Cecil Collins, Ceri Richards and John Piper (think Coventry Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral) but an artist of tremendous breadth and talent in his own right. 

Freelance art historian, curator, film producer, lecturer and writer. Libby is the world's leading authority on the multi-talented artist Frank Brangwyn and is compiling the catalogue raisonne of all his work - both fine and decorative art - estimated to be in excess of 12,000 items! Frank Brangwyn: Stained Glass was published in 2010 and Brangwyn at WAR! was published in 2014. The irrepressible Libby has recently written film scripts about Fay Godwin, Fiore de Henriques, Gordon Russell, John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens (Patrick Reyntiens: Catalogue of Stained Glass was published in 2013) and her lecture repertoire reflects her eclectic range of interests

Sorolla (1863-1923) was a highly successful artist of international renown in his lifetime, but outside Spain and the United States he is largely forgotten today. Some of his best work is on show in the house and studio he built for himself in Madrid – one of the city’s ‘hidden secrets’. While Sorolla admired the great Spanish traditions of Velázquez and Goya, his delightful paintings of women and children at the seaside, landscapes and the great series depicting the regions of Spain, are full of sunlight and optimism

Historian, art historian, and painter. Lecturer for The Arts Society since 1992, lectures regularly for the V&A High Renaissance and Baroque course, Art Pursuits, and the Art Fund. Has taught on Cambridge University International Summer Schools, the Courtauld Institute Summer Courses, Inscape, Gainsborough’s House and other arts organisations. She has led tours to Spain for The Arts Society and other tour companies. Lectured in the Prado and Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid 1983-5, was Deputy Curator of Keats Shelley Memorial House, Rome 1978-80, manager of the Courtauld Slide Scheme 1977, and a Christie’s consultant (Ill. MSS) 1976. Gail has recently given a course at the National Gallery, on Sorolla. In 2015 Gail was awarded the Encomienda de Isabel la Catolica (the equivalent of the CBE) by the King of Spain for promoting Spanish culture among British audiences, and was recently elected President of The Arts Society Colchester.

Many people now carry a phone with a camera capable of taking very high-quality pictures, and yet the painting of botanical specimens persists with new Florilegium Societies still being formed. Why is a drawing and painting still considered to be superior to a digital image? This talk looks at the history of botanical illustration from drawings made on rocks 20,000 years ago to the present day, taking in the lives of both the artists and the plants immortalised in the artwork.

There were four major Frost Fairs held on the Thames between 1621 and 1814. They were depicted by distinguished foreign and British artists, sketched in prints and drawings, and described in great detail. They are also depicted in a modern mural, and described in a modern novel. A wide variety of remarkable, enjoyable or scandalous activities went on at the Fairs. Various winter sports were arranged, after which one could eat or drink at coffee-houses or taverns set up on the ice. Bonfires were lit on the Thames to roast meat, souvenir leaflets were printed and a rich variety of Christmas food was on offer. Now that Somerset House holds skating events in the quadrangle every Christmas, a look at previous Frost Fairs gives us an interesting glimpse of one of the most dramatic events witnessed by our ancestors.

The greatest site from the pre-Islamic period is at Persepolis, whose bas-reliefs are a unique blend of styles from all over the Achaemenid Empire, including Egypt, Greece and India.

Many Persian art forms predate the Arab conquest, but as their peak was reached within the Islamic era, religious influences are rarely completely absent. Calligraphy, geometrical patterns and Islamic architecture combined to reach unparalleled heights in the 17th century in a series of highly decorated palaces and mosques in Isfahan, at that time, one of the largest cities in the world.

Throughout many centuries of occupation, it has been the respected poets who have kept the traditions of the Persian language and religion alive, particularly Sufism. Sa'di is the Persian equivalent of Shakespeare, and with his successor Hafez, both have ornate mausoleums in Shiraz. This lecture will explore the ancient monuments of Persia and Islamic art.

MR CHRISTOPHER BRADLEY

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. Has written extensively on Arabia and is the author of The Discovery Guide to Yemen, Insight Guide to the Silk Road and Berlitz Guides to Libya; The Red Sea; Cairo; Abu Dhabi and Nile Cruising. As a photographer has pictures represented by four photographic libraries. 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.

AGM 2.15pm - Lecture 2.30pm

DR SUSAN OWENS

Dr Susan Owens is an art historian, writer and curator. She studied English literature at Oxford University and European art at the Courtauld Institute, then wrote a doctoral thesis on Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations to Oscar Wilde’s play Salome at University College London. She worked as a curator for the Royal Collection before becoming Curator of Paintings at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Susan has written or co-authored books on decadent interiors, natural history illustration, watercolours, drawings and self-portraits, and is a regular contributor to publications including the Times Literary Supplement and The World of Interiors. Now freelance, Susan lives in Suffolk. Her book The Ghost: A Cultural History, was published in 2017.

This lecture examines the "Maesta" or Virgin Enthroned in Majesty, which was painted for the high altar of the cathedral in Siena between 1308-11. It is today regarded as one of the most elaborate and complex altarpieces in Sienese painting. When painting the Maesta, Duccio di Buoninsegna re-located the familiar stories of Christ's Passion into the heart of Siena and his richly decorated colourful scenes combine perfectly calibrated humanity with spirituality. The altarpiece remains within the realm of mediaeval art but is also a forerunner of the new Renaissance style.

MRS ALICE FOSTER

Alice has lectured for Oxford University Department of Continuing Education since 1998. She lectures regularly at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. Her busy freelance career includes organising History of Art study days with colleagues, and regular weekly classes in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire. In 2004 Alice joined The Arts Society and has lectured in Britain and in Europe. Since 2003 Alice has been a tutor on study holidays. In 2010 she was elected President of Banbury Fine Arts Society.

Many people feel that modern art is more difficult to understand than art of the past. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries the divisions between painting, sculpture, architecture and design have become blurred, and many works of art are hard to categorise. By looking at and discussing a wide variety of images this lecture will aim to provide guidelines about how to appreciate modern art better and how to discover continuity between the art of earlier periods and our own.

MRS MARY ACTON

Recently retired as Course Director of the Undergraduate Diploma and Advanced Diploma in the History of Art at Continuing Education, Oxford University; continues to teach there. Is author of Learning to Look at Paintings (1997 & 2008) and Learning to Look at Modern Art (2004) both published by Routledge. Now working on the third in the series, Learning to Look at Sculpture. 

The Georgian era is a period in British history from 1714 to c. 1830–37, named after the Hanoverian kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The sub-period that is the Regency era is defined by the regency of George IV as Prince of Wales during the illness of his father George III. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of William IV, which ended with his death in 1837.

Wikipedia

MRS PATSY ERSKINE-HILL

Brought up in Italy, France and Switzerland, she holds a first class degree in Italian from Trinity College, Dublin and a Masters degree in Imperial Russian history from Edinburgh University. Ran her own business for many years, finishing with a 5 year contract teaching at a US university. Now back in the UK, she lectures widely to history societies, university groups, special interest associations and on cruises. Her interests are the society, art and architecture of Imperial Russia; Italian history, art and culture; the English eighteenth century.

This lecture, by Paula Nutall, tells the Christmas Story through a selection of well-loved paintings and illuminated manuscripts by Italian and Flemish artists, including Botticelli,Fra Angelico and Jan van Eyck, together with may less well-known images. From the Annunciation to the Nativity, the Journey of the Kings and the Flight into Egypt, it explores the rich symbolism of Christmas imagery; highlights the ways in which spiritual ideas and devotional practice shaped the depiction of the narrative and introduces some less familiar aspects of the story, such as the Midwives ad Joseph’s stockings.

DR PAULA NUTTALL

Director of V&A Medieval & Renaissance Year course. Author of  From Flanders to Florence: the Impact of Netherlandish Painting 1400-1500 (Yale, 2004). Also lectures for the Courtauld Institute, Christie's Education, the Art Fund and the National Gallery. Formerly lecturer at the British Institute of Florence.

By the middle of the 16th century dowries in renaissance Italy were so expensive that most respectable families could not afford to marry off more than one or two daughters. The rest became nuns, entering convents at puberty and never leaving. Not surprisingly not all of them went willingly.

But along with stories of enforced incarceration and horror, and calls for change and resistance, there was also unexpected space for creativity: art, scholarship, writing, drama and fabulous music. As well, there was the possibility of another kind of fulfilment – and power – that of ecstatic union with their spiritual husband, Jesus Christ. Behind those walls a great deal was going on.

MS SARAH DUNANT

Novelist, broadcaster and critic. Sarah read history at Cambridge, then worked for many years as a cultural journalist in radio and television on such programmes as Kaleidoscope (BBC Radio 4), The Late Show (BBC 2), and Night Waves (BBC Radio 3). She has published thirteen novels, taught renaissance studies at Washington University, St Louis, is a visiting tutor on the MA in creative writing at Oxford Brooks and has lectured around the world at festivals and conferences. Her last five novels have been set within the Italian Renaissance. Her next, In the Name of the Family (to be published in 2017) completes the story of the Borgia family and the remarkable period of Italian history in which they lived. Her recent series on history for BBC Radio 4, called When Greeks Flew Kites is available on podcast or listen again: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b090ccrh/episodes/player

The ‘discovery’ of the body of the Apostle, St James, proved a timely propaganda tool just as the Christians in northern Spain began their reconquest of Spain from the Moors. It opened a new European pilgrimage route, and by the 12th century the Way to Santiago de Compostela, or the Camino, was a well trodden route. Hospitals, monasteries, churches and shrines grew up all along the Camino to attend to the spiritual and worldly needs of the pilgrims, and cities along it also prospered and expanded. Pilgrims’ tales abound – and the Camino still exerts a fascination today. Gail has walked most of it.

MS GAIL TURNER

Historian, art historian, and painter. Lecturer for The Arts Society since 1992, lectures regularly for the V&A High Renaissance and Baroque course, Art Pursuits, and the Art Fund. Has taught on Cambridge University International Summer Schools, the Courtauld Institute Summer Courses, Inscape, Gainsborough’s House and other arts organisations. She has led tours to Spain for The Arts Society and other tour companies. Lectured in the Prado and Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid 1983-5, was Deputy Curator of Keats Shelley Memorial House, Rome 1978-80, manager of the Courtauld Slide Scheme 1977, and a Christie’s consultant (Ill. MSS) 1976. In 2015 Gail was awarded the Encomienda de Isabel la Catolica (the equivalent of the CBE) by the King of Spain for promoting Spanish culture among British audiences.

The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups. In all, eight major Crusade expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291. The bloody, violent and often ruthless conflicts propelled the status of European Christians, making them major players in the fight for land in the Middle East. Crusaders hoped to reconquer what they saw as Christian land. It was a time of upheaval with brutal violence committed by all parties. The crusades inspired a sense of militant Christian identity in Western Europe and, through centuries of conflict and war, played a role in uniting disparate Muslim states against the invaders. 

Built along important trade routes, constructed high atop stunning landscapes and demonstrating extraordinary feats of military engineering, Crusader fortresses are among the world's most dramatic sites. Whether it is the behemoth that is Krak des Chevaliers or Caesarea's ocean lapped fortress, the Grandmasters Palace in Rhodes or the imposing sites of Acre, the Crusaders' clearly built their castles to last.  

Professor Jonathan Phillips

Jonathan Phillips is Professor of Crusading History. His research interests range from an ongoing study of the Third Crusade (1187-92), through to the memory and the use of ideas and images of the crusades in the modern period across both the West and the Muslim Near East. He has published extensively on the crusades, including Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades (2009) which has been translated into German, Dutch, French and Italian. Phillips has appeared in numerous television and radio programmes and recently was an advisor to playwright David Eldridge’s production of Holy Warriors at the Globe Theatre, London. Phillips teaches undergraduate courses on medieval Europe, heresy, and the crusades and the Near East; he is Course Director of the MA in Crusader Studies and supervises six doctoral students.

Merchant guilds went by many different names including: fraternity, brotherhood, college, company, corporation, fellowship, livery or society, amongst other terms. In Europe, merchant guilds were known as natie, consulado or hansa. A fraternity, formed by the merchants of Tiel in Gelderland (present-day Netherlands), in 1020 is believed to be the first example of a Medieval guild. The first instance of usage of the term, "guild", was the gilda mercatoria used to describe a body of merchants operating out of St. Omer, France in the 11th century and London's Hanse was formed in the 12th century. The merchants of Cologne had their house in London as early as 1157 and the Guilda Teutonicorum (German merchants warehouse) was located at Cosin Lane and Thames Street in London on the 12th century. The London Guildhall was established around 1120.

These guilds controlled the way that trade was conducted in their region and codified rules governing the conditions of trade. Once established, merchant guild rules were often incorporated into the charters granted to market towns. By the 13th and 14th centuries, merchant guilds had acquired sufficient resources to erect guild halls in many major market towns.

Medieval guild halls were used to store goods and as places for celebratory events. When not required for guild members' events, the hall often became place where townspeople could hold entertainments such as Passion plays. Guild members often cleaned streets, removed rubbish, maintained a nightwatch and provided food relief to the poor. Some medieval guilds allowed market trading to occur on the ground floor of the guildhall.

Wikipedia

Mr Ian Swankie

A Londoner with a passion for art and architecture. He is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul's Cathedral, and gives regular tours at each venue. Also a qualified and active freelance London guide and a member of both the City of London and Westminster Guide Lecturer Associations. Clients include WEA groups, Transport for London, the National Trust and London Open House. In 2012 he established a weekly independent art lecture group in Richmond and gives talks on a variety of subjects.

AGM 14.15 pam

In Transoxiana, the land beyond the River Oxus, at the hub of the Great Silk Road, are some of the loveliest historic cities of Central Asia: Bukhara, the 'Dome of Islam', for centuries a leading centre for artists, poets and scholars, Samarkand, glorious capital of the ruthless conqueror Tamerlaine, and Khiva, which boasts one of the most homogeneous collections of Islamic architecture, a museum city, frozen in time. In this lecture we explore these cities and meet some of the men who built them. Tamerlaine, cruel but inspired, used the vast resources of his far-flung empire to endow the cities of his native land with splendid monuments. In his capital Samarkand he is buried in a stunningly beautiful mausoleum, beneath a brilliant blue fluted dome. Tamerlaine's grandson, Ulugbeg, scholar and astronomer, built an observatory without equal in East or West and redesigned the elegant Registan, the central square of Samarkand. From the 16C the land came under the control of the Uzbeks - Bukhara experienced a golden age, and grew to boast over 300 mosques and madrassahs. Its emirs resided in the grim and austere Ark Fortress, as old as the city itself. During the 19C, as Russian influence in Central Asia increased, Khiva, one of the most remote of the Silk Road cities, long renowned as a nest of caravan robbers and slave traders, came into its own. As its rulers and merchants grew rich Khiva enjoyed an artistic renaissance - its buildings glisten with glazed brick and tile decoration and its carved woodwork is second to none.

Ms Sue Rollin

Works as a tour guide and lecturer in India and the Middle East, and as a freelance interpreter for the European Union, United Nations and other international organisations. Formerly staff interpreter at the European Commission, Brussels, and tutor and lecturer in Assyriology and Ancient History at the Universities of London and Cambridge. Has worked as an archaeologist. Publications: Blue Guide: Jordan and Istanbul: A Traveller's Guide.

Mr Punch – the most famous puppet character of all time. His comic irreverence gave “Punch” magazine its title. His anarchic vitality has inspired opera, ballet and punk rock and his enduring popularity has seen his likeness on goods ranging from Victorian silverware to computer video games. Appearing in England in 1662, Punch is descended from the Italian Clown Pulcinella of the 15th C Commedia Del‟Arte tradition. Even today This Lord of Misrule uses his slapstick to dispense with oppressive authority, be it politicians, political Correctness or the devil, while proclaiming his notorious refrain; „That‟s the way to do it!”

Mr Bertie Pearce

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.

Gustav Mahler 7 July 1860 - 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian late-Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Nazi era. After 1945 his compositions were rediscovered by a new generation of listeners; Mahler then became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers, a position he has sustained into the 21st century.

Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 - February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism. In addition to his figurative works, which include allegories and portraits, he painted landscapes. Among the artists of the Vienna Secession, Klimt was the most influenced by Japanese art and its methods.

Early in his artistic career, he was a successful painter of architectural decorations in a conventional manner. As he developed a more personal style, his work was the subject of controversy that culminated when the paintings he completed around 1900 for the ceiling of the Great Hall of the University of Vienna were criticized as pornographic. He subsequently accepted no more public commissions, but achieved a new success with the paintings of his "golden phase", many of which include gold leaf. Klimt's work was an important influence on his younger contemporary Egon Schiele.

Wikipedia

Gustav Klimt and his colleagues broke away from the imperially endorsed art institutions in Vienna in 1897 and founded the Secession. That was the same year that Gustav Mahler arrived to take charge of the Opera House in the city. Comparing these two totemic fin de siècle talents, this lecture places Klimt and Mahler in context, asking what fundamentally links and, indeed, divides them.

Mr Gavin Plumley

A writer and broadcaster, appearing on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and contributing to The Independent on Sunday and The Guardian. Lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries, including to the National Gallery, the British Museum, the V&A, the Southbank Centre, the Tate and the Neue Galerie, New York, as well as for history of art societies and The Art Fund.

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be used for many purposes. They are a frequent tool of advertisers (particularly of events, musicians and films), propagandists, protestors and other groups trying to communicate a message. Posters are also used for reproductions of artwork, particularly famous works, and are generally low-cost compared to the original artwork. The modern poster, as we know it, however, dates back to the 1840s and 1850s when the printing industry perfected colour lithography and made mass production possible.

Wikipedia

Mr Andrew Davies

Extra-Mural Tutor for London, Essex and The Open University; Author of 9 books, including The East End Nobody Knows; frequent contributor to radio and television; has lectured all over the world; organises walks to complement his lectures.

Welcomed at first with open arms and bringing luxury skills, the Huguenots' fortunes fluctuated wildly. Sue will talk about their early 18th-century houses that still stand, how they were decorated and lived in; she will discuss the fashionable patterned silk dresses - who designed and made them. And how, finally the trade died out, with some weavers literally dying in poverty at their looms. One of the weavers' houses can still be visited today.

Mrs Sue Jackson

Originally in art and design publishing (Phaidon and Yale University Press), now lectures for the National Trust, U3A, City Literary Institute. A qualified Blue Badge Guide, she gives guided walks on various themes and has published work on the lost world of the River Fleet.

Pieter Bruegel (also Brueghel) the Elder (c. 1525-1530 - 9 September 1569) was the most significant artist of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaker from Brabant, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes (so called genre painting); he was a pioneer in making both types of subject the focus in large paintings.

He was a formative influence on Dutch Golden Age painting and later painting in general in his innovative choices of subject matter, as one of the first generation of artists to grow up when religious subjects had ceased to be the natural subject matter of painting. He also painted no portraits, the other mainstay of Netherlandish art. After his training and travels to Italy, he returned in 1555 to settle in Antwerp, where he worked mainly as a prolific designer of prints for the leading publisher of the day. Only towards the end of the decade did he switch to make painting his main medium, and all his famous paintings come from the following period of little more than a decade before his early death, when he was probably in his early forties, and at the height of his powers.

As well as looking forwards, his art reinvigorates medieval subjects such as marginal drolleries of ordinary life in illuminated manuscripts, and the calendar scenes of agricultural labours set in landscape backgrounds, and puts these on a much larger scale than before, and in the expensive medium of oil painting. He does the same with the fantastic and anarchic world developed in Renaissance prints and book illustrations.

He is sometimes referred to as "Peasant Bruegel", to distinguish him from the many later painters in his family, including his son Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638). From 1559, he dropped the 'h' from his name and signed his paintings as Bruegel; his relatives continued to use "Brueghel" or "Breughel".

Wikipedia

Mrs Clare Ford-Wille

Honours degree in History of Art, Birkbeck College, University of London. Regular commitments include Centre for Lifelong Learning, London University, National Gallery, V&A Museum, WEA, Morley College, the City Literary Institute, the Art Fund and National Trust. Study tours abroad.

Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) was the greatest painter in seventeenth-century Britain. Though trained in Flanders, he had a huge impact on British cultural life as the principal painter at King Charles I's ostensibly elegant court, where his impact was similar to that of Hans Holbein at the court of Henry VIII.

Van Dyck was born and trained in the great art centre of Antwerp. He made a brief visit to London in 1620-1 before returning in 1632 to King Charles I's court. Intensely ambitious and hugely productive, he re-invented portrait-painting in Britain, retaining his pre-eminence until his premature death at the age of 42. Working in a period of intense political ferment during the run-up to the British Civil War, van Dyck portrayed many of the leading characters of the period. His iconic portraits of King Charles I have shaped our view of the Stuart monarchy, while the compositions he used influenced many future generations of British painters.

Tate

Ms Sarah Stopford

Guide and lecturer at Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Studied art history as part of her first degree at Harvard. After a further degree in English at Cambridge and a career as a teacher of English literature in both the United States and England, she has returned to the world of art history where her special interests are in British and post-1900 art as well as the connections between literature and the visual arts.

This work is a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, but is not intended as a record of their wedding. His wife is not pregnant, as is often thought, but holding up her full-skirted dress in the contemporary fashion. Arnolfini was a member of a merchant family from Lucca living in Bruges. The couple are shown in a well-appointed interior.

The ornate Latin signature translates as 'Jan van Eyck was here 1434'. The similarity to modern graffiti is not accidental. Van Eyck often inscribed his pictures in a witty way. The mirror reflects two figures in the doorway. One may be the painter himself. Arnolfini raises his right hand as he faces them, perhaps as a greeting.

Van Eyck was intensely interested in the effects of light: oil paint allowed him to depict it with great subtlety in this picture, notably on the gleaming brass chandelier.

The National Gallery

Mr Leslie Primo

Holds a BA in Art History and an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London. Was Visiting Lecturer in Art History at the University of Reading in 2005 and 2007, and gives lectures and guided tours, plus special talks, at both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Also lectures at the City Literary Institute, and has presented a series of talks at the National Maritime Museum and the Courtauld Institute.