From an Indian riverbed thousands of years ago to the Tower of London – the fascinating story of the ‘Mountain of Light’. The story of this celebrated diamond is not only intriguing but also full of surprises; it has been the subject of desire, jealousy, intrigue, passion and political chicanery. This lecture follows the journey of this fabulous diamond from the depths of early Indian history through the bloody history of the Mughals to the power and politics of the British Empire, illustrated by extraordinary artists who were committed to describing the events and emotions of their time.

A celebrated and prolific twentieth century painter and illustrator whose work has probably been seen by a larger audience than any other artist in History simply because it was published. Rockwell painted more than 50 covers for ‘The Saturday Evening Post', a hugely popular and widely distributed weekly magazine. Norman Rockwell died in 1978 but his work still enjoys broad popular appeal and his original paintings sell for many millions of dollars. Many of his paintings tell us whimsical stories that invariably make us smile and often referred to as: A storyteller with a brush! 

Mozart, Haydn, Gluck, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Strauss, Mahler, Bruckner, Schoenberg – it reads like a list of the great and good in classical music – but the amazing thing is that every one of these musical geniuses lived and worked in Vienna. 

With slides showing Viennese art and architecture as well as audio excerpts by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Johann Strauss and Mahler, this talk brings Vienna in its heyday to life.

In December 2024, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, often referred to as the Soul of the City, reopened to the public after a devastating fire had threatened to destroy it 5 years earlier.  A seemingly impossible target had been set by the French President to rebuild; yet huge sums of donated money and teams of expert restorers ensured the timescale was met. Such is the symbolic power of this cultural icon in the psyche of the French people and indeed people beyond.

Murder, poison, corruption and incest: all perfect ingredients for sensational popular culture. But in an age known for its brutality and church corruption were the Borgias really so bad? This lecture reveals the real family that dominated the Papacy and Italian politics during the last decade of the 15th century: the charismatic figure of Pope Alexander VI, living inside his sumptuously decorated apartments, the career of his son, Cesare, cardinal, general, employer of Da Vinci and the model for Machiavelli’s The Prince, and the journey of Lucrezia Borgia from “the greatest whore in Rome” to a devout and treasured duchess of the city Ferrara. Sometimes truth is more intoxicating than myth.

Why is Leonardo’s famous cartoon in the National Gallery no joke? What is the purpose of a ‘spolvero’?  How much lead is there in a pencil? Which tree produces gall nut ink? And can you spot bracelet shading, cross-hatching, stippling or stumping?  

Drawing plays a key role in an artist’s training. The techniques are quick and immediate. It is a type of brain-storming: a way of sketching out ideas. But it can be also planning a composition, presenting an idea for a large project to a client, or purely a finished product in its own right. 

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, Art museums and Art societies. She has worked as a professional artist specialising in oil painting and etching. Solo and group shows have included the RWA, British Museum and the Barbican.

The Judgement of Paris is one of the most enduring stories in art. It featured on Greek vases from the 6th century BC and inspired painters from Lucas Cranach the Elder, to Botticelli and Rubens, through to Cezanne and Salvador Dali in the 20th century. The idea of a beauty contest of the goddesses Juno, Minerva and Venus judged by a mere mortal proved irresistible. We will look at the myth’s depiction down the ages and explore its implications, from pivotal precursor to the Trojan War, to a prime example of the “male gaze” and its use as a parable of the search for beauty.

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

MacDonald 'Max' Gill, younger brother of the sculptor and typographer Eric Gill, was an architect, graphic designer and letterer, best known for his pictorial maps, especially those for the London Underground. He also created painted maps for Arts & Crafts houses including Lindisfarne Castle, magnificent murals for Cunard liners, and eye-catching publicity posters for organisations such as the Empire Marketing Board. An enduring legacy is his alphabet for the Imperial War Graves Commission used on all British military headstones since the First World War.

The speaker has always been aware of her close family ties to the sculptor and typographer Eric Gill, a fascinating but controversial character. In 2006, however, a family history project drew her into an exploration of the life and work of his younger brother. MacDonald 'Max' Gill was an architect, mural painter and graphic artist, famed for his humorous pictorial map posters for London Underground and the alphabet he designed for the British military headstone. Although my main profession has been English teaching, I now spend much of my time researching the Gill brothers and championing the work of the lesser known of the pair.  She runs the MacDonald Gill website and is the author of MacDonald Gill: Charting a Life. 

This talk explores the central mystery embodied by the inimitability of Stradivari's violins by following some of his instruments from his workshop to the present day.

Two hundred and fifty years after Antonio Stradivari’s death, his violins and cellos remain the most highly prized instruments in the world. Loved by great musicians and capable of fetching fabulous sums when sold, their tone and beauty are legendary. Every subsequent violin-maker has tried to match them. Not one has succeeded. How can that be? 

Toby is an experienced lecturer and public speaker who has been accredited by The Arts Society since 2012. His career began with Natural Sciences at Cambridge and has been through investment banking, management consulting and five years as managing director of the publishing company founded by his grandfather, Faber and Faber, where he remains on the board. He is also non-executive Chairman of its sister company, Faber Music and a director of Liverpool University Press. Toby has written three narrative histories: Stradivarius – Five Violins, One Cello and a Genius; Faberge’s Eggs; and Faber & Faber – The Untold Story, as well as a novel, Close to the Edge. Of these, only the obvious one is published by the family firm.

How do you tell a fake from the real thing? With great difficulty! This talk relates fascinating stories from behind the scenes of the great art museums of the world. It delves into the complex histories and consummate skills of some of the infamous forgers of the art world who have cleverly and successfully fooled the experts. Despite cutting-edge modern technology and the expertise of art historians and connoisseurs, fake art works continue to circulate on the art market and even, occasionally, make their way into museum collections.

Georgina is an art historian specialising in South Asian art who has lived and worked in the UK, USA and Singapore. Her practice includes lecturing, writing, consulting and collecting and she has developed a network of gallery and artist connections in Europe, the USA and India, which she visits regularly.   Consultant Art Historian at the Oriental Club in London and an official tour guide at Tate Modern, Georgina is also a guest speaker on luxury cruise ships for whom she has developed a series of art talks relating to Asian and Pacific destinations. She has been a visiting lecturer at UK universities, presents talks at leading art institutions including Christie’s Education New York and the Museum of Modern Art, Moscow and speaks at international art conferences, most recently in New York, Paris and Lisbon. Georgina holds a BA in Art History from Southampton University, an MA in Arts Management and Policy from City, University of London and an MA in Art History from SOAS, University of London. Georgina is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Asiatic Society.

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

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

The source of the stuff of dreams, the poppy is a beautiful, fragile flower with immense power. Opium (from the greek ‘opion’ – poppy juice) is a hypnotic bringer of sleep, delightful lethargy and relief from pain. It is also highly addictive. Greed led to the introduction of this hugely desirable substance first to China, and then to Europe. The beguiling seduction of its effects led to its use to quieten troubled minds and calm agitated children and babies. Its use – often by those with troubled minds – led to the creation of great works of art in music, art and literature. Social and art history meet as this lecture unfolds.

Amanda Herries read Archaeology & Anthropology at Cambridge. 1978-1988 Curator at Museum of London specialising in the decorative arts 1718 to present day, exhibitions, lectures, booklets, broadcasts. 1988-1995 moved with family to Japan, lecturing and writing on Oriental / Western cross-cultural and artistic influences. 1995 returned to UK, fundraising for arts companies, writing, lecturing and guiding tours to Japan. Most recent publications on Japanese plant and garden influences in the West.

Launched over 100 years ago in 1921, Rupert has had three official artists and this is the story of each of them along with their creativity that made Rupert the longest standing daily strip thrilling generations with his antics. Much of the information in this lecture has recently been unearthed by Howard Smith and is a fascinating fully researched backstory of how Rupert was the product of a circulation war between the Daily Express and  the Daily Mail in 1919. What was the appeal of Rupert and also at the sometimes dark influences that folklore and early cautionary tales had in the adult storyline

Born during the Second World War, Howard was educated in Scotland and gained an MA from Trinity College, Dublin. In the 1960s he worked for UK and International advertising agencies before starting his own marketing and print company in Canterbury. 'Graphic Icons of the Twentieth Century' is the theme of two Study Days and related lectures by the retired graphic designer.  which are both nostalgic and entertaining. All lectures have trademark stunning illustrations and many contain vintage film clips. . 

Harry will be tracing the history of his profession with examples from early practitioners like Cruickshank and Hogarth, to more contemporary artists such as Giles and Schulz, bringing events right up to date with cartoons produced fresh on the page that day! Yes, Harry will be drawing live. Prepare to hear some tricks of his trade, learn where to put eyebrows for maximum effect and discover exactly what the eskimo brothers said in The Funniest Joke Ever (possibly).

Harry Venning is a cartoonist, comedy writer and performer based in Brighton. Harry’s cartoons have appeared in publications as diverse as Mathematics Today, Radio Times, Music Teacher and The Stage. For twenty five years he provided The Guardian with the weekly strip cartoon Clare In The Community, about an unaware and empathy free social worker. In 2004 he developed Clare In The Community into a successful BBC Radio 4 sitcom starring Sally Philipps which ran for twelve series. When not at a desk , Harry tours his cartoon workshop around schools, theatres, arts centres, cruise ships and festivals. He is an accredited lecturer with the UK Arts Society, an Honorary Fellow of the English/Creative Writing departments of Aberystwyth University, resident cartoonist with the Blue Hat team building organisation, UK Social Workers Union honorary ambassador, winner of a Sony Radio Award for Comedy and a former UK Strip Cartoonist Of The Year. He cannot draw hands or horses.

This lecture focuses on the design impact of the Great Exhibition and the need for a 'legacy institution' in the form of the South Kensington Museum. We look at the building as a work of art and explore the work of William Morris, Fredrick Lord Leighton and other influential designers of the Victorian Age.

Anna studied for her BA in History of Art & Italian at the University of Sussex and did an MA in Renaissance Decorative Arts & Design at the Royal College of Art.  Then she worked for 6 years as a curator in the Sculpture Department at the Victoria & Albert Museum as well as in smaller collections such as the Henry Moore Family Trust. 

As well as guiding she is an adjunct lecturer at Richmond The American International University in London where she teaches undergraduates The History of London. 

A light-hearted seasonal lecture for Christmas, describing what we actually know about the three kings – or rather what we don’t know. For a start we don’t know how many “kings” there were. Matthew's Gospel doesn’t tell us. We assume they were 3 because they brought 3 gifts. But why gold, frankincense and myrrh? Also, there’s no reason to suppose they were kings of anywhere. It took 500 years for them to be given names, even though we still don’t really know their gender – some of them might have been women. And since they gave away the timing of the birth of the baby Jesus to Herod the alleged baby slayer, we can reasonably assume they weren’t too clever – let alone wise!

Tony Rawlins was educated at Highgate School, starting his career in advertising in 1965 as a mail boy in J.Walter Thompson. He graduated through the training system there to become an account director and subsequently worked in a number of agencies before setting up on his own in 1985. There he handled primarily Guinness advertising in Africa and the Caribbean, where he produced many commercials and print ads for them over a period of 15 years. He remains active as a consultant in the industry, but more recently has concentrated on more philanthropic projects - producing a film in the rural villages of Nigeria for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and completing a sanitation project in Haiti after it was devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.   He has been a member of The Arts Society for many years and has been an accredited lecturer since 2017.

When the very first Chinese porcelains found their way to Europe, the beauty and fragility of the material led to their being mounted with precious metal and treasured alongside other rare and exotic objects such as ostrich eggs and rock crystal vessels. They were housed in cabinets of curiosities and exchanged as diplomatic gifts between great European rulers. 

Ms Jane Gardiner MA History of Art, University of London. Trained at the V&A and continues to lecture there. Was Senior Lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art for 17 years, becoming a Deputy Director of Sotheby's, UK. Has also lectured for the National Trust, the Art Fund, London University, Buckingham University, l'Institut d'Etudes Superieures des Arts in Paris, a private women's college in Saudi Arabia, on cruise ships and at antiques fairs and interior design conferences in America.

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

Tessa Boase is a freelance journalist, author, lecturer and campaigner with an interest in uncovering the stories of invisible women from the 19th and early 20th-centuries – revealing how they drove industry, propped up society and influenced politics. She’s the author of three books of social history: The Housekeeper’s Tale: The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House (2014); Etta Lemon: The Woman Who Saved the Birds (first published as Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather in 2018), and London’s Lost Department Stores: A Vanished World of Dazzle and Dreams (2022). Since uncovering the feminist origins of the RSPB, Tessa has been campaigning for public recognition of its female founders with plaques, portraits and a statue. 

Venice’s unique position brought the city into contact with the different powers of the Eastern Mediterranean including the Byzantine Empire, the Mamluks and the Ottomans. This lecture explores the ways in which these interactions left their mark on the artistic heritage of the city as can be seen in Venetian architecture, painting and the decorative arts. 

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

Isabella d’Este (1476-1530), Marchioness of Mantua, known to her contemporaries as ‘the world’s First Lady’, was one of the leading women of the Italian renaissance. She was stylish, cultivated, feisty and – in her own words – ‘hungry for art’. As a female patron in a male-dominated world, she is an exceptional figure: paintings by Mantegna decorated her study, she sat for her portrait by Leonardo da Vinci, scoured Italy for classical antiquities and stole a statue by Michelangelo from her Urbino in-laws. Drawing extensively on contemporary anecdote, this lecture looks at Isabella’s life, personality, predilections and peccadilloes, and of course at the masterpieces of art she owned.   

Ms Paula Nuttall. Specialist in Renaissance art, both Italian and northern European, on which she has published widely, notably From Flanders to Florence: the Impact of Netherlandish Painting 1400-1500 (Yale, 2004). Has collaborated on major exhibitions including Jan van Eyck: an Optical Revolution (Ghent, 2020). Former Director of the V&A Medieval and Renaissance Year course, and lecturer at – among others – the Courtauld Institute and the British Institute of Florence.

Between 1870 and 1914, at the height of America’s Gilded Age, no less than 454 heiresses exchanged their crisp, new American dollars, for musty, old European titles. Aside from the new lease of life now afforded to the previously cash-strapped aristocrats, the first task was to restore their crumbling, ancestral piles - many of which today are counted among the UK’s best-loved national treasures. But just who was taking advantage of who?

Mark Meredith is the founder of HouseHistree.com and lectures regularly in Europe and the United States, notably at the New-York Historical Society. After leaving Stowe School, Mark worked for twenty years as a plumber in London. However, his real passion has always been history, and he delights in 'telling a story,' not 'giving a lecture'. Packed with facts and laced throughout with humour, he takes a particular joy in bringing to life the stories behind the people that shape houses. His area of special interest lies inthe great American houses and American social history, from pre-revolution to the end of the Gilded Age. 

The Pre-Raphaelites are best known for their figure and religious paintings but they also produced some of the finest landscapes of the 19th century. I look at the landscape background in the famous paintings such as The Blind Girl and The Hireling Shepherd then I go on to look at those Pre-Raphaelite artists who painted mainly landscape such as John Brett, John Inchbold, William Boyce, John Bunney and Thomas Seddon. The images take us from Scotland, through England, France, Switzerland and Italy to the Holy Land. I look at Ruskin’s influence as well as that of photography and science. 

Studied History of Art at Cambridge. Formerly Senior Lecturer and Head of Department at Croydon College of Art. Publications include Venice - the Artist's Vision (1990, 1995), The Art of Diana Armfield RA (1995), Dictionary of Scottish Painters (1990, 1998, 2001, 4th edition 2010), A Hand to Obey the Demon's Eye (2000), Scottish Watercolours 1740-1940 (1986, 1991), A Private View - David Wolfers and the New Grafton Gallery (2002). Interviews artists for the Artist Magazine and is a member of the International Association of Art Critics and The Critics Circle. A practising artist, he was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1994 and appointed Keeper in 2010.

Gilbert and Sullivan are still the most popular double act on the English stage. Why is that? Where did their ideas come from? Why have they endured so well? Looking at their solo works it seems that Gilbert's literary brilliance and Sullivan's musical flair were not enough on their own –the genius lay in their combined talents. I’m joined by Arts Society lecturer John Snelson for this: I’ll be covering the words, John the music, and both of us will be drawing on a lifetime of watching, performing, and writing about the Savoy Operas. And, as with Gilbert and Sullivan, you’ll be getting two experts for the price of one...

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

At the turn of the twentieth century, the British Empire held sway over approximately one quarter of the total population of the world. British imperial power was projected through a variety of artistic mediums, from fine portraiture and grand imperial buildings to more popular forms of imagery. British artists also produced countless images of people from all over the globe who had become subjects of British rule. Through considering a variety of paintings, buildings and objects from across the Empire, this lecture provides a fascinating insight into the ways in which the British viewed themselves and their subjects in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

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

We are still living amongst the infrastructure created by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 19 th century. He changed the face of the English landscape with his ground-breaking projects including railways, bridges, tunnels, ships, and grand buildings such as the magnificent Paddington Station. He merged art with engineering and science and was a pioneer and a revolutionary. And he was brilliant. We'll look at the man, his background, his work, and his legacy.

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.

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. 

Sue Jackson started life in academic art and design publishing. She is 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.

Some of the untold stories and images of the Napoleonic Wars featuring Nelson's spy, enterprising women and the families left on shore.

Helen is a Fellow of the Centre for Maritime Historical Studies at the University of Exeter, where she gained her PhD. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a trustee of the ss Great Britain. She has published extensively on 19th century sail, women in the maritime world, and in 2015, in a departure from her usual maritime theme, published a well received biography of a WW2 fighter ace. She is currently working on a series of books on Isambard Brunel's shipping ventures. Her lecturing experience is wide and she is a speaker onboard all three Cunard ships. She has appeared on radio and television, and is a regular maritime expert for programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are? She is based in Cornwall.

So many of our historical references for musical instruments can be found in works of art. Not only can these windows into the past show us what the instruments looked like but also the social context in which they would have been played. Music and different instruments also play a strong role within symbolism in art. Sophie explores the instruments in selected works and then gives live demonstrations on replicas of the instruments depicted.

Sophie is a musician well-known for her prowess on the English border bagpipes and has become one of the foremost players of the instrument in the UK. She also plays a variety of early woodwind instruments such as shawm, rauschpfeife, crumhorm and recorder. She’s also one of a handful of British players of the baroque musette, an 18th century French bagpipe similar to the Northumbrian smallpipes.

When not touring with GreenMatthews, Sophie also makes instruments (she made her own baroque oboe) and works with respected luthier Tony Millyard on his flutes. Sophie is self-taught on all of her instruments.

Bishop Auckland was put on the map as an exciting northern epicentre of Spanish studies by the hedge-fund millionaire, Jonathan Ruffer, in 2010, when he saved for the nation the Bishop's Palace and the great series of Spanish 17th century paintings of Jacob and his Twelve Sons, painted by Francisco de Zurbarán, from being sold by the Church of England.  Regeneration is well underway with various projects. A Spanish gallery in a former school and bank in Bishop Auckland is due to open soon, and will house an exciting collection of Spanish Golden Age paintings from El Greco onwards, as well as loans from prestigious Spanish museums, and an academic centre linked with Durham University. A taste of Spain in northern England.

Gail Turner is an 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.

Throughout the ages Women in Japan have been revered as goddesses and deities, elegant courtesans, poets and writers, activists and valiant samurai wives; today’s women are equally as varied in their outlook, careers, style and innovation in fashion, from the current empress to cosplay girls in Harajuku

An independent researcher and historian specialising in Japanese History, Art & Culture, and founded Japan Interlink in 1995 to promote the understanding of Japan in the UK. Suzanne studied Nihonga traditional Japanese painting at Nagoya University of Arts and gained a certificate there, and reached Level 3 in Japanese Language at the Japan Foundation in London.

Suzanne has lectured to a wide range of institutions including universities, museums and adult education groups in the UK and overseas. She taught Japanese History & Culture at Richmond American International University in London for over ten years, lectures for the Arts of Asia course at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, for the British Museum and London Institute Universities, the University of Cape Town, and University of Brighton Art & Design School;  has given lecture tours for DARTS in South Africa, AADFAS in Australia and for The Arts Societies in Europe (Spain, Germany, Malta, Belgium). Suzanne has organized exhibitions of Japanese arts and crafts including Kimono exhibitions for demonstration and display.

Suzanne has published articles on Japanese culture and contemporary living for various magazines, and published her first book in 2016 titled: Bridges: Anglo-Japanese Cultural Pioneers 1945-2015. She is working on her second book on Japanese craftspeople in Kyoto, and visits Japan regularly to continue her research.

Forks and salt-cellars, Bacchus and the Garden of Eden, medieval banquets, Mrs Beeton and coffee-houses - through the centuries, food and its rituals have provided a vibrant opportunity for artists to celebrate, to analyse their world and even to develop complex ideas of morality. At the heart of the home, a shared fascination with food not only provides the perfect opportunity to flaunt money and status through elaborate artefacts, but also illustrates shifting fashions and styles of eating. In painting and sculpture, religion, mythology and social traditions are rich in themes of food and shared meals, from still-lives to the Last Supper. This lecture examines the changing significance of food and feasting and its symbolism for faith, wealth and even gender, through objects and images.

Nicole studied at the Universities of Sussex, York and Paris before becoming Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University, Belfast, where she established the Department of Art History and worked extensively with adult students on part-time degrees and Open Learning programmes. Nicole is currently a freelance lecturer for The Arts Society, the National Museum of Northern Ireland, Queen’s University and the National Trust.  Her publications focus on adult education and the arts. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Commissioned by the Bishop of Bayeux who fought at Hastings, executed by skilled English craftsmen, the Bayeux Tapestry is the last survivor of a vanished art form. Rupert Willoughby presents a lively introduction to the tapestry – so much more than the story of Hastings – in which he unravels some of its mysteries, places it in the context of its age and firmly establishes it as a landmark in the history of Western art. With its lively illustrations of languid, party-loving, moustachioed Englishmen, of the cavalcades of noble huntsmen and of the snorting Norman cavalry poised to charge into battle, the Tapestry is the next best thing to a moving picture from the time. 

Rupert Willoughby is an historian and Classicist, a poet, a father and a wild swimmer with a passion for castles, lakes and uncovering the layers of the past. A graduate with First Class Honours in History from the University of London (where he immersed himself in the ‘Byzantine’, or medieval Greek Empire), he is the author of the best-selling Life in Medieval England for Pitkin, and of a series of popular histories of places, including Chawton: Jane Austen’s Village, and the whimsical, yet scholarly Basingstoke and its Contribution to World Culture. Rupert also contributes regular obituaries to The Daily Telegraph. Accredited to the Arts Society since 2011, he is an experienced lecturer, who is known for his light, humorous touch, his love of narrative and his vivid evocations of the past. Rupert’s forefathers were Vikings and his foremothers were Tatars.

The fame of the Queen of Sheba has lasted across the many intervening centuries since she made the epic journey from her distant land to the court of King Solomon. A passage in the Bible’s Book of Kings has immortalised this Queen and the journey that she made, her camel caravan laden with gold and incense as gifts for the king of Jerusalem. In this talk Louise looks at how the Queen of Sheba has captured the imagination of great artists, inspired epic films and has led archaeologists to go in search of her land – a search that has led to discoveries of great temples, tombs and treasures in both the Yemen and Ethiopia.

Louise Schofield is an archaeologist who was Curator of Greek Bronze Age and Geometric Antiquities at the British Museum from 1987-2000. Her book, The Mycenaeans, was co-published by the Getty Museum and the British Museum in 2007. She now writes, lectures and runs international archaeological projects - previously in south-eastern Turkey, Greece and Albania and currently in Ethiopia. And rather wonderfully she has just been appointed Visiting Professor of Archaeology at the American University of Rome.

Louise worked in Ethiopia since 2006, directing archaeological, conservation and development projects in that extraordinary country. Her current archaeological site – in Tigray province, northeastern Ethiopia – is a temple, probably dedicated to a moon god and dating to the fifth century BC – a time when this area of Ethiopia formed part of the kingdom of Sheba. Excavations undertaken there in 2015 and 2016 have uncovered a rich cemetery which includes an extraordinary burial of a 2000 year-old Ethiopian ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

The history of truly American painting is often said to begin with WWII. Yet, the Hudson River School started portraying upstate New York when the Erie Canal made travel there possible. They followed the frontier westward with the Louisiana Purchase, developing an original style, Luminism, to depict the sublime wilderness. Their back-lit panoramic vistas stretched canvases in scroll-like dimensions. In fact, Song dynasty ink painting comes the closest to this first NY school. The second one - called the Stieglitz circle - opened the 20th century with straight photography, modern cityscapes, pure abstraction and Dada at the cutting edge of contemporary art. It was already the third New York School that was founded in the 1940s with oversized yet intimate abstract canvases. Their encrypted landscape was, in fact, a natural continuation of the others. As Barnett Newman declared: “The Sublime is Now”.

Deborah Jenner is an American-born art historian; a member of the College Arts Association. Residing in Paris since 1990, she has worked at the Ecole du Louvre, the Sorbonne, the Catholic Institute and the British Council. Her Doctorate thesis proved non-western influences in Georgia O’Keeffe’s art. Her publications include catalogue essays for Musée d’Orsay (New York City et l’Art modern) and Centre Pompidou (Les Traces du Sacré), scholarly papers with the research laboratory S.A.R.I. and Gallery critiques in ArtAsiaPacific, and PerformArts: Artvisuel-Artvivant. She gives public talks, guided walks and museum tours for ex-pat organizations and study-abroad programs and volunteers as an Al Gore Climate leader and JCF Round Table coordinator. 

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

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

Have you had this experience? You go to a gallery, an exhibition and are stopped dead by an unknown picture: you look at the label and find you have never heard of the artist. How does it come about that there can be such wonderful painters of whom we have never heard? This lecture will consider some of the many reasons for a good artist’s obscurity, from the brevity of his life to the misfortune of his being born and working in the shadow of a larger reputation, such as Leonardo or Rembrandt. But above all it is an excuse to spend an hour gorging on beautiful paintings, finding hidden treasures.

Chantal Brotherton has a 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.

Seville was the medieval capital of both the Almohad Muslims and the resurgent Catholic Kings. The spectacular Alcazar palace and gardens, built over many centuries, contain traces of early Almohad palace architecture in the Patio del Yesso. Later, in the 14th Century, the Christian King Pedro I built his palace there, in the Moorish style known as Mudejar, just after Muhammad V, the deposed Sultan of Granada, spent three years in exile at Pedro’s court.

Renaissance and baroque additions were built following the reconquest of Spain by the ‘Catholic Kings’, Ferdinand and Isabella. The extensive adjoining gardens are amongst the most beautiful you will find anywhere in Spain, and feature as the ‘Water Gardens of Dorne’ in the Game of Thrones tv series.

Josh Cockburn is an art historian with a BA (Birkbeck College) and an MA (Courtauld Institute of Art) in medieval Spanish art history. Specialist in the nearly 800 years of Moorish occupation and Christian reconquest of medieval Iberia. 

Founder and director of an art tours company, specialising in guided cultural tours in Spain, plus lecturing in London at institutions such as the V&A, SOAS, Christies Education, and the London Art History Society. Formerly a Chartered Accountant and senior manager in multi-national IT companies, with extensive public-speaking experience.

This lecture offers an introduction to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam: the collection, the building, its history and the recent 10-year renovation that brought back the splendour of architect Pierre Cuypers' original neo-gothic decorations. The collection of the Rijksmuseum includes works by Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh as well as medieval art, jewellery, musical instruments, Asian art and even an FK 23 Bantam plane from 1918. It also has Rembrandt's famous Night Watch - but only on loan! All this and much more about the most famous museum in the Netherlands.

Spohie Oosterwijk was born in Gouda (Netherlands). Has an MA and PhD in English Literature (Leiden), an MA in Medieval Studies (York) and a PhD in Art History (Leicester). Has taught at the universities of St Andrews, Leicester and Manchester, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, National Trust, V&A, U3A, WEA and other organisations, and organised many study days, tours and visits. Also a regular lecturer for Cambridge University and travel companies, and Honorary Research Fellow with the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews. 

Following in the footsteps of the world’s most famous dreamer and knight-errant, DON quixote this lecture traces his parallel life in the visual arts, where he was variously ridiculed, pitied and revered. The journey will take in the sumptuous tapestry designs of French Academy director Charles Coypel, and their parodies of classical masterpieces.  It will examine how Don Quixote helped to fuel a new school of English painting in the work of Hogarth and his circle; and how he became a hero to Daumier and Doré in the Romantic era. The final episode will show Cervantes’ fantasist hero inspiring the imagery of Picasso‘s Guernica – and shaping the “Quixotic” character of the archetypal modern artist.

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

For many people, Kashmir conjures up a beautiful valley surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, for others it is a land of conflict. But what is less well known is that it has been of historic artistic importance for nearly 2000 years. This lecture introduces the astonishing diversity of arts and crafts produced in this tiny area, influenced by Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic cultures. It explores Buddhist sculptures, Hindu temples, great Islamic gardens, paintings, calligraphy, Moghul carpets and Kashmir shawls. Despite its troubled history, Kashmir has fostered a unique environment of artistic diversity and religious co-existence.

Zara Fleming is a freelance lecturer, art consultant and exhibition curator specialising in the art and culture of Tibet, the Himalayan areas and Mongolia. Initially based at the V&A, but also worked with the Central Asian Department of Bonn University, the Orient Foundation, the Royal Academy, Tibet House, the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside and Asia House.

Lynne Gibson gives talks, lectures, courses and guided tours to a wide range of organisations around the UK and abroad, including ARCA colleges, art galleries and museums, art societies, the Art Fund, the National Trust and The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS).

She also contribute educational material and gallery talks to exhibitions organised by institutions including The National Gallery, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, The Whitworth Art Gallery and The Lady Lever Art Gallery.

Her lecturing experience includes art history courses for Bristol and Sussex Universities, university life-long learning summer schools in art history and painting, teaching in schools and sixth form colleges, and painting, drawing and printmaking courses in art colleges.

Whilst she has prioritised art history over recent years, she has worked professionally as an etcher and a painter in oils. Solo and group exhibitions have included the RWA, the British Museum, the Guild Gallery in Bristol and London's Barbican. Work is held in private and public collections and has been used in a range of publications, including newspapers, periodicals and for book covers.

Herfirst degree was in Fine Art and Education, and an MA in 'Language, The Arts and Education' led by Professor Peter Abbs (both The University of Sussex). Her interests always have encompassed art history, theory and art making.

The conventional discipline of art history, with its specialization in periods and artist's oeuvres, did not appeal her, sheI found it too limiting. Rather, how we view, understand and enjoy art in its stylistic, historical and social context is her overriding concern.

Leni Riefenstahl was undoubtedly one of the most creative women of the twentieth century. From her early days dancing on Berlin’s stages, to becoming an actress and then producing her own films that attracted Hitler - she was always difficult and uncompromising in what she wanted to achieve. Her iconic films of the 1934 Nuremburg Nazi rally and the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were exceptional using techniques that were way ahead of their time and still used in documentaries today!

After the war she was ostracised and faced three Nazi tribunals - being cleared by all of them. She then went to live with a remote African tribe filming stunning documentaries. At 87 she learnt to scuba dive and filmed coral reefs. Over her hundred years, her legacy is fascinating, exciting, unbelievable and brought to life in this lecture, with many films clips, photographs and ephemera.

Howard  Smith was born rn during the Second World War,  educated in Scotland and

gained an MA from Trinity College, Dublin. In the 1960s he worked for UK

and International advertising agencies before starting his own marketing

and print company in Canterbury. 

During the Gilded Age the historic port of Newport, Rhode Island, was often

referred to as the ‘Queen of Resorts’ or ‘New York By The Sea’. In the

summer season, the wealthy elite of New York city relocated to their

mansions or ‘cottages’ in Newport to enjoy cooler air and its many leisure

and cultural activities. Earlier commentators such as Henry James satirised

the ‘social wars’ of old versus new money, and selectively focussed on

women as vain social climbers. We will view this through a very different

lens – one of huge generational change when daughters demand the right

to vote for all women, to dine together, to play tennis in radical new

sportswear, to sail a boat solo, or even to bathe on a private beach without

stockings!  Daring plans hatched in Newport one summer, lead to the

founding of the first women only club in Manhattan. The role of fashion and

social status in this radically changing environment is critical. We will take a

carriage ride along Bellevue Avenue, visit the social centre – the Tennis

Casino by celebrity architect Stanford White, also the glorious ballroom

overlooking the cliffs at Rosecliff mansion, designed by him for Tessa

Oelrichs (location for the 1973 Great Gatsby film). John Singer Sargent

was a frequent visitor to Newport. His international friendships and

correspondence will throw light on the links between artists, designers,

patrons and collectors in Paris, London and New York.

Mary Alexander has 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. Mary is an

enthusiastic member and President of The Arts Society Glaven Valley.

Henry VIII can be considered the founder of the Royal Collection. Sparked

by his rivalry with Francois I of France, all his palaces were furnished

lavishly with paintings and tapestries. He used the splendour of the arts to

enhance his own personal image. This lecture places the pieces into the

timescale of his life and lets us understand why certain works were

produced when they were and how the king was viewed within his own

time.

Linda Collins is a Lecturer for Historic Royal Palaces and the National Trust, and a freelance lecturer  for the Tate and  National Gallery, London. She is also an independent lecture organiser, and a member of the Association of Art Historians. Currently President of The Arts Society, Harpenden Area

Iran has a sophisticated cultural heritage ignored in the headlines. The main part of the lecture illustrates the development of the spectacular architecture in the mosques and palaces of Persia through the Islamic period, with an emphasis on their brilliant tilework and painting, including the splendid buildings of Shah Abbas' early 17th century Isfahan. Persia’s classic gardens are mentioned, and beautiful examples of manuscript illustration (‘miniatures’) are included. The lecture explains how the Shi'a form of Islam originated and became the ruling creed in the late 20th century Iran of Ayatollah Khomeini. This puts the contemporary politics in the context of the country's fascinating cultural history.

John Osborne graduated in Classics at Cambridge University. Then he taught Classics at Marlborough College for over thirty years and also worked for the British Council in Iran and Turkey, and lectures in Islamic Civilisation. Alos a Tutor at the Marlborough College Summer School and a lecturer at the Department of Continuing Education, University of Bath. A guide at Salisbury Cathedral. He lecturer on cruises and leader of numerous study tours to Bulgaria, Romania, Iran, and Turkey and other countries in S.E. Europe and the Mediterranean. Has led lecture tours of Australia (twice) and New Zealand.

The modern fashion for colour has left us all rather 'tone blind'. However, the property of light was vital to much Church art: stained glass, mosaics and gold ground panel paintings. 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 will explore a wide range of paintings from across the history of Western Art as well as some fascinating optical illusions to discover artists' tricks of the light.

For the past ten years Lynn Gibson has worked as an independent art historian with a busy freelance schedule. She gives talks, lectures, courses and guided tours to a wide range of organisations around the UK and abroad, including ARCA colleges, art galleries and museums, art societies, the Art Fund, the National Trust and The Arts SocietyI also contribute educational material and gallery talks to exhibitions organised by institutions including The National Gallery, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, The Whitworth Art Gallery and The Lady Lever Art Gallery.

Whilst she has prioritised art history over recent years, previously she worked professionally as an etcher and a painter in oils. Her first degree was in Fine Art and Education, followed by a MA  in 'Language, The Arts and Education'. Her interests always have encompassed art history, theory and art making.

We live in an increasingly visual environment. Images are all round us, not just in art galleries and museums but from the media and the world in general. But how well and how accurately do we interpret our visual world? When we view an image we make two assumptions: first, that what we see is what others see and second that what we see is the way it is! Both of these assumptions can easily be shown to be wrong! This lecture explains how we can improve our perception and appreciation of what we choose to look at.

Today it is self-evident that we live in an increasingly visual environment. Images are all around us, not just in art galleries and museums but from the media and the world in general. But how well and how accurately do we interpret our visual world. A fundamental part of becoming visually literate is the skill of ‘reading pictures’ and like any other skill it needs to be learned and practised. What stories are told in this picture? When we view an image we make two assumptions: first that what we see is what others see and second that what we see is the way it is, or put another way ‘the truth’. Both of these assumptions can clearly be shown to be wrong! This talk will demonstrate how easily we can be deceived by what we think we see. It will suggest how we can become more visually literate by learning to ‘read pictures’ and as a consequence enhance our enjoyment.

John Ericson was a lecturer at the University of Bath  with responsibility for the professional development of teachers. He has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant and this has given him the opportunity to give lectures and presentations at conferences all over the world.

Over the last decade he has been a popular speaker on the Arts Society circuit in the UK and Europe as well as a frequent visitor to the societies in Australia and New Zealand.

In his professional life he has developed a particular interest in presentation skills including the role of pictures in learning and the appropriate use of PowerPoint. 

My time spent in Iran and Afghanistan during the 1970s, began to foster a passion for the wonderful woven art produced by nomads on basic ground looms. My subsequent visits were spent travelling and searching amongst nomadic tribes for these exquisite 19th century weavings, which have become harder to find and have now virtually disappeared amongst the tribes themselves.

This lecture illustrates the woven art of the nomads as they moved over the lands they have travelled for generations. The audience will have the opportunity of seeing their way of life and looking at the 19th century rugs and utilitarian weavings, similar to those which I discovered during my forays into the different tribal territories.

Brian Macdonald has been dealing in antique and old tribal rugs, dowry weavings and decorative carpets from the Near East and Central Asia since 1979. From 1972-1977 he lived and worked in Iran, spending the best part of a year amongst two tribal groups, the Afshar of Kerman province and the Qashqa’i of Fars, making me fortunate enough to be one of the few world dealers to have spent time ‘in the field’.

I also travelled extensively throughout Afghanistan and Turkey and in 1990 I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for my work amongst the Persian Tribes.

Since 1986, I have been a lecturer for The Arts Society and for 16 years I owned Samarkand Galleries in Stow-on-the-Wold. The third edition of my book, 'Tribal Rugs: Treasures of the Black Tent', was reprinted in August 2017 and has been extensively updated.

This lecture is a look at backstage life at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the pressures faced by performers, be they singer, dancer, conductor or musician.  We see how the building copes with the demands of modern productions and examine audience expectations both inside the theatre and out. We also look at some of the highs and try to understand some of the lows that have been the fortune of this world-class performing venue over the years. Includes several performance video clips.

Nigel Bates has been a performer for more than forty years in and out of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, including seventeen years as Principal Percussionist with the Orchestra and eight years as the Music Administrator of The Royal Ballet.

 He has worked with many of the leading figures in the classical music industry and was also a producer for both the BBC's Maestro at the Opera and Pappano's Classical Voices documentary series. He is a regular contributor to the printed and online content of the ROH.

He has given lectures for over thirty years, including many arts societies and conservatoires in the UK and across Australia.

The rise in importance of writing furniture from the 16th to the 18th centuries reflected the economic as well as social need for greater literacy and numeracy as mercantile trade developed across the globe.   This lecture traces the development of the bureau-bookcase and other writing furniture from the humble  “writing slope” or “Bible-box” through to  magnificent symbols of status and power – just think of Louis XV’s desk in Versailles, or it’s replica in London’s  Wallace Collection. Computers may have “hidden files” but lack the intrigue and mechanical craftsmanship of secret drawers and compartments, which this lecture will reveal.

While studying for his first degree, Janusz worked part time in an antiques shop which he came to take over as proprietor. Such was his interest in collecting that he became known as the dealer who bought but seldom sold.

His lectures seek to explain furniture in terms of the skills and materials employed in its design and construction and also its socio-economic significance. He has lectured on antique furniture since 1975. His website gives more details of his very varied porfolio of lectures and his activities, see his website for more information,   https://januszspeaking.com

For nearly 800 years from 711 the Iberian peninsula was dominated by Arab civilization. Great Moorish architectural gems such as the Mezquita in Cordoba, and the Alhambra in Granada, were built. The Giralda and the Alcazar in Seville, re-built for a Christian king, are also Moorish in design. The interchanges between Moors and re-conquering Christians are vital to an understanding of the diversity of Spanish culture. 

Gail read Modern History at Oxford, and then studied for an MA in the History of European Art at the Courtauld Institute. Her first job was at Tate Britain, and she then worked for the Arts Council, Christie's and at the Courtauld Institute. Marriage to a foreign correspondent brought travel and a variety of working experiences. In the early 1990’s while bringing up a young family and beginning her lecturing career in England, Gail studied for a Diploma of Fine Art at Colchester School of Art. Gail had always painted and drawn..

Gail was recently honoured with the Encomienda de Isabel la Católica, by HM the King of Spain, for promoting Spanish art and culture through lectures and study tours 

The Arnolfini portrait, painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434 is one of the world’s most famous paintings. This new lecture unlocks the mysteries of this painting. Who are the people in this sumptuous renaissance living room? Is the woman in green pregnant or hoping for a child? Is this a painting of a wedding or a memorial to a beloved wife? Do the oranges on the window sill and the curious convex mirror have symbolic meanings or are they status symbols showing the wealth of an Italian merchant? The lecture also explores the artistic techniques of the elusive painter Jan van Eyck. The lecture will take you beneath the layers of paint to the artist’s preparatory drawings and you may be surprised to discover what the artist planned and what he added as an afterthought.

Anna Bianco is a freelance curator, writer, lecturer, tour guide and art historian. She has been an accredited lecturer of The Arts Society for 11 years. She has a BA History of Art and an MA in Curating from the Courtauld Institute of Art. She has curated exhibitions and displays at The Wallace Collection, The British Museum, The Embankment Galleries and The Southwark Art Collection. She was also Senior Curator for Faith at Auckland Castle in County Durham. She has been a guest lecturer for Christies Education, Durham University, London College of Communication and the Open University. She has also been a tour guide for Context Travel across London. 

She focuses her work on the medieval and renaissance periods but Anna takes most enjoyment from helping everyone to discover the stories behind art works and museum objects. She is currently in the process of researching and writing her first book. 

Inspired by the Royal Academy’s 2008/2009 ‘Byzantium Exhibition’ this lecture will reveal the diverse richness of the decorative arts of Byzantium. The aim is to trace the fascinating story of the Byzantine Empire, which flourished for over a thousand years, through the art of the period. Mosaics, ivory carvings, enamels, holy relics, silverware and icons are just some of the ‘wonderful things' to be examined and discussed. Along the way the audience will encounter all manner of characters from emperors, empresses, Roman matrons, virgins and whores through a variety of art works from fourth-century buried treasure to tenth-century ‘porn’ – all with the ability to bring this colourful world back to life.

Helen Rufus-Ward is an Art Historian with a BA, MA and a doctorate (DPhil) from the University of Sussex, who has published on Late Antique and Byzantine ivory carvings and 19th century plaster cast collecting. Since 2007 she has worked at Sussex as an associate tutor delivering regular lectures. An experienced speaker who has delivered lectures at many universities and art institutions, such as the Wallace Collection and the Society of Antiquaries of London.

For thousands of years the mystery of the Golden Section has inspired thinkers from all disciplines - artists and architects, mathematicians and musicians. Discover the secrets of its sacred geometry and beauty within creations from the classical to contemporary.

Alexandra Epps is an Official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Guildhall Art Gallery and elsewhere. She is also a  Qualified Guide to the City of London, offering lectures and walks about many aspects of the arts for societies, corporations and private individuals.  Co-author of the book  'Lord Major's Portraits 1983-2014' . Her background is in design having practised as a graphic designer running her own design consultancy for many years and she has a BA from Saint Martins School of Art and a MA from the London College of Printing.

Aristocrat, politician, rake and revolutionary: William Cavendish, 4th Earl and 1st Duke of Devonshire, is certainly one of the more colourful of seventeenth-century noblemen. So wicked was he, that an Italian visitor to Restoration England described him as ‘the most dissolute man in London’. Yet Cavendish is also remembered as one of the great saviours of English civil liberties, part of a small group of aristocrats who overthrew James II and brought William of Orange and constitutional monarchy to the throne. In addition, he remodelled his Elizabethan family seat and transformed it into one of our greatest country houses and a monument to his success, Chatsworth in Derbyshire. So this is a lecture about depravity, politics and fine architecture, as we look at Cavendish’s morals, his political redemption and his wonderful house and gardens: truly, ‘a Palace for a Prince’.

Dr Gillian White specialises in the history and visual arts of late medieval and sixteenth-century England. After beginning her career at the Warwickshire Museum, she then worked for the National Trust as Curator/Collections Manager at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, about which she wrote her PhD at Warwick University. Since that she taught part-time at Leicester University in the Centre for the Study of the Country House and continues to teach History of Art in the Department of Continuing Education at Oxford University and elsewhere.

On the basis of sensational new evidence from the archaeological fieldwork, Neil Faulkner will contrast the legend of Lawrence of Arabia with the true story of what happened in the famous desert war of 1916-18.Is the legend a myth? Was Lawrence, as some claim, a liar and a chartalan? Or does the legend reflect reality? Was he, in fact, a brilliant military commander and a sincere advocate of the Arab national cause?

In addition, Neil will review the numerous well-preserved archaeological remains of the conflict, mainly along the line of the former Hijaz Railway; these remains have been the subject of a ten year programme of field research led by Neil and his close colleague Professor Nick Saunders.

Neil Faulkner is an archeologist, historian, and writer. Educated at King's College, Cambridge and the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, he works as a freelance lecturer, editor, excavator and occasional
broadcaster. He also lectures widely in rchaeology, ancient history, classical civilisation, modern history and current affairs. Editor of Military History Monthly and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of
London. He is the author of countless articles, numerous academic papers and many books. He is also director of several archaeological projects including one in north -west Norfolk ( Anglo - Saxon village) and the Great Arab Revolt Project in Southern Jordan.

Like LS Lowry, oil painter and watercolourist Edward Seago ( 1910 -1974 ) was immensely popular but overlooked by the critics; today the best of his landscapes look fantastic, while his life story is full of interest . A prolific author, he overcame a childhood illness before running away with the circus. Seago is much loved by other artists and in this lecture we will explore  a number of his paintings, looking at
his choice of design, colour and technique. James Russell is the author of ‘Edward Seago’, the definitive account of the artist's life
and work, published by Lund Humphries in 2014.

James Russell studied History at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and then enjoyed a lengthy stint selling contemporary paintings and sculpture
in Santa Fe, New Mexico, an experience which inspired him to begin writing and lecturing on 20th century art.
Of his dozen or so books, one was a Sunday Times book of the year, while his writing has been described by critics as 'insightful', 'informative ' and 'enjoyably readable'. The curator of two major
exhibitions at The Dulwich Picture Gallery, he has lectured across Britain and beyond.

The Philippines has a rich and well developed fine art tradition, introduced in the 18th century by the Spanish Jesuits to develop religious imagery for the devout, and propaganda  for the not-so-devout.  In the 19th century, Filipino artists found success in the Salons of Europe, a direct result of access to the formal art education in the new art schools in The Philippines. American colonisation at the turn of the century led to a hybrid modernisation in their artistic culture in the 20th century. It has resulted in
some of the most exciting contemporary art in Southeast Asia today.

Vivienne Lawes is a lecturer, writer and curator, who has specialised in the visual arts field for over twenty years. She works at several prestigious Higher Education institutions, leading the History of Decorative Style ( c1400- 1970) at  the City and Guilds of London Art  School and the Modern &
Contemporary Unit of the Asian Art & Its Markets Unit semester course at Sotheby's Institute. She also lectures at the Insitut d'Etudes Superieures des Arts, (IESA) London and is the Senior UK Consultant for One Asia, a Singapore based art gallery and education centre. Her current
project is a book on themes in equine sculpture, commissioned by the Sladmore Gallery, London.

The Mozart family resided in London in 1764/1765 during which time the eight year old Wolfgang Amadeus amazed the royal guests of George 111 and performed musical tricks in taverns. This time is described with surprising images of 18th century Chelsea & of Mozart’s earliest musical handwriting.  Dr Griffiths illustrates his talk at the piano to inform and entertain both the experienced concert – goer and the musical new-comer in equal measure. 

Graham Griffiths is a lecturer, conductor, pianist and composer. A music Research Fellow at the City University of London, he gives lectures, concerts and makes recordings. An editor, 'Stravinsky in Context' (Cambridge, 2018) and also an author and contributor to numerous publications. Guest appearances at the St Petersburg International Conservatoire Festivals. 

 IMOGEN CORRIGAN who after nearly 20 years in the British Army, went to the University of Kent to study Anglo-Saxon and Medieval History and Art, graduating with 1st class honours, followed by a MPhil from the University of Birmingham.   Imogen Corrigan has written:  Stone on Stone: the Men who built the Cathedrals, published 2019.

As this is our first Zoom enabled lecture, apologies for the limited information and lack of a relvent picture

Manga are Japanese comic books that tell stories predominantly through the use of image.  Can the origin of Manga be traced back to the medieval Emaki picture scrolls?
The scroll format was the standard method for transcribing documents in East Asia from ancient times. This lecture considers how the origin of the visual language now commonly used in contemporary Japanese Manga and anime may well be the medieval picture scrolls.

Dr Arichi teaches History of Japanese Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London as a Teaching Fellow since 2007. She completed a PhD (2003) for her thesis on Shinto-Buddhist syncretic Art at SOAS having worked at Christies in London from 1989 to 1993. She has run courses at major institutions in London, led tours to
Japan and lectured on cruises.

For thousands of years the mystery of the Golden Section has inspired thinkers - artists and architects, mathematicians and musicians.
Discover the secrets of its sacred geometry and beauty within creations from classical to contemporary.

Alexandra Epps is an official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Guildhall Art Gallery. She is also a Pallant House Gallery lecturer, City Lit Institute Art History tutor and a Co-author of the book Lord Mayors’ Portraits 1983-2014.
BA from Saint Martin's School of Art and an MA from the London College of Printing.

 

On the basis of sensational new evidence from the archaeological fieldwork, Neil Faulkner will contrast the legend of Lawrence of Arabia with the true story of what happened in the famous desert war of 1916-18.Is the legend a myth? Was Lawrence, as some claim, a liar and a chartalan? Or does the legend reflect reality? Was he, in fact, a brilliant military commander and a sincere advocate of the Arab national cause?

In addition, Neil will review the numerous well-preserved archaeological remains of the conflict, mainly along the line of the former Hijaz Railway; these remains have been the subject of a ten year programme of field research led by Neil and his close colleague Professor Nick Saunders.

Neil Faulkner is an archeologist, historian, and writer. Educated at King's College, Cambridge and the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, he works as a freelance lecturer, editor, excavator and occasional
broadcaster. He also lectures widely in rchaeology, ancient history, classical civilisation, modern history and current affairs. Editor of Military History Monthly and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of
London. He is the author of countless articles, numerous academic papers and many books. He is also director of several archaeological projects including one in north -west Norfolk ( Anglo - Saxon village) and the Great Arab Revolt Project in Southern Jordan.

On the basis of sensational new evidence from the archaeological fieldwork, Neil Faulkner will contrast the legend of Lawrence of Arabia with the true story of what happened in the famous desert war of 1916-18.Is the legend a myth? Was Lawrence, as some claim, a liar and a chartalan? Or does the legend reflect reality? Was he, in fact, a brilliant military commander and a sincere advocate of the Arab national cause?

In addition, Neil will review the numerous well-preserved archaeological remains of the conflict, mainly along the line of the former Hijaz Railway; these remains have been the subject of a ten year programme of field research led by Neil and his close colleague Professor Nick Saunders.

Neil Faulkner is an archeologist, historian, and writer. Educated at King's College, Cambridge and the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, he works as a freelance lecturer, editor, excavator and occasional
broadcaster. He also lectures widely in rchaeology, ancient history, classical civilisation, modern history and current affairs. Editor of Military History Monthly and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of
London. He is the author of countless articles, numerous academic papers and many books. He is also director of several archaeological projects including one in north -west Norfolk ( Anglo - Saxon village) and the Great Arab Revolt Project in Southern Jordan.

Linking China with the shores of the Mediterranean World, and on to Rome, the Silk Road was once the most important trade route in the ancient world. No other highway is as laden with romance and adventure as this, over its 8000km, crossing some of the most spectacular and inaccessible regions of Asia. 

The story of the exotic and mysterious "Cross Roads" of Asia is filled with adventures and surprises.This lecture focuses on the archaeological discoveries of the 20th century from ancient Bactria, at the crossroads of central Asia (modern Afghanistan), including the Tillya Tepe gold hoard from Begram (the ancient Alexandria of the Caucasus).

Hannie Sutcliffe, lectures extensively to museums, art and historical societies, and is an Arts Society and Art Fund lecturer. She has been the guide, lecturer and researcher on sixteen tours to China.

This lecture traces the history of Faber and Faber through its illustrations, covers and designs. It features artists from Rex Whistler and Barnett Freedman to Peter Blake and Damien Hirst and design concepts from the typographical excellence pioneered by Berthold Wolpe to the various 'grids' used by the agency Pentagon. The talk is peppered with personal insights and anecdotes from  his five years as Managing Director of the company.

Toby Faber has written two works of narrative history, Stradivarius, and Faberge's Eggs, and given lectures associated with these two subjects in the UK and the USA. His career began with Natural Sciences at Cambridge and he is now on the board of Faber & Faber the publishing house which was founded by his grandfather. He continues lecturing, travelling widely.

Only Matthew and Luke describe the birth of Christ and the circumstances leading up to it, and they give few details. Over many centuries the limited information in the Gospels has been expanded into a rich blend of legend and fact. This lecture will explain how the wise men became kings, the symbolism associated with their gifts, why the stable is always in ruins and more.

The theme of Christmas, taking us from the Annunciation to the Adoration of the Shepherds and of the Three Kings, has inspired some of the greatest and most moving works of art ever created.  

Valerie Woodgate is a lecturer and guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, also at many other London Galleries and for various art organisations. Former member of the teaching team at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Lecturer to The Arts Society throughout Britain, and to related organisations in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Lectures and runs courses at the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.

The Bauhaus, the 20th century’s greatest school of art, architecture and design was founded in 1919 in Weimar, Germany.  

After World War 1, artists and architects were in a state of flux, just like the world they inhibited. How would they create and what would they produce in a Europe still reeling from the worst conflict ever known?  Yet out of crisis came a truly stimulating period of artistic endeavour. This talk looks at the interwar years of German speaking Europe, contemplating painters such as Marx Beckman and Otto Dix, alongside the experiments of the Bauhaus, new film technologies and the sultry stylings of Marlene Dietrich.

Gavin Plumley is a writer and broadcaster on both BBC3 and BBC4 radio, and a contributor to The Independent on Sunday and The Guardian. He lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries, at the National Gallery, the British Museum, the V&A, the Southbank Centre, the Tate and the Neue Galerie, New York.

This lecture will be followed by our Annual Buffet Lunch - application form is available within the Documents section - booking is now open

Italian gardens, from the Emperor Hadrian‘s 2nd century garden in Tivoli onwards, provided inspiration and building materials for generations of architects and garden makers. The Renaissance saw an explosion of garden making, principally around the new villas being built firstly outside Florence and later around Rome. The English passion for Italy grew from the end of 18th century & throughout the 19th century. The lecture will explore this development, including the gardens created for American and English clients of Cecil Pinsent.

 Reading  list available ( Programme Secretary)

James Bolton is Faculty Director, Design History at The Inchbald School of Design.  An Arts Society lecturer since 1995, he also presents garden study days and organises tours in the UK, Italy, France and South Africa.  Published Garden Mania (2000), a book on garden ornaments.  

Joshua Reynold ‘s  portrait of Omai became an emblematic and iconic image representing Britain at the very height of its imperial powers. This lecture will explore when two worlds collided, Omai’s origins in Tahiti, and his motivation to come to England and English society, and his interaction therein.

 A look at what this portrait can tell us about 18th century English society, its perception or preconception of “Others” or non-white Europeans. Finally it considers the legacy of the image we call Omai, which has become an enigma in its own right.   

Reading list available (please see the Programme Secretary)

Leslie Primo studied Art History and Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London. He has been visiting Lecturer in Art History at Reading University. He now gives lectures at The City Literary Institute, plus special talks and guided tours at both the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery.  He has presented a series of talks at the National Maritime Museum and the Courtauld  Institute.   

The Age of Jazz

One hundred years ago a group of American musicians docked in London, bringing with them for the very first time one of the Twentieth Century's most important musical genres: jazz.

The talk touches on the disparate influences which lay behind the emergence of jazz. Sandy's musical illustrations range from the
blues, ragtime, and the very earliest jazz recordings to classics by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, and the dawn of the Swing Era. 

Sandy Burnett
He 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 musical director at the National Theatre, RSC and in London's West End, he then spent a decade as a
core member of the Radio 3 team of presenters. He was author of ‘The Idler Guide to Classical Music’, and is also a highly sought after double bassist on the London jazz scene. He was appointed The Academy of Ancient Music's Hogwood Fellow for the 2018-2019 season.

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

Professor of Architectural  Theory.  Former editor of Architects Journal, he contributes to magazines worldwide. Books: Thinking About Architecture, Key Houses of the Twentieth Century, The Prefab Home, High Tech Architecture and monographs on the work of Foster, Hopkins and Grimshaw.

The New Cumberland Art Gallery occupies a restored suite of rooms designed by William Kent for a Georgian prince. After two years of meticulous research, Kent’s Cumberland Suite has been returned as closely as possible to his original scheme. Through this lecture we shall discover a selection of masterpieces by renowned artists who worked for, or were collected by four centuries of Royal patrons. 

Linda Collins is a lecturer for Historic Royal Palaces and the National Trust. Freelance lecturer Tate Modern & National Gallery, London. Independent  lecture  organiser. Member of the Association of Art Historians.  

The Guggenheim family managed to amass extraordinary art collections, and to design or acquire astounding buildings to display their art, their name even becoming a brand. This lecture examines the celebrated museums in New York, Venice and Bilbao, as well as their many stunning works.

Andrew Hopkins was previously Assistant Director of the British School at Rome from 1998-2002 and, since 2004, Associate Professor at the University of L’Aquila. He is an internationally recognised authority on architecture and cities. Having worked in museums such as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and cultural institutions such as the Getty in Los Angeles, he has a specific interest in museum buildings, their founders, collections and architects. Amongst his many publications are Italian Architecture from Michelangelo to Borromini (2002) and Baldassare Longhena and Venetian Baroque Architecture (2012)   

Over the centuries the Livery Companies of the City of London have accumulated treasures which represent their craft and reveal their history. Despite the ravages of fire and warfare, challenges to their monopolies and disappearance of certain trades, 42 have survived or have been rebuilt. In addition 31 modern companies have been formed since 1945. A variety of rare and curious items reveal the stories behind some of the world’s oldest crafts and guilds.

Joanna Mabbutt is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers and Freeman of the City of London. Originally a trained singer and pianist, she is now a decorative artist and spends her time as a designer/maker, lecturer and tutor for specialists groups.

This lecture will examine the eccentric and visionary world of one of the most creative and imaginative British painters of the 20th century.  Cookham, his birthplace, was for him an earthly paradise and the setting for many of his great religious works. Despite the failure of his two marriages, he continued to believe in the power of love and some of his most important works were inspired by his feelings for the two women whom he married. Paintings influenced by his military service in WW1 concentrate on hope and redemption rather than on suffering, and reveal a similar optimism.

Valerie Woodgate is a lecturer and guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, and also at many other London Galleries and for various art organisations. A former member of the teaching team at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Lecturer to The Arts Society throughout Britain, and to related organisations in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Lectures and runs courses at the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.

Early Christians celebrated Christmas whilst the ancient Romans were feasting and partying for their pagan Saturnalia festival.

This talk will show that present giving, holly and even party-hats all have origins in this 2000 year old party

Gillian Hovell is an awarding winning writer and author who specialises in relating the ancient world to our modern lives, in the field, on line, in a number of publications and in the media. She teaches adult education courses in Latin, Archaeology and Ancient History.

For thousands of years the mystery of the Golden Section has inspired thinkers - artists and architects, mathematicians and musicians.
Discover the secrets of its sacred geometry and beauty within creations from classical to contemporary.

Alexandra Epps is an official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Guildhall Art Gallery. She is also a Pallant House Gallery lecturer, City Lit Institute Art History tutor and a Co-author of the book Lord Mayors’ Portraits 1983-2014.
BA from Saint Martin's School of Art and an MA from the London College of Printing.

This lecture will be preseded by our AGM at 10.30am, and followed by the members Annual Lunch.

John Gay's The Beggar's Opera become London's longest-running theatrical hit when first produced in 1728, and it was performed every year for the rest of the 18th century. A revival at the Lyric Hammersmith in 1920 again broke theatrical records. It is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today. The show's appeal and influence will be examined not only visually but by incorporating high quality recorded music.

Jeremy Barlow is a musical performer and writer. Two recent books include 'The Enraged Musician: Hogarth's  Musical Imagery' and 'The Cat and the Fiddle: Images of Musical Humour from the Middle Ages to Modern Times '
He has contributed more than 150 entries to the 'Oxford Companion to Shakespeare'. His many CDs include the complete 'Beggar's Opera' (Hyperion) which received an Edison award.

It is some 200 years since the purchase of the so-called 'Elgin Marbles' from Lord Elgin, by the British Parliament. Dr Kershaw will explore the aesthetics, the back-story, and the heated debates surrounding these controversial works of Ancient Greek art:

What do we mean by the ‘Elgin Marbles'?

Why are they so highly regarded?

Why are they now in the British Museum?

And why are there such passionately held views both for and against their repatriation to Greece?

As a Classics Tutor for Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education, Professor of History of Art for the European Studies Programme of Rhodes College and The University of the South, Dr Kershaw has spent much of the last thirty years travelling extensively in the world of the Greeks and Romans, both physically and intellectually. He has published a number of books on these civilizations.

During the Italian Renaissance the staircase as an architectural feature underwent a massive change in status, moving from a utilitarian device to be concealed out of sight, to the focal point of the building and a huge architectural statement. This lecture will explore the emergence of the spiral staircase, the notable architects, and examples from Italy and nearer home. 

Dr Pearson holds a PhD in Architectural History from Reading University and a MA in World Art Studies from the University of East Anglia. She lectured for ten years at both these universities and now works as a freelance lecturer. She has published articles and contributed to a book on the architect Francesco di Giorgio and is currently researching for a further publication.

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

Gavin Plumley is a writer and broadcaster on both BBC 3 and BBC 4 radio, and a contributor to The Independent on Sunday and The Guardian. He lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries, at the National Gallery, the British Museum, the V&A, the Southbank Centre, the Tate and the Neue Galerie, New York.

From the early Kosovan silver mines which are mentioned in Dante, through the twentieth century politics about Kosovo's mines which resulted in both a war and a golf course, a silver thread winds through Kosovo's history. Its most intricate tanglings are in the country's cultural capital, Prizen, where a seventh generation of filigree artisans create designs from dull sticks of the raw material.
The results - in boxes, jewellery, religious ornamentation and talismans of superstition - are a fine narrative of Kosovo's history and traditions.

Elizabeth Gowing studied at Magdalen College, Oxford before training as a teacher and working in London. She moved to Kovoso in 2006 and worked with the Ethnological Museum in Prishtina and co-founded 'The Ideas Partnership', a charity working on education and cultural heritage projects. She speaks fluent Albanian, has translated two books, and is also the author of four books about Kovoso and a regular contributor to Radio 4 ( Saturday Live, Excess Baggage, From Our Own Correspondent) and the BBC World Service.

Leonardo stated that the hand could be as expressive as the face and acknowledged that the structure and function of the hand was the organ through which an artist expresses himself. This talk reviews the way in which Leonardo investigated the form and function of the hand. His paintings and narrative art are reviewed to demonstrate how he used this knowledge to depict the hand as a form of expression.
 

Guy Rooker comes to lecturing from the world of science in general and surgery in particular. As a retired surgeon he describes himself as having a lifelong interest in, and a fascination and admiration for the work of Leonardo da Vinci and the remarkable contribution he has made to both the world of art and the investigation of scientific concepts.

Bansky - Who is he?

How does one define what he does?

Is it art?  Or Street Art?  Or Graffiti?

Since he hit the headlines in 1997, Banksy has retained his anonymity, yet his 'stencil' images, paintings and installations continue to appear.
Successful exhibitions have been held in America and Bristol. The outsider had become the insider ...on his terms!
In 2014 his artwork was projected onto Nelson's Column and simultaneously in venues around the world to draw attention to Syria's plight.

Pamela Halford is currently a freelance lecturer who lectures variously to Universities, the National Gallery, the English Speaking Union, and the Bath Literature Festival. 
She previously worked as a lecturer and then a researcher, scriptwriter and director at the BBC and is a past Chairman and President of the Bristol DFAS.

Seduction has been one of the enduring themes of art since Eve offered Adam an apple. Courtly love blossomed in manuscripts and miniatures of the Middle Ages, and the Italian Renaissance offered painters an Olympian cast of amorous gods and goddesses. Puritanical Dutch and prudish Victorians tutted over the loose morals of fallen women. Rococo artists revelled in the flirtatious fun of Fetes Galantes. But in our permissive society has 'The Battle of the Sexes' killed the spirit of romance?

Lynne Gibson now works as a freelance lecturer in the History of Art, Critical and Contextual Studies, as well as in practical drawing, printing and printmaking. For many years she lectured for the Universities of Sussex and Bristol where she introduced 'Understanding Art' to the Lifelong Learning programme and to residential summer schools. Currently she gives talks and guided tours to institutions including ARCA colleges, the National Trust, National Gallery and Art Societies. A professional artist, she has exhibited in solo and group shows, including at the RWA, British Museum and the Barbican.

Mr Punch is 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 Century Commedia Del’Arte tradition.

Bertie Pearce is a Member of The Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star, and has performed all over the world. His ‘Soiree Fantastique’ Show at The Magic Circle was a sell out as was his “All Aboard  – The Comedy of Cruising” at The Bridewell Theatre in London. He is widely sought after for close up magic and cabarets for private parties and fundraisers. In 2003 he was awarded the Carlton Comedy Award by the Magic Circle and twice won the award for Originality from The International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Bertie is a Professor of Punch and Judy and is passionate about the history of this fascinating and enduring tradition 

James Gillray was the natural successor to William Hogarth but represented, in his cutting and cruel caricatures, everything about satirical prints that Hogarth despised. Uncompromising and fearless Gillray tore into both politicians and the royal family. Yet, full of contradictions, that did not stop him pursuing a staunchly patriotic stance during the French Revolution. He died, insane, in 1815 and his reputation in the Victorian climate of moralistic righteousness plummeted. It is only now that he can be seen as the forefather of Spitting Image and the cartoons of Gerald Scarfe and Steve Bell although none of these quite matches the wit and vitriol of Gillray.

Ian Keable read PPE at Oxford, qualified as an accountant, then became a professional magician. He wrote and presented a Radio 4 documentary on mind readers and is currently performing in The Secret World of Charles Dickens. A collector of 18th/ 19th century books, posters and prints relating to magic and hoaxes, Ian has lectured widely.

The talk will be preceded by the AGM.  

The 1950s and 1960 were glittering eras in Italian couture, with titled designers showcasing clothes of exquisite elegance. This lecture explores the cultural backdrop to Italian design, ranging from opera, masquerades and the Commedia del Arte, to the glamour of the silver screen. Mirrored palace interiors and the traditions of Renaissance and Baroque silk weaving, architecture and sculpture all provided a context to couture, and this lecture considers how couture was brought to a mass market

Ann Howarth is a lecturer at the V&A and a guide for private tours of the State Rooms and The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace. She also lectures on British Painting for American students resident in London. In 2002 she catalogued the Chinese porcelain collection at Kensington Palace.  Prior to that she lived in Shanghai, where she lectured to expatriate groups. From 1981 to 1995, she was a senior ceramics specialist at Christie’s and Bonhams

Picasso is one of the most famous and controversial figures of the 20th century. Even today his work triggers mixed and often violent reactions from art lovers. This lecture aims to calm those fears. It follows his early career from his childhood in Spain, where his unique talent was first recognized, to the garrets and back streets of Paris, where the poetic and wistful images of the Blue Period were transformed into the daring experiments with form and structure that became known as Cubism.  It examines the ideas and hopes that he nurtured, the friends and influences he met along the way, the technical problems he overcame and the single minded determination that enabled him to break every rule of painting, alter the course of modern art and yet remain a classical painter in the long tradition of western art. 

Douglas Skeggs is an art historian, artist, television presenter, and lecturer on painting techniques, as well as the author of several art crime mysteries. He studied art with expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka in Switzerland, after receiving a Masters’ Degree in Fine Arts at Cambridge University. In addition to his novels, he has also written on Monet’s paintings of the river Seine; indeed, a painting by Monet was the subject of his first mystery novel, The Estuary Pilgrim.

Bronzes from Ife and Benin are considered among the most advanced cultural treasures of Africa. The Benin Bronzes are a group of more than a thousand commemorative metal plaques that decorated the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom in what is modern day Nigeria. Collectively, the Bronzes form the best known examples of Benin art, created by the Edo people from the thirteenth century. In 1897, most of the plaques were removed by the British during an expedition to the area, and many were taken to the British Museum where a large number can be found today. Other notable collections are in Germany and the United States

Richard Thomas read Ancient History and Archaeology at Birmingham University, where he gained a PhD. In 2010 he was appointed Senior Lecturer and elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. In 2013 he became Chair of the Association for Environmental Archaeology 

Jan Van Eyck  - 1390 to 1441 – was an Early Netherlandish painter active in Bruges and one of the most significant Northern Renaissance artists of the 15th Century. He painted both secular and religious subject matter, including commissioned portraits, donor portraits and both large and portable altarpieces. He worked on panels, either as single panels, diptych, triptychs or polyptychs. He was highly influential and his techniques and style were quickly adopted and refined by later generations of Netherlandish painters.

The Rt Rev Christopher Herbert was ordained in 1967, becoming Assistant Curate at St Paul’s, Tupsley, Hereford. He was later appointed an Honorary Canon of Guildford Cathedral before becoming Archdeacon of Dorking in 1990. In 1995 Herbert was appointed Bishop of St Albans, and during his tenure he was awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. He also gained his PhD from the University of Leicester in 2008. He retired from St Albans in 2009.