Detailed Programme of Lectures 2022-2023
NEXT LECTURE
18th
January 2023
Lecturer: Jackie Klein
A Picture a Day - Peggy Guggenheim and the birth of
mid-century modernism
How did socialite and muse Peggy Guggenheim became one of the greatest collectors in the history of modern art? Friends with the leading cultural figures of her day, including Cecil Beaton, Jean Cocteau, Barbara Hepworth and Scott Fitzgerald, she was photographed by Man Ray, took advice from Marcel Duchamp and married – among others – the artist Max Ernst. She moved easily between the social elites of New York and the bohemia of Paris. So why did she start collecting contemporary art in the 1930s? What impact did her galleries have on artists and the art world? And how did a New York heiress play such a pivotal role in the making of mid-century Modernism?
Remainder of the 2023 lectures
15th February 2023
Lecturer: Simon Whitehouse
A Haaaand-Baaag? The Importance of Being Oscar (& Earnest)
In this talk we look at Oscar’s great
literary successes, beginning with The Picture of Dorian
Gray in 1890 followed by 4 smash hit plays in 3 years. We
focus especially on The Importance of Being Earnest.
Described as ‘A Trivial Comedy for Serious People’, it was
of its time and yet ahead of its time, satirising the
shallowness and superficiality of upper class Victorian
society. The play has hidden secrets - and this glittering
triumph heralded the beginning of the author’s fatal final
act… 2025 marks the 130th anniversary of the premiere of The
Importance of Being Earnest.
15th March 2023
Lecturer: Chloe Sayer
British Travellers in Mexico, Lost Cities and Surreal Worlds
With its mosaic of cultures, Mexico has
long been a magnet for British travellers. In the nineteenth
century, the 'lost' rainforest cities of the Maya were
revealed by artist Frederick Catherwood and archaeologist
Alfred Percival Maudslay. Eminent twentieth-century literary
visitors included D. H. Lawrence and Graham Greene. Mexico
holds an especial fascination for Surrealists. Edward James
created a vast sculpture garden in subtropical rainforest.
After a spell in an asylum, painter Leonora Carrington found
freedom in Mexico. In our century, Martin Parr’s photographs
focus on street culture, while Zandra Rhodes’ fashions echo
the vibrant colours and patterns of modern Mexico.
19th April
Lecturer: Cindy Polemis
Picasso’s Year of Wonders
A journey through one of the most
remarkable years of Pablo Picasso’s extraordinary career.
Picasso turned 50 in the autumn of 1931 and in the summer of
1932 he had his first major retrospective. He had achieved
fame and success and was already an international celebrity
but he was determined to prove he could still be daring and
innovative. Highlighting key works throughout that year,
this talk explores the man and artist in all his complexity.
17th May
Lecturer: Roger Mendham
The Art of the Automobile
The earliest cars were purely functional
and lacked even the most basic of passenger comforts, such
as doors or even windscreens to protect passengers from the
elements. However, progress was rapid and by the mid-1920s
we entered a golden age of the automobile. The Art Deco
movement influenced designs and the ‘Great Gatsby era’
included some of the most famous and fabulous cars ever
built. Then the cars of the 1930s and 40s were influenced by
the Streamline Moderne style. This talk covers some of the
most beautiful cars ever built, from the earliest ‘horseless
carriages’ to the supercars of the 21st century.
21st June
Lecturer: Briony Hudson
An Art to Cure
Medical practitioners, their treatments
and the diseases they were tackling were all portrayed in
caricatures of the 18th and 19th century. Taking some of the
best examples from British collections, created by artists
including William Hogarth, James Gillray and Thomas
Rowlandson, this lecture examines the depiction of
apothecaries, pharmacists, quack medicines and illnesses in
the period. Come prepared to laugh and wince in equal
measure.
19th July
Lecturer: Sophie Matthews
Music in Art
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 they looked
like but also the social context in which they would have
been played. Music and 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 them.
For the complete years programme click
here