Featured Image Attribute George Peter Alexander Healy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons   Description of Lecture The talk comprises a practical, step-by-step guide to the conservation of paintings through the ages.  It starts with a brief history of the preparation of panels and canvases and illustrates the different approaches and techniques involved in their conservation.  […]

The Attribute 'Marley's Ghost. Ebenezer Scrooge visited by a ghost' by John Leech, Public domain via wikimedia commons. Description of Lecture We've told supernatural tales at midwinter for a very long time. In this talk Kirsty Hartsiotis takes us back to the earliest winter tales of the Middle Ages and the age of Shakespeare and […]

Featured Image Attribute Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Gallery. Painting by David Teniers the Younger. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Description of Lecture A fascinating time-line talk focusing on why we collect and how our predilection for collecting has evolved through history, illustrated with examples from the great historical collectors and illuminated with objects from […]

Featured Image Attribute Miniature by Pierart dou Tielt illustrating the Tractatus quartus bu Gilles li Muisit (Tournai, c. 1353). The people of Tournai bury victims of the Black Death. ms. 13076 - 13077 fol. 24v. Description of Lecture "The Dregs of the People Remain": the Black Death and its Aftermath: its impact on the people, […]

Featured Image Attribute poster art from "La Belle Epoque", via wikimedia commons Description of Lecture This lecture on the Poster relates the technical innovation combined with the creative genius and remarkable craftsmanship that enabled the Poster to become the world’s first effective method of mass communication. From ‘Les Chats’ by Edouard Manet to ‘Saxoleine’ by […]

Featured Image Attribute Hieronymus Bosch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Description of Lecture Hieronymus Bosch’s (c.1455-1516) nightmarish monsters and demons, his bizarre allegories, and the amorous exploits in his Garden of Earthly Delights have intrigued viewers for centuries. Little is known about this remarkable painter, although it has been claimed that he was a member […]

Featured Image Attribute Image tube, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Description of Lecture Antoni Gaudí is well known and much loved. In this lecture, his work will be explored in detail. It will be shown how he engaged with nature in the most innovative and extraordinary ways. Inspired by honeycombs and spiders' webs, armadillo […]

Featured Image Attribute "Graham Horn / Horse and Rider by Elisabeth Fink"> Description of Lecture This lecture examines the work of one of the outstanding figures of 20th century sculpture, an artist who achieved an international reputation for her monumental works depicting the human figure, birds and other animals. Sadly she died in her early 60s but, […]

Featured Image Attribute Johannes Vermeer, the concert, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Description of Lecture The role of music and musical instruments in both life and art of the Dutch Golden Age.  This talk comes with musical excerpts which illustrate particular instruments shown in paintings. Based on a popular exhibition at the National Gallery by the same title some years […]