The Alhambra of Grenada, the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alcazar of Seville are the three most impressive monuments to the architectural creativity of the Moors in Spain, but there are many other examples worthy of mention too.  The classical origins that influenced the Moorish style are less well-known, but fascinating to explore, as is the unique interior decorative style developed by the Moors, which gives their architecture its beauty and exotic appeal – an appeal so strong that…

The Picturesque was the final phase of the English Landscape Movement. Capability Brown’s serpentine curves, smooth lawns and clumps of trees were now considered insipid and dull by a generation with an enthusiasm for untamed nature and rugged wildness The aim was always to engender a pleasurable frisson of fear. Repton knew that this was all very well as theory, but his clients actually required practicality and, above all, beauty. Wildness was gradually tamed to become the formal gardens of…

The Nutcracker ballet has delighted audiences at Christmas for many decades yet it was deemed a failure at its initial performances. Based upon the current Royal Ballet production by Sir Peter Wright, this lecture takes a close look at how this well-loved ballet now takes its rightful place on stage and how the music of Tchaikovsky along with story-telling, design, dance and a little bit of stage ingenuity all come together to make the most magical escape for young and…

Hans Holbein the Younger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons   Hans Holbein brought with him from mainland Europe to England both sophistication and skill, with far reaching consequences for this island's artistic development. His Ambassadors is one of the National Gallery of London’s greatest treasures, dating from a tradition in the arts when no object was without meaning and symbolism, practically all of which has been lost to the modern observer. This lecture considers the tempestuous circumstances of its creation…

In Greek legend, Pandora was created with the express purpose of causing trouble to men which, by opening her box, she achieved. This lecture looks at the original sources for the story, draws parallels with both Eve in Genesis and Galatea in Ovid before showing how ballets, operas and plays from Coppelia to My Fair Lady and The Winter’s Tale to Educating Rita have developed the theme of a creation that runs out of control. Lecturer: Mary Sharp Mary is…

Avant-garde painter, designer, decorator, inspired colourist, mother and muse, Vanessa Bell was the warm heart of the Bloomsbury Group, once described by Dorothy Parker as “living in squares and loving in triangles”. This has perhaps lessened the fame of her work: this lecture asks the question - was Vanessa Bell the painter as radical as her sister, the writer Virginia Woolf? Lecturer: Julia Musgrave Julia Musgrave got her first degree in Chemical Engineering and went on to become a Chartered…

The 'poor little rich girl' who changed the face of twentieth century art. Not only was Peggy Guggenheim ahead of her time but she was also the woman who helped define it. She discovered and nurtured a new generation of artists producing a new kind of art. Through collecting not only art but also the artists themselves, her life was as radical as her collection. Lecturer: Alexandra Epps BA MA Official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and…

Unfortunately we have to cancel this lecture at the request of the lecturer. We are working hard to replace it. As soon as we have a new lecture confirmed the details will appear here.