Raymond, born in Australia, studied in Sydney, Cologne and London and has performed with many orchestras both here and abroad. He has had many publications too and is an acclaimed writer, conductor and broadcaster. He is Emeritus Professor of Music at The R.A.M London.

Britain along with Germany, Italy and USA, has been the birth place of many of the worlds greatist singers. This lecture will bring out the back

grounds, often humble, and difficult paths negotiated by many of our greatest opera singers in the defining of British vocal music making.

We will examine the career paths of many of our leading singers from the 19C and 20C.

Laurie has over 35 years in the diamond industry. She is a graduate, amongst others, of De Beers Institute of Diamonds. Laurie is a graduate of

both diamonds and pearls. Laurie's knowledge has seen her at the Cannes Film Festivals, lecturer on cruise liners and creating bespoke

commissions for the Royal Family.

Laurie takes us on a journey to the seabed in the hunt for the natural pearl. The Golden Age of natural pearling transformed Abu Dhabi and

Bahrain. Natural pearls were the prize gem of the world - but it was too good to last.

James is a research lecturer specialising in Nordic arts. His talks now focus on understanding art through its historic, cultural and political context.

His own career, after a 1st Class Degree at Oxford and various changes he became a managing director of the international side of Rothchilds in

the Nordic Region. He went on to take an MA on Scandinavian studies.

In 19C Denmark lost territory and importance encouraged landscape painting to be used to re-imagine a new smaller Denmark. In particular

paintings of Jutland and the talk concentrates on the Golden Age of artists such as Eckersberg and others and the shifts to the Skagen School

of painters. To those unfamiliar with Danish art, these works will prove a revelation.

Antonia is presently the Palace of Blenheim Social Historian and Researcher. She curates many exhibitions at the Palace including A Passion for Fashion - 300 Years of Blenheim Style - the title of her latest book. She has spoken widely on many aspects of Blenheim, including to the Oxford and Cheltenham Literary Festivals. This lecture is an entertaining look at the lives and loves of the ladies of the Marlborough family. It goes on to redress the balance and looks at the achievements of some of the women.

Charles has been a distinguished lecturer at the Arts Society with extensive experience of bringing advertising and art to audiences. His

lectures offer insights into persuasive power of art and history, and his special expertise is on the Louisina Purchase and its impact on

19C American art.

In 1803 America acquired all the land from the Mississippi to the Rockies. The behaviour of the misfits who settled there was defined as

'Cowboy Attitude'. From Daniel Boone, Mark Twain and others westward expansion has been at the centre of arts in the USA and continues today.

Gabriel took up lecturing in 2015 building his interests from his career as a social researcher and policy analyst.  He focuses mainly on realist paintings, especially from different periods and styles.

The Wanderers was a movement of painters and others who rebelled against the constraints of art in the Russian Empire, including Ukraine in the 1870s. They sought to depict the real life of the population, beginning under Alexander II. They dominated the scene for the rest of the 19C. Between them they showed the peasantry and rising middle classes, parallel with Impressionism but focused more on social comment.

Lucy is a cultural historian and her book on Gabriele d' Annuzio was described as 'the biography of the decade'. Other books include on the theatre and visual arts and she was chosen as Chair of the Judges for the 2021 Booker Prize.

This lecture shows the Royalist landowners returning in 1660 with Charles II, bringing new tastes in gardening design, especially from the Low Countries. Lucy will show late Stuart designs and pictures showing the lovely designs by Dutch and Flemish artists.

This lecture looks at the evolution of the Hollywood Musical from the sound revolution of 1929 through the golden yearsand reveals the emergence of a genine American art form. It includes excerts from 42nd Street and an American in Paris.

Tony started his career at J. Walter Thompson and finally set up his own agency. He is still a consultant but now concentrates on more philanthropic projects.

This fun talk is centred on a sing song with the guitar and some of the stories behind carols and some of the more modern Christmas songs.

Aaron is a scientist at the University of Cambridge, a palaeontologist and has worked in France, Germany and the Far East. This lecture will explore the history of the London University quarter, Bloomsberry, from thediscoveries of the first steam engines to the first Anaesthetic.

We will also look at the architecture of the London Colleges.

This talk tells the story of the women who've embraced the art of the gothic in their writings; from Mary Shelley and the Bronte sisters, to Daphne du Maurier and Susan Hill. We'll discover how the gothic tradition influences their work and explore how women writers have been thrilling their readers for over 200 years.

Lois is amongst other appointments, a visiting lecturer at the Courtauld Institute and has worked at the V&A and the Royal Academy. She is also a keen violinist.

This very unusual look at the Orpheus and Eurydice story will explore the wealth of art and music on the theme with an array of paintings and musical examples.

Amongst other appointments Anne is a lecturer at the V&A and the Queen’s Gallery. She trained in ceramics and has much world-wide experience on the subject.

This story of Meissen has August, Elector of Saxony at its source and his desire for the ‘white gold’ of the Orient. We follow the secret development of this porcelain and how it leads to to the embodiment of the spirit of the baroque and rococo periods.

Denise is an author, lecturer, photographer and journalist.

She is a scholar of Southeast Asian Art and lectures at numerous universaties and organisations. She also leads tours to SE Asia.

She brings to us Raffles, whose name is associated with a luxury hotel and enlarges to show his discoveries and the founding of Singapore and it’s architectural style inspired by his vision.

Alan has a History of Arts degree and is a gallery guide at Tate Britain, presently, having been at the National Portrait Gallery and Dulwich.

This talk is a detailed account of perhaps Stanhope-Forbe’s most famous painting, one of the originalcanvasses of the Newlyn School.

Pamela has over thirty years of experience lecturing to universities, adult groups and to friends and patrons of the Royal Academy.

This talk celebrates the centenary of the Paris Expo of 1925, what drew the crowds and how this seminal exhibition played a fundamental role in giving rise to Art Deco.

John is an engineer by training and spent much of his working life in the City of London. Among others, he advises The National Trust.

His talk will show the genius of Byzantine architecture and the birth of Romanesque in Western Europe, from 300-1000 AD approximately.

It is richly illustrated and explores how Romanesque came to Britain with the Norman Conquest.

Dr Jones started professional life as a musician in the Army and retired as Senior Director of Music, Household Division, Coldstream Guards.

He now enjoys a second career as a guest conductor, speaker and lecturer. This lecture will show the effects colonisation has played on the music culture of the Caribbean and how each island has it’s own complex rhythm patterns and styles.

Richard combines acting, writing and lecturing which includes National Army Museum and Museum of London. This lecture explores Niven’s remarkable career with his enduring place in public affection.

We hear about David’s huge range of acting career from his many wartime roles to his actual appointment to Lt. Eisenhower’s staff.

Caroline Walker has been very involved in bringing to the fore the illustrations and wit of Max Gill and this lecture combines that with Eleanor Farjeon's delightful collection of Nursery Rhymes of London Town. "There is an Old Lady in Threadneedle Street, sits threading of needles so deft and so neat." Published in 1916, Farjeon's rhymes about Highgate, Hammersmith, and Richmond etc were a great success. Comic illustrations accompanying the Nursery Rhymes also played a huge note in the book's success. We hear about the poetry and anecdotes interwoven about the Farjeon family, Max Gill and Eleanor's poignant reminiscences about the poet Edward Thomas.

Christopher Bradley is a professional tour guide in the Middle East and Asia. He has written extensively on Arabia, the Silk Road, Cairo and the Nile. He is also a photographer and has lectured to the Royal Geographic Society and made documentaries for the BBC. His lecture on the Art and history of coffee tells us that at the beginning all coffee trade was from Mokha, Yemen. Brought to Europe and first to English coffee houses by 1650's. By 1700 there were 500 in London. They became frequented by artists, politicians and intelligentsia and were used for debating many ideas. We go on to see coffee through art nouveau etc and of course French impressionism.

Roger Askew was a chorister at Wells Cathedral and a choral scholar at Magdalen, Oxford. He went into teaching, and, after further degrees in music, was director of music at Daniel Stewart's and Melville College, Edinburgh. He retired to the south in 2003. His lecture on Gustav Holst starts with The Planets and then roams into Holst's other much neglected music. He was an unconventional man, vegetarian, Director of Music at a girls' school, and, embraced Hindu Philosophy. He believed music should be available to all, and championed amateur musicians. After Planets he dedicated himself to vocal and choral music, incorporating English folk music. Richly illustrated with musical examples.

Brian Stater was a lecturer at UCL for many years, his principal interest lay in an appreciation of architecture and he has had a lifelong enthusiasm of photography. He seeks to entertain as well as inform his audience. Christopher Wren, Norman Foster, Inigo Jones et al, all outstanding architects started with modest buildings, from which we gain only glimpses of their futures. This lecture traces little known stories behind the great men of architecture and their first beginnings in building and how they stand today.

Patrick Conner has been keeper of Fine Art at the Royal Pavilion, director of the Martyn Gregory Gallery and is an author of several books. His lecture unfolds the history of tea from a reference by Lu Yu c. 780 to 1750 by which time tea was China's principal export to Britain, valued as a remedy for many things. But what would China accept in trade, only opium found a ready market. Following the Opium War 1839-42, Hong Kong was ceded to Britain and developed in dramatic fashion. Illustrated with many Chinese and Western Paintings.

Ian Keable trained as an accountant and then became a magician. He now lectures and researches on wide ranging 18/19C historical subjects. James Gillray succeeded Willaim Hogarth as a satirist of the 18C. He took no prisoners of those he lampooned, from politicians to royalty. He had brilliant draughtsmanship and engraving skills, and was a lover of art generally. Sadly he became insane in later life and died in 1815. Today, however, he is now generally accepted as the first and perhaps the greatest political cartoonist.

Magdalen Evans is a writer, works with charities helping ex-offenders, has lectured at National Portait Gallery and more. Her lecture is centred on the East Anglia and East Coast generally where sailing boats have become a pivotal place in Western Art. The lecture will display paintings etc. which celebrates our fascination with maritime history. Magdalen will show how the woodlands of the eastern sea board led to boatyards along the North Sea and she will show much else in this connection.

Clare Ford-Wille has many regular commitments including lecturing at the National Gallery, the V and A the art fund and National Trust and takes study tours abroad. We are going to hear a lively interesting lecture which will include aspects of everyday life from the art of Hals to Vermeer.

Ian Glendhill has had a varied career from designing underground railways to appearing with Julian Clary in pantomime. He has workrd in travel, music, publishing and theatre, and has been anything from actor to opera translator to director. In this lecture we will hear it was the Viennese who brought romance and glamour to the operetta. We will hear examples from both the Golden and Silver ages of Viennese operetta from the 1860s to 1930s.

Louise Scholfield is an archaeologist who was previously a curator at the British Museum specialising in Greek Bronze Age. Now she leads and writes on archaeological projects, particularly in Albania and Ethiopia, and has been appointed Visiting Professor at the American University of Rome. After her time at the British Museum, Louise was given a trowel with a diamond and silver casing and she has had a series of extra-ordinary adventures. We will be taken to the mysterious southern coast of Albania, Mesopotamia and Northern Ethiopia.

Explore some more Lisbon's rich history and its captivating landscapes, as we again go for a walk with Inês in her native Portugal.

 We begin at the Graça viewpoint, delving into the city's history, geography, and urban development against a stunning backdrop. Traverse the Graça neighbourhood, a 19th-century extension shaped by the industrial revolution, housing workers from nearby factories.

Stroll to the Alfama district, uncovering the history of Fado music and paying homage to the iconic Amália as the "queen" of Fado at her mural. Pause at the Portas do Sol Viewpoint to grasp the Moorish walls' significance, Alfama's urban structure, and the connection of St. Vincent to the city's narrative.

 We continue your journey, exploring the narrow streets of Alfama. Unveil its past as a working-class neighbourhood, witness the impact of tourism, and delve into the June festivities honouring St. Anthony. The tour finishes near the Fado Museum, a perfect finale to your immersive Lisbon experience.

Dr Amy Lim is, amongst other appointments, curator of the Stanley Spencer Collection and exhibition researcher at the Tate. Paintings and sculptures by women artists make up only a tiny proportion of historic collections. This lecture refers to an exhibition at Tate Britain May-July 2024 which will showcase women artists from 16 Century to WW1. Amy's lecture includes behind the scenes glimpses as to how an exhibition is put together.

We have an old favourite, David Drury ‘ the London Guide’ coming back to do his Zoom Session on ‘Secret London’.

You will recall David was born and grew up in Yorkshire but, has lived in London since 1990. He is a blue badge guide and has carried out a couple of other Zoom presentations for us.

A Lecture following our Christmas Dinner 

Performing lively jigs as well as songs, Sarah traces the extraordinary story of the harp in the Celtic areas of Britain. She reveals the different styles of playing and explains why the harp is the beloved identity symbol it is today.

Living in Rome since 2003, Stuart has developed a great love for the Eternal City and its many treasures. In 1508 Raphael was invited to move to Rome by Pope Julius II where he remained until his death in 1520. Stuart will be speaking of the artistic depth and historical wealth which Raphael brought to Rome.

Followed by AGM. Meeting begins at 7.15

Followed by AGM

Meeting begins at 7:15

This lecture looks at the evolution of the coronation ceremony from Saxon times. It examines various stages of the services and it also recounts omens and memorable mishaps that have ocurred. It will come up to date with the coronation of Charles III.

Ralph will give us a talk about mid eighteenth century silver, and reveals the lives of the original owners and makers. We will have the opportunity to handle and examine the pieces being discussed.

Followed by wine and nibbles

In this lecture we will be given an informative, educational and entertaining journey through the development of London's luxury hotels.

Ivor Novello, composer, playwright, stage star, master of the romantic waltz song and so much more. This lecture goes to the heart of his music, its range, the wit of his writing and his acting - fusing into the power of his dramatic performances.

The untold story of Carry On actor Peter Butterworth and his impressionist wife Janet Brown, using film, TV clips and pieces from family archives. Tyler reveals his parents' full story including M19, a theatre in WW2 POW camp, the PMs Chequers and much more.

Sargent was born in Italy, studied in Paris, painted portraits in London, oils and watercolours in Venice, was a First World War artist, and later spent his time painting murals in Boston. This lecture encompasses the depth of his portraits, looks at his Venetian art, his wartime water colours and shows him as a charming cosmopolitan man.

This is an invitation from Bookham U3A Social History Group to A talk by Mary Smith on Monday 13th March 2023

10.30am – 11.30am

in The Old Barn Hall, Church Road, Bookham. KT23 3PQ

Mary Smith is returning to Bookham to reprise her talk about school life during World War Two; recorded by art teacher Miss Helen Keen with her paintings and drawings at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls.

Mary was the Headteacher of the school between 2006 – 2015 and on her retirement researched the events and drawings of Helen Keen’s war. Her very entertaining and informative talk is based on Helen’s art work and gives us a window into 1940s school life when the country was fighting for its very survival.

Mary’s talk ‘A Schoolgirl’s War’ will have you gasping at the ingenuity of lessons in air raid shelters while bombs dropped all around and the idiosyncrasies of officialdom – ignored when necessary.  All illustrated by Helen Keen’s very perceptive paintings and doodles.

Join Bookham Social History Group and listen to a great communicator talking about the life and times of the very talented Helen Keen.

Doors open at 9.30am

£5.00 on the door

Tea & Coffee will be on offer

If more information required & to book contact:

brianwilliams14@btinternet.com

In 1829 20 year old Felix Mendelssohn set off on a two week journey through Scotland. The adventure supplied Mendelsssohn with inspiration for some of his major works and contributed to a lifelong connection with Great Britain.

THE ARTS SOCIETY LIMPSFIELD

The mass migration of the French Protestant Huguenots in the 16th and 17th centuties impacted the arts, the military and the finance sectors of the countries to which they fled after suffering Catholic persecution in their homeland. It is estimated that upwards of 50,000 people settled in the British Isles and that perhaps one in six of the country's current populaion descends from the Huguenot lineage. This lecture focuses on three areas of the arts impacted by the migration: the growth of the silk weaving industry in Canterbury, Spitalfields and later Sudbury and Macclesfield: the silversmiths and ceramicists who ushered the French Rococo style into Britain: and the baroque style of Versailles that arrived in London through the great Huguenot designer, Daniel Marot, who worked for William and Mary at Hampton Court.

COST PER PERSON: £39.50 (includes lunch and refreshments) Members of other Art Societies and Non-Members welcome.

For more information or to book please contact visits.limpsfield@theartssociety.org or phone 01883 713205

Our zooms are offered as a pleasant afternoon touring, and hearing about another destination without moving out of our comfortable chair.

The presentation starts at 3.15pm please ensure you are signed in by 3.10pm

The Nazis looted over 20% of Western Art during World War II, confiscating art from Jewish families and emptying museums throughout Europe. This lecture will provide an overview of Nazi looting by setting the scene in Nazi Germany, discussing Hitler’s obsession with art and how the Monuments Men recovered art after the war. 

Several landmark cases will be discussed in detail, including Gustav Klimt’s celebrated Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer and the stash of over 1200 artworks found in possession of the son of a notorious Nazi dealer.

Our zooms are offered as a pleasant afternoon touring, and hearing about another destination without moving out of our comfortable chair.

The presentation starts at 3.15pm please ensure you are signed in by 3.10pm

Our zooms are offered as a pleasant afternoon touring, and hearing about another destination without moving out of our comfortable chair.

The presentation starts at 3.15pm please ensure you are signed in by 3.10pm

E H Shepard loved Christmas, and this lecture describes, including his own words much of the magic and joy of successive festive seasons, from those of his own childhood to others throughout his long life.

We see a range of artistic styles from full colour images to pen-and-ink personal Christmas cards, with cartoons, drawings and watercolours, some featuring the iconic images from the Wind in the Willows (the snow in the Wild Wood…) and Winnie-the-Pooh (Pooh and Piglet from The House at Pooh Corner). Many of the images have not been published for over fifty years.

This lecture traces the origins, and myths, that surround Imperial Chinese Silk, an exquisite product that has mesmerised the World and on occasions exceeded the value of gold.

Initial consideration will be given to the origins of silk in Neolithic times through to the creation of Imperial Silk Workshops in the early Dynasties of China producing Regulated Court Costume.

The focus will then move to the expansion of the silk industry and the role of the Silk Road in bringing this coveted product to the Middle East and on to Europe. Particular consideration will be given to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) where silk weaving and embroidery reach a peak in terms of quality and variety of fabrics and production.

Finally, the lecture reviews the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) where from the highest standards of production in the 18th Century we see quality suffering, as the quantity of silk produced accelerates with the rapid expansion of Commercial Workshops and industrialisation encroaches in the late 19th Century.

During each period in China’s history we will see examples of both fabrics and Imperial Costume and decorative textiles which represent the pinnacle of the weavers and embroiderers art and expertise.

The 60s was a time a time when popular music was in a state of great flux – ‘rock and roll’ had arrived, putting the big bands out of business and with no intention of going away! During that time Pip worked as a keyboard player with bandleaders like Sydney Lipton, Joe Loss, Ken Mackintosh and Claude Cavalotti, as well as performing his fair share of rock ’n roll – including - even - a concert with The Beatles!

·      

THE ART AND CRAFT OF JOHN PIPER (S)  An abstract painter in the 1930s, John Piper was also a writer, critic and typographer and his love of architecture – especially medieval churches and stained glass – made him a highly sensitive observer of his surroundings. During the Second World War he became one of the best-known Official War Artists, creating powerful images of the destruction of Coventry Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament and of the city of Bath, as well as recording a wide range of buildings, from derelict Welsh cottages to the grandeur of Windsor Castle.Piper’s friendships with figures from the worlds of literature, ballet and music led him in further creative directions. He worked on the Shell Guides to Britain with his close friend, John Betjeman and designed sets and costumes for the operas of Benjamin Britten. In his fifties he began to design stained glass, creating monumentally beautiful windows for the new Coventry Cathedral and the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool, as well as tiny, jewel-like lunettes for country churches near his home in Buckinghamshire. Piper’s love of architecture and landscape informed all his work, and in this lecture we’ll explore the many ways in which his interests and enthusiasms led to prolific creativity.

·      

ART AFTER WINDRUSH: POSTCOLONIAL ARTISTS IN BRITAIN SINCE 1948

The lecture looks at the contributions made by artists of African, Caribbean or Asian origin to British art since the SS Empire Windrush arrived in Tilbury from the West Indies in 1948. It considers, among others, the work of Sir Frank Bowling, Francis Newton Souza, Eddie Chambers, Yinka Shonibare, Sonia Boyce, Rasheed Araeen, Lubaina Himid and the Singh Twins, all of whom have achieved international recognition and respect, their works collected by museums world-wide. They may not all be household names but their work is eye-catching and thought-provoking, and they have set much of the agenda for British art of the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

·      

GREAT RAILWAY STATIONS – EVOKING THE SPIRIT OF ROMANCE AND ADVENTURE

If you think of St Pancras International or New York Grand Central you imagine long romantic journeys. You know they are special places promising excitement and adventure. But there are dozens of other glorious stations in the UK and abroad. We will take a journey around some of the most evocative and splendid stations in the world. We will look not only at the magnificence of the architecture and the brilliant engineering but will discover numerous artworks within the stations and examine many depictions of stations in art – like Claude Monet’s Gare St Lazare or William Powell Frith’s Paddington. It may sound a bit anoraky, but it’s definitely not. It’s lavish, colourful and fun.

Stephen Duffy, Educated at New College, Oxford, and formerly Senior Curator of the Wallace Collection where he had particular responsibility for exhibitions and nineteenth-century paintings. He has given countless tours of the Collection for visiting groups and many lectures on its art and other related subjects. His latest publication, The Discovery of Paris, is a book on early nineteenth-century watercolour views of Paris by major British artists.

The Wallace collection was made by five generations of one family between 1780 and 1880.  All the founders were remarkable and sometimes rather strange men but the greatest collectors were the 4th Marquess of Hertford and his illegitimate son, Sir Richard Wallace. This lecture tells the story of the collection’s formation and presents some of its finest treasures.

Dr James Taylor studied at the Universities of St Andrews and Manchester, and is a former curator of paintings, drawings and prints, and co-ordinator of various exhibitions and galleries, at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, also lecturer and ships' historian on board cruise ships.

The Russell-Cotes Museum is an art gallery and museum in Bournemouth, England. A Grade II* listed building originally known as East Cliff Hall, it is located on the top of the East Cliff, next to the Royal Bath Hotel.  

·     

IMAGES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE  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.

The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth nearly 70 metres long and 50 centimetres tall that depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings. 

This zoom lecture starts at 3.30pm

Tim Redmond will use images to take us on a virtual tour of the interior saving us the effort of climbing 334 spiral stairs. He will also explain the historical background of the building

This is a zoom lecture - Starts at 3.30pm

Explore the 'hipster' streets of Shoreditch and Spitalfields and see amazing murals big and small, monochrome to multi-coloured. Artists from all around the world including Banksy, Roa, Jimmy C and Stik.

York is a beautiful city at any time of year, but its narrow Tudor streets and original old buildings make it feel extra special at Christmas. This ancient walled city has Roman roots and a Viking history, much of which is still visible in its street names, monuments, and museums.

This is a zoom lecture. Starts at 7.30pm

THIS LECTURE FOLLOWS CHRISTMAS LUNCH - TIME TO BE ADVISED

Sandy Burnett’s close relationship with Bach’s music stretches back for decades. Between 1997 and 2010 he directed a complete cycle of Bach’s sacred cantatas in West London.

In this illustrated lecture, he will explore how Bach brings the Christmas story alive in his Weihnachtsoratorium or Christmas Oratorio, written for Lutheran congregations in 1730s Leipzig. An overview of Bach’s life and achievement will precede a close look at this magnificent work which draws on various forms ranging from recitative, arioso, aria, chorale, and instrumental sinfonia through to full-blown choruses infused with the joyous spirit of the dance.

Sandy Burnett has combined a career as a broadcaster on BBC Radio 3 and as music director for the RSC and the National Theatre with lecturing and performing as a double bassist on the London jazz scene.

Stephen Baron and Marguerite Duncan-Sutherland will perform songs by Francis Poulenc to a backdrop of paintings by various Parisian artists. Paul Eluard, poet and friend of Poulenc, furnished the texts to these songs.

Followed by wine and nibbles

Overlooked by the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Roman Forum was the social, political, commercial, religious and legal heart of the city of Rome, and by default the entire Roman Empire. Professional Rome tourist guide Stuart Harvey will lead you on a voyage of discovery through the ruins of the Forum to discover the fascinating stories behind the triumphal arches, temples, basilicas and other surviving structures, explaining how and why certain parts survived and others did not.

This lecture will introduce you to gods, goddesses and demi-gods of the Roman religion; the legal and commercial procedures of the ancient city, and of course the governmental structure as we visit the Curia, or Senate House. We will also see the place of the cremation of Julius Caesar and discover how his death ultimately brought about the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of Empire.

This is a zoom meeting. Starts at 7.30pm

LECTURE STARTS AT 7.15PM. FOLLOWED BY AGM

There is a significant underrepresentation of women in public art with a recent survey showing that only about 3% of the statues and monuments across the UK feature women, while in London the figure is about 6%.  However, there are some striking examples, and this talk looks at how women from a number of different walks of life are publicly commemorated. From the recent statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square to Florence Nightingale in Wellington Place and to women in politics, the arts and other areas.  This richly illustrated talk commemorates their achievements and how we, as a society, are increasingly recognising their contribution.

The 14th century artist Cennino Cennini recommended using “the chicken bones that you will find under the dining table” for making charcoaled bone black to paint with. His treatise, The Artists’ handbook, gives us an understanding of some of the surprising materials which any artist had to master before he could begin to paint, such as the tail of a squirrel to make his paintbrushes. But many of these materials were difficult to use and have an effect on the finished look of paintings from the centuries before industrial processes changed the artist’s world. This lecture will explain the techniques and the reasons for some of the features of 15th and 16th century paintings which may seem odd to our modern eyes

Despite being used for thousands of years, the role of plants in modern medicine is still considered to be peripheral by many people. This talk attempts to put the record straight and to show that plant products are used every day, by all of us to relieve pain and suffering, to heal wounds and cure diseases

Please note this is the third Tuesday in the month to avoid Village Week

In 1924 an exhibition in London of Canadian landscapes moved the critic C. Lewis Hind to celebrate them as ‘the most vital group of paintings produced since the war—indeed, this century’. These landscapes of Canada’s northern lakes and rugged backwoods, painted in a boldly Post-Impressionist style, had been produced over the previous decade by a collective of Toronto-based painters known as the ‘Group of Seven’, whose aim was to forge a national school of landscape painting. This illustrated lecture introduces the painters—including their talismanic colleague Tom Thomson, who died in 1917—and examines how they stormed the conservative bastions of Canadian art to establish themselves on the international stage as practitioners of a distinctive avant-garde

The talk discusses the origin and history of hallmarking, explains the meaning of the various marks, and presents a range of illustrative examples to help people who may wish to investigate items in their possession. 

This is a Zoom meeting. Starts at 7.30pm.

Roger Butler, canal enthusiast, writer and photographer will be giving us a colourful introduction to the wonderful world of Britain’s 2000 mile inland waterway network with dramatic engineering, unusual architecture, interesting landscapes, historic boats and lots of unusual and quirky features

Virtual tour of Mayfair at 19.30 hrs on Tuesday 11th May, with Barbara Askew 

We have one more Spring virtual tour, which is included in your membership fee.  Barbara Askew, the Blue Badge Guide who conducted us on a virtual tour of Windsor and Eton in January, will take us on a virtual tour of Mayfair.  We will learn about the history of the area, the architecture of the buildings, and some of the people who have lived there.

Learn the fascinating histories of ancient and modern castles. And see how Windsor Castle was created and evolved through time.

If you would like to book this East Surrey Event you can cut and paste the link below into your browser and it will take you directly to the booking page.

This is a zoom lecture 10.30 - 12.30 BST  Friday 7 May 2021. 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/castles-ancient-modern-and-creating-windsor-castle-tickets-142914191193

Although sport and recreation might seem an unlikely subject for The Arts Society, non-sporty types need have no fear. Simon’s themes are architecture, design, heritage and popular culture. 

He explains why grandstands, pavilions, squash courts and skate parks are so important and what they tell us about our sporting heritage and social history.

THIS IS A ZOOM MEETING - STARTS 7.30PM

As unlike in background and temperament as their paintings were in style, these two creative geniuses transformed the art of landscape. This lecture sets them head-to-head and examines their differences, their similarities, their battles and their shared triumphs. But who will ultimately be crowned star painter? As well as giving an overview of Turner and Constable, the subject provides an enjoyable overview of the British art world during the nineteenth century

THIS IS A ZOOM MEETING - STARTS 7.30PM

This lecture focuses on the Arian Baptistry, the Basilica of San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo

THIS IS A ZOOM MEETING - STARTS AT 7.30PM

The Alhambra of Grenada, the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alcazar of Seville are just three of the many impressive monuments to the architectural creativity of the Moors in Spain revealed in this lecture

Watch our Christmas YouTube offering.  Mary and Herbert Tourtel and others created Rupert over 100 years ago. This lecture is the fascinating back-story of how and why Rupert was created, exploring the folklore and dark influences on his initial adventures. This lecture will show how two artists Mary Tourtel and Alfred Bestall progressed through the years with innovative artwork and multi-level adventure story lines that kept Rupert as a favourite through generations.

Music was a constant theme in Manet’s life and art. His wife Suzanne Leenhoff was a gifted pianist, and regular musical soirées were held at the Manet family home. His pictures of musicians and their audiences range from major early canvases depicting itinerant gypsy musicians and Spanish dancers, through to paintings encompassing the full range of Parisian musical culture, from private performances to street entertainment, café concerts and the Paris Opera. Bringing together Manet’s art and the music that inspired him (including Spanish flamenco, Haydn string quartets, Wagner piano reductions, café songs, and opera highlights) this lecture immerses you in Manet’s world.

The Roaring Twenties was a loud and boisterous decade, marked by novelty, modernity and huge social, technological, and economic change. Following the dark days of the Great War, it spawned a generation of wealthy and privileged Bright Young Things who were determined to shock and who broke with the conventions of the past to pursue a life of hedonism and promiscuity, fuelled by an endless round of champagne, cocaine, parties and jazz. 

Joanna Banham conjures up the energy and originality of the decade and explores the lives of its leading figures and its most innovative art and design.

Our first Zoom Lecture, by Antony Penrose about his mother, Lee Miller.

Details on how to join this lecture via Zoom will be sent out by email closer to the time.

As a starting point you should 'download and run zoom' just to save you time on the night.

This session is to allow you to practice your 'zoom' abilities.

Log in anytime between 7.10pm and 7.45pm - using the link sent to you on email.

If you didn't get an email contact Linda Tickner  for it to be re-sent

PLEASE NOTE - This Lecture has been postponed due to Government advice on Coronavirus

Guided by our lecturer, Dr. John Stevens,  we learn how the British viewed themselves and their subjects in the 19th and 20th centuries by considering a variety of paintings, buildings and objects from across the Empire, 

PLEASE NOTE - This Lecture has been postponed due to Government advice on the Coronavirus

With our lecturer, Dr. James Taylor We discover the eclectic collection and awesome seaside home of Sir Merton and Annie Russell-Cotes

PLEASE NOTE - This Lecture has been postponed due to Government advice on Coronavirus

Our Lecturer, Antony Penrose, first met Picasso when he visited the Penrose family home of Farley Farm, in Chiddingly, East Sussex in 1950.

They became instant friends and invented their own boisterous game of pretend bull fights. In the excitement Antony bit Picasso, and Picasso bit him right back, but it did not spoil the friendship and during the many visits he made to Picasso’s homes in France Antony felt very much at home. He loved the menagerie of pets – the live ones and those Picasso made as sculptures that seemed alive. Antony’s parents were Roland Penrose, the curator and biographer of Picasso, and Lee Miller, the photographer. Picasso painted her portrait six times and she photographed him more than 1,000 times and her images illustrate Antony’s entertaining and amusing account of life around Picasso.

This lecture also covers the process of writing and the design of the book which has been very favourably reviewed and is a best seller.

Our Lecturer, is a decorative artist specialising in experimental surface decoration, combining gilding with print and hand painting. She works on a variety of surfaces, from paper to textiles to glass, and is developing ranges of gilded jewellery, fashion and interior accessories. Having recently left full-time teaching she now divides her time as a designer/maker, teaching and lecturing.

PAINTER - STAINERS originally created as two companies in the 1200s to protect their respective trades, the Paynters and Steyners came together in 1502. For centuries the Painter-Stainers decorated Royal palaces, coaches and barges, heraldic banners and arms, churches and even theatres. Disputes with other Livery Companies and the College of Heralds run through their history and artists such as Sir James Thornhill and Sir Godfrey Kneller were members producing ephemeral decorations for Lord Mayor’s pageants to portraits and landscapes. Key to the creation of the Royal Academy, the Company has welcomed many prominent academicians from Sir Joshua Reynolds and Lord Leighton to Sir Hugh Casson. Today the company continues to support education and training of both fine and decorative art. The Company has affiliations with the armed forces and eleven Painter-Stainer Liverymen have served as Lord Mayor of London since 1922.

SHORT NOTICE CHANGE (DUE TO SICKNESS) SEE ABOVE.

Our lecturer, Siân Walters is an art historian and lectures for the National Gallery, The Arts Society, The Wallace Collection and many other  societies in the UK and Europe. She was also a lecturer at Surrey University for many years.

Raphael is often referred to as one of the three giants of the High Renaissance in Italy, alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, yet his fame and position in the canon of art history may seem hard to explain. He made no discoveries like those of his celebrated rivals: although undoubtedly a draughtsman of exceptional talent he made no great progress in the fields of anatomy, science and construction nor did he share the wide-ranging talents which Leonardo and Michelangelo demonstrated in so many disciplines. Furthermore, his career was short-lived as he died tragically young, aged 37. Yet in this relatively short space of time Raphael managed to move from humble initial commissions in and around his home town of Urbino to the covetous position of one of the leading artists at the court of the most important patron in Italy, Pope Julius II, for whom he created some of the most sublime and influential frescoes of the early 16th century. We explore how Raphael achieved this extraordinary rise in status, tracing the development of early works and influences to the masterpieces created in Rome.

How wine has been depicted throughout history

David Wright:

I have been a wine retailer, importer and distributor for 30 years. In that time, I have publicly presented tastings and talks on wine to trade and private audiences. These have taken the form of wine ‘tastings’ or charity events where a particular subject is presented and wines tasted. I have developed a talk, A Brief Story of Wine, a great subject, and full of rich evidence, going back 7,000 years, in the form of paintings, decorated drinking vessels, buildings and literature that contribute to the story.

An insider's view of an ambitious and unique project which was set up in 2003 to catalogue the UK's national collection of oil paintings.  

Mary Rose Rivett-Carnac:

Gained a 1st class honours degree in History of Art & English Literature, and an MA (Distinction) in Victorian Media & Culture from Royal Holloway, University of London. Has written several arts- related articles and is a guide at Dorich House Museum, studio-home of the Russian sculptor Dora Gordine, and at Turner’s House in Twickenham. Since 2007 has worked part-time for the acclaimed arts project, Art UK. (www.artuk.org)

Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the births of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their shared enthusiasm for art and music.

Barbara Askew:

Historian and London Blue Badge Guide since 1988. Lecturer, Examiner and Course Director on Blue Badge Guide Training Courses and an acknowledged expert on Windsor Castle. A rota guide for the Albert Memorial, British Museum and Houses of Parliament. Has conducted tours for American museums and alumni groups for the past 25 years. Offers guided visits and walking tours linked to her lectures.

Can photography equal, not to say exceed, more traditional disciplines in the key genres of portraiture, landscape and still life?

Brian Slater:

Brian is a professional photographer with a special interest in dance and music. 

Introducing us to the plant species that came to Europe from across the world and the gardens of London and its environs where they found new homes.

Mark Spencer:

I have been fascinated by plants since I was a small boy. Originally a horticulturist, I studied horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. I also studied botany and mycology at university, after which I worked as a field botanist for a regional conservation organisation. After 12 years as a senior botany curator at the Natural History Museum, London I am now a consultant forensic botanist, public speaker and occasional radio and TV presenter. I am the honorary curator of Carl Linnaeus’s herbarium at the Linnean Society of London, one of the most significant collections in the history of science. I have a strong interest in the history of botany and botanic gardens, invasive non-native species and the flora of North-West Europe.

Spencer was one of Britain's greatest painters. He was a visionary artist whose name became synonymous with Cookham, a small village beside the River Thames where he was born and spent most of his life. 

Carolyn Leder:

An art historian who has written widely on Stanley Spencer, including a book on his autobiographical Scrapbook drawings. A trustee of the Stanley Spencer Gallery, she has featured as a talking head on television and radio and acted as the historical adviser to BBC television and Arts Council films on Spencer, and her work is frequently cited in the art historical press. For many years, she was also Curator of the Old Speech Room Gallery, Harrow School. The gallery has a distinguished collection of antiquities and fine art, for which she researched and published a series of catalogues. She curated over 80 exhibitions and ran a thriving gallery arts society for the boys, taking them on over 200 visits to museums and exhibitions in London.

The lecture analyses Wren's life and career as a scientist, astronomer and architect. It features all his buildings in London, Oxford and Cambridge before focusing on his London churches.

Tony Tucker

MA in Modern History from Oriel College, Oxford, Qualified City Guide and former Chairman of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association and Trustee of the Friends of the City Churches (FCC). Lectures to various City institutions, the FCC, U3A, and various historical associations.  Leads regular guided walks for the City of London Corporation, the Friends of the City Churches and numerous private groups. Publications include The Visitor’s Guide to the City of London Churches  (2006) and regular contributions to Cityguide magazine and the FCC Newsletter.

In the early 1980s, British contemporary art was largely ignored by the international art world. Since the Turner Prize was first held in 1984, however, the work of younger British artists has achieved considerable acclaim in Europe, America and even Asia. The Turner Prize ceremony is televised annually; it has been presented by Madonna and by the actor, Dennis Hopper. The bookies, William Hill and Ladbroke, have been taking bets on the winners since 1998. In fact, the prize has thrived on a heady mixture of controversy and genuine talent. Those shortlisted have included Lucien Freud, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Gilbert and George, Antony Gormley, the Chapman Brothers, Grayson Perry, Steve McQueen and Chris Ofili. This lecture surveys the history of the Turner Prize from 1984 to the present, leaving it up to the audience to decide for themselves which were the high points and which the low.

Barry is an historian of British art with a particular interest in the work of JMW Turner, on whom he has published widely, including the volume on Turner in Phaidon's Art & Ideas series, and several catalogue essays for exhibitions in the UK, Germany, Italy and Poland. He was the BBC's script consultant on Turner's Fighting Temeraire and has recently takken part (2013) in a BBC documentary called The Genius of Turner: Painting the Industrial Revolution. He has also published a study of John Constable's paintings. His interests and his teaching extend from medieval architecture to contemporary British art. He is currently Associate Lecturer with the Open University and lecturing on a freelance basis for The Arts Society, Christie's Education and other organisations.

23This lecture will investigate the important role played by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) in the evolution from traditional to modern sculpture – as he succinctly put it himself: “I am the link, the bridge between the past and the future, between yesterday and tomorrow.” The talk will focus on Rodin’s famous masterpieces such as The Age of Bronze, The Gates of Hell, The Burghers of Calais and Balzac – looking at the ideas behind these works as well as the new techniques employed by the sculptor. Reading: Elsen, A., 1963 Rodin Museum of Modern Art New York Champigneulle, B., 1967 Rodin Thames and Hudson Exhibition Catalogue Royal Academy London 2006/7 

Eaton Eveline

BA Hons Courtauld Institute; Diploma:Study Centre for the History of Fine & Decorative Arts. Freelance lecturer in Fine Arts and tour-guide to Berlin, Dresden, Munich. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dresden Trust.

Why were foreigner painters preferred by the aristocracy in London to native-born English painters, why did foreigners come in the first place, what was their motivation, and what was the impact of foreigners in London on English art and art practise? The lecture will look at the various formats and uses of art, tracing foreign artists from the Tudor period through to the Renaissance and Baroque, looking at their origins and how they came to work in England. It will examine the contributions of artists such as Holbein, Gerrit van Honthorst, Marcus Gheeraerts the younger, Lucas and Susanna Horenbout, Isaac Oliver, Paulus van Somer, van Dyck, Peter Lely, and Rubens. This lecture will look at how these artists influenced the British School of painting and assess their legacy.

Primo Leslie

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

The cartoonist, Carl Giles, once said that he loved his creation, Grandma Giles that fearsome, black-clad, gambling, drinking battleaxe because she allowed him to say things, through his cartoons, that he was too polite to say in person. She helped him to poke fun at authority in all its forms, from Hitler to traffic wardens and even his employers at the Daily Express, who didn’t trust him and had sub-editors scouring his cartoons for subversive background details. His admirers included Prince Charles, Sir Malcolm Sargent and Tommy Cooper, and it was no surprise when he was voted Britain’s best-loved cartoonist in 2000. Few people realise, however, that this likeable and humane satirist was also a war correspondent who witnessed the horrors of Belsen, where he found that the camp commandant, Josef Kramer, was also a great fan of his work. Giles gave us a remarkable picture of a half-century of British life. He was also, as his editor John Gordon put it “a spreader of happiness’ and ‘a genius…with the common touch’.

Barry is an historian of British art with a particular interest in the work of JMW Turner, on whom he has published widely.  He was the BBC's script consultant on Turner's Fighting Temeraire and in 2013 took part in a BBC documentary called The Genius of Turner: Painting the Industrial Revolution. He has also published a study of John Constable's paintings.

His interests and his teaching extend from medieval architecture to contemporary British art. He is currently Associate Lecturer with the Open University and lecturing on a freelance basis for The Arts Society, Christie's Education and other organisations.

To mark the centenary of women first getting the vote which falls in 2018, this lecture will explore the story of the suffragettes through portrayals in art and their own artistic productions, and will look at how contemporary artists choose to portray female politicians in our own time and the controversies surrounding these depictions.

Caroline last came to talk to us in 2015 on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta.

There's more to the world of street art than Banksy. Hidden Canvasses is a beginner's guide to the biggest art movement since pop art.  From train writing in New York to interactive technology that brings murals to life, the concept of un-commissioned public art is a very different beast from that which it once was.  Hidden Canvases explores the key stages in street art's growth examining the different elements and styles that comprise the scene with no rules.  From the international superstars to the local underground heroes you're guaranteed to leave knowing your Invader from your Aryz and who knows you might even start looking at the world a little differently

Doug is heavily involved in documenting the street art scene in London and abroad through his project Fifth Wall TV, and can offer a genuine insight into this world.   He previously lectured for London Art and More, and when not filming he is an East End tour guide for Alternative London, specialising in culture and art.

A delightfully entertaining look at the history of pleasure piers covering just over 200 years, from the first pier in the Regency period up to the present day. Almost 100 pleasure piers were built around our coastline, diverse in designs and some crowned with exotic palaces or pavilions. These elegant structures bear witness to the remarkable skills of the Victorian engineers and are an important part of our social history symbolizing the nation’s love of days out and summer holidays at seaside resorts. A celebration covering the heyday of piers, how generations have enjoyed the fresh air and sea views, been captivated by the amusements and entertained by a variety of artists. The incredible stories of our surviving piers, whether they are successful flourishing or sadly in trouble, their future and the ongoing struggle to keep them.

Jackie is a lecturer, specialist guide, researcher and teacher working at the Royal Pavilion, Preston Manor, and Brighton Museum.  She has taught on adult education courses on behalf of the University of Sussex covering architecture, decorative arts, local history, and research skills. She initiates, researches and runs own tours of Brighton Station, Palmeira Mansions and The Old Ship Hotel; local history walks and piers. Also shehHas worked on various research projects and books, including the Heritage Lottery Funded Floating Memories conducting tours on our sea bathing heritage. Archivist, Palmeira Mansions.

How did a German refugee from Hitler, an internee and a jobbing journalist, become the Grand Old Man of English art history? The answer lies in his extraordinary one-man survey of all the architecturally significant buildings in the country, county by county.

This lecture explores what Pevsner said, rightly or wrongly, about the buildings in Surrey such as churches, houses, shops, town halls, tower blocks, factories, cinemas.   He sets his pronouncements in the context of The Buildings of England as a whole. The series has both detractors and passionate defenders, but no imitators. Pevsner himself said, ‘There won’t be another madman so soon.’

Susie is a writer, editor and lecturer, specialising in 20th century culture and the arts.  She has published eight books on subjects including official war art, opera and the composer Elisabeth Lutyens. The most recent is the biography of Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, published in August 2011. Lectured to a range of audiences, from the Imperial War Museum and British Museum to the Twentieth Century Society and the RSA, most recently at the Cheltenham and Bridport Literary Festivals and the Victorian Society.

Tickets at £25 per person go on sale at our meeeting on Tuesday 24th April

Doors open at midday for 12.30pm with a 1960s style three course lunch when prawn cocktail and the iconic black forest gateau are on the menu! And just to remind you of the swinging 60s the Top 20 records from June’68  will be playing in the background!

This will be followed with a talk by Linda Smith, a guide and lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Dulwich Picture Gallery.  Her theme: ‘A Brief History of the Last 50 Years of British Art’.

If you fancy a great lunch by ‘Home Cooking by Elizabeth, the company of good friends, nostalgia for the 60s and a brilliant talk about Minimalism and Postmodernism and much much more - this is the place for you.

Stonehenge is the most celebrated and sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the British Isles. This lecture explains why Stonehenge must be regarded as architectural in its layout and construction, embodying  techniques that for centuries convinced antiquarians that it could not have been built by ‘primitive’ ancient Britons but must be a product of ‘sophisticated’ Romans.

We then explore how, over the last two centuries, this iconic structure has inspired painters, potters and poets. Blake, Turner, Constable and Moore are amongst those who have all been drawn to this magnificent ruin, resulting in a diverse catalogue of images and impressions. Finally, we will look at Stonehenge as a global icon and how it’s instantly recognisable stones now grace tea towels in Wiltshire, phone cards in Japan and stamps from Bhutan. 

Julian studied archaeology at Reading University and has since worked as a professional archaeologist, in commercial archaeology, for English Heritage, for the BBC and as an independent. Elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1992 and is being awarded an honorary doctorate. 

Author of a number of English Heritage publications on Stonehenge, including the previous and current guide books to the monument and landscape. Guest curator of Wish you were here, an exhibition of his own extensive collection of 'Stonehengiana' which is currently on display at the new Stonehenge Visitor Centre.
 

When Thomas Gainsborough moved to Bath in 1758 it was a bustling cosmopolitan spa centre experiencing a phenomenal building boom, attracting nobility and wealthy merchants alike, and described by Mrs Delany at the time as “the busiest idle place in the world”. The lecture explores how and why a young, entrepreneurial Gainsborough identified Bath as ‘the’ place from which to build his reputation. What was the experience like for those who jostled to sit to Mr Gainsborough during the Bath season? How did High Society entertain themselves? The focus will be on Gainsborough’s work in Bath, with contemporary journals and letters (including his own witty correspondence) and caricatures used to bring the city, its buildings and personalities to life. 

On her last visit Mary treated us to Riviera Paradise in the Art, Design and Pleasure of the 1920's

The subject of this talk is hugely relevant as relatively little is known in this country about Germany’s complex post-war process of remembrance and the counter memorial movement that started there in the 1980s and continues to this day.

Germany’s very specific situation rendered all traditional concepts of monuments and memorials irrelevant and inappropriate. Instead of commemorating their own losses Germany artists looked to creating art forms that would respond to questions of apology and atonement: How does a nation of former persecutors mourn its victims?

The idea behind counter memorials is to keep the memories and lessons of the past alive in the individual psyches of the people. The results are extraordinary, brave, and inspiring.

With her Anglo-German roots, artistic background and years of research, Angela is in an ideal position to give insights into Germany’s fascinating and on-going efforts to find artistic forms for the remembrance of the victims of one of history’s darkest periods.

Angela is a professional artist, writer and freelance lecturer with a long standing interest in the role the arts and the creative process can play in bringing about changes, on a personal level or within societies.

In the past decade Angela’s Anglo-German roots led her to discover and research Germany’s largely unknown but fascinating post-WWll process of remembrance. So completely different to the British one, the arts once again play a huge and vital role in expressing the apology and atonement that underlies the country’s unique culture of memorials and counter memorials.

Angela has a BA(Hons) in Fine Art, a Diploma in Artistic Therapy (specialising in colour) and her paintings are widely exhibited both nationally and internationally. 

English furniture making reached a near-unrivalled degree of excelence by the mid 18th century.   This was largely thanks to the influence, from the late 17th century onwards, of new methods of construction and decoration from the Netherlands, Low Countries and France in particular, and also by the migration to England of craftsmen and designers from those countries.

By the mid 18th century, English cabinet-makers and designers were producing furniture which set a new standard in terms of both design and craftsmanship.  Central to this, was the way in which cabinet makers exploited the properties and characteristics of Mahogany, which was to become regarded as the “king” of cabinet-making woods.  This golden age encompasses the work of great designers and cabinetmakers like Kent, Vile, Cobb, and, of course, Chippendale.

As adults we carry in our heads huge numbers of images from childhood, and some of those most deeply etched come from illustrations in books that we read as children. Images of ‘Tigger’ and ‘Toad’ or even ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ will probably remain with us for ever! In addition to a wide range of examples John will examine how illustrations contribute to the development of understanding and how the interaction of image and narrative creates such powerful memories. 

John has been to us twice before.   The last time was in January 2015 when he explained the stories and artwork behind Pub Signs.

The London Christmas season was invented at Covent Garden. The first theatre on the site was the home of Harlequin and Columbine and, 300 years on, Harlequin and Columbine are  still dancing in ‘The Nutcracker’.  Most of what we now consider to be quintessential Pantomime – principal boy, fairy tales, transformation scenes and the dame, can be traced back to the operas and ballets put on at Covent Garden during its first 200 years.  Panto has moved on to the Palladium, but you can still see its basic components in the seasonal operas and ballets the Royal Opera House puts every year.

Sarah Lenton has spent her working life in the theatre, principally at the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and English National Opera. She writes programme articles and websites, she gives lectures on the operas and ballets in the rep. and does live opera broadcasts and podcasts for BBC Radios 3 and 4. She has written and directed many shows, including more than 20 for the Royal Opera House Linbury Studio Theatre and for Glyndebourne Touring Opera. She is also a cartoonist.

The description of the Nativity in St Luke's Gospel is brief and to the point, mentioning only the Holy Family.   But this does not prevent later writers and artists including a full supporting cast and incidental props as a means of embellishing both the mystical and maternal aspects and so capturing the imagination and empathy of the believer.   So by the 15th century, the story has been expanded to include animals, shepherds, midwives and even contemporary portraits.

In this lecture we shall study this by looking at Italian and Flemish 15th century paintings on the subject and texts which supplied the artisits with the stories.   The result is touching, amusing, at times bordering on the blasphemous but never dull.

Throughout history, mankind has been absorbed with understanding the concept of Time. A extraordinary variety of devices has been developed, either to tell when something should happen (its 10 o’clock), or how long it should take (you’ve got 20 minutes), or to alert us to do something now (wake up, it’s time to go). So we have developed all kinds of device to tell the time - using the Stars, Sundials, our Shadows, Clepsydra (water clocks), Mechanical Clocks and Watches, Burning Timers, Sand Glasses, Bells, Electronics and our fundamental Biological Clocks. But the ‘tick’ of all of these is the rhythms of the universe - the daily and yearly movement of the Sun, the monthly movement of the Moon and, more recently, by the buzz of the quartz and caesium atom. Such is our interest in the subject that craftsmen have always found commissions to create beautiful time telling things. The single lecture or three-part study day looks at all these devices and many more. It charts how their use has risen and fallen as history, fashion and technology have progressed. 

Kevin studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, VSO teacher in Borneo, and worked across the world as an underground engineer. Now a magistrate in Gwent. Has had a life-long interest in the history of timekeeping and cosmology, and in sundials in particular, as objects of art, craft and science. His specialist topic is the Equation of Time. Lectured on various aspects of sundials in UK and USA, including to the British Sundial and North American Sundial Societies. Publications include articles in the journals of both these societies. Lecturer will bring his own projector and equipment.

Kevin studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, VSO teacher in Borneo, and worked across the world as an underground engineer. Now a magistrate in Gwent. Has had a life-long interest in the history of timekeeping and cosmology, and in sundials in particular, as objects of art, craft and science. His specialist topic is the Equation of Time. Lectured on various aspects of sundials in UK and USA, including to the British Sundial and North American Sundial Societies. Publications include articles in the journals of both these societies.

How was Napoleon such an excellent self promoter? What was it that drove him? What on the other hand drove his wife? And what was it that made Napoleon and Josephine one of the most followed couples in history? These questions can be answered giving a true insight into their character by exploring the collections at the Chateau de Malmaison. The Estate, which was bought by the couple as their private retreat, away from the Pomp and Ceremony of the Official Residences, was made into a National Museum in 1905 amassing a huge collection of their possessions. Paintings, personal objects, complete room layouts, and some magnificent pieces of porcelain are just some of the things on display. 

A guide and lecturer on combined history/art tours in France, with over ten years' experience. Life aboard river vessels on the Seine, Oise, Marne and Rhone offered the chance to explore and further research certain riverside locations linked to art, which helped develop in-depth knowledge. Also has experience working with NADFAS groups through work as a private guide for a privately owned stately home in the UK. Happy to offer study days.

Why do we wear jewellery? What lies behind it and what did it mean to the people who wore it?

This new thought-provoking lecture reveals how jewellery has been worn and used, across time and across place. Everyone decorates the body, but there are different notions of how to do so and which parts to decorate. In many societies jewellery serves as vital protection against evil spirits. It can be a powerful vehicle of communication, indicating the wearer’s pre-occupations, their religion or ethnic group. It can be a keepsake of a loved one, or a memorial to the dead. And it can also be a work of art in its own right harnessing all the skills of the goldsmith, gem-setter, or enameller.  

Based on the collections of the British Museum, where Judy has worked for 40 years, this lecture takes you from ancient burial ornaments by anonymous masters to the big names of the modern world.   Image - Ashanti Gold Disc:  British Museum.

Since 1974 Judy has been a curator at the BM, specialising in jewellery, and in 19th-20th century decorative arts. Author of Cartier 1900-1939 (BM 1997) and organiser of the Cartier exhibition at the BM, co-author of the Catalogue of the Hull Grundy Gift of Jewellery (BM 1984), contributor to the Catalogue of Micromosaics in the Gilbert Collection (2000). Her latest book, Jewellery in the Age of Victoria, co-authored with Charlotte Gere, was published in 2010 and won the 2011 William Berger Prize for British Art History. She is a Freeman of the Goldsmiths' Company and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

Looking at maps from their origin to the present, consider them as works of art and as functional tools. Assesses the particular challenges of mapping and of representation. Considers range of maps, both thematic and geographical. 
If for a study day, there is a separate presentation on mapping cities and there can be another on mapping maps.

Born in London in 1955 and graduated from Cambridge with a starred first. Undertook graduate work at Oxford and taught at Durham from 1980, eventually as professor, before moving to Exeter as professor in 1996. Has lectured around the world to popular and academic audiences, including the Decorative Arts Society in New York and the Bard, as well as the annual decorative arts conference at Newport, Rhode Island. Has also lectured in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Spain and on various cruise lines. Has appeared on both radio and television, most recently presenting a BBC2 programme on the Industrial Revolution. Other works include studies of maps, tourism and politics. Published over 100 books, including 'A Subject for Taste: Culture in Eighteenth-Century England' (2005) and 'Visions of the World: a History of Maps' (2003). His MBE was awarded for services to stamp design.

James Gillray was the natural successor to William Hogarth but represented, in his cutting and brilliant caricatures, everything about satirical prints that Hogarth disapproved of.  Uncompromising and fearless in his art, Gillray tore into politicians and the royal family alike.  And yet, full of contradictions, that didn’t stop him pursuing a staunchly patriotic stance when it came to the French Revolution, nor accepting a pension to tone down his satirical bite.  After he died insane in 1815, his reputation, in the Victorian climate of moralistic righteousness, plummeted.  It is only now that he can be seen as the natural forefather of Spitting Image and the cartoons of Gerald Scarfe and Steve Bell – although none of these have quite matched the wit and vitriol of Gillray at his best.

Photo © Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division

Ramesses II (c1279 – c1213 BC) is known to many as ‘Ramesses the Great’. He left his mark throughout Egypt, building extraordinary temples (notably Abu Simbel and the Ramesseum), and adorning them with colossal statues of himself and his wives. In this lecture Egyptologist Lucia Gahlin will explore the art and architecture of this particularly long reign, and piece together the great achievements of this bold ruler during a golden age of Egypt’s pharaonic history.

The photo is of a statue of Ramesses II at the archaeological site of Tanis in the Delta in Egypt.

This will be Peter's seventh visit to Bookham

Although upward of a hundred pleasure gardens are known to have thrived in 18th century London, it was Vauxhall, with its walks, triumphal arches, statues and reputation for scandal, that became the firm favourite with Londoners and visitors alike. For the price of a shilling, patrons could stroll through the groves accompanied by the voices of nature, or – if they wished – could dine to the popular melodies of the day, borne high on the evening air from the famous Orchestra. Drawing on period newspapers and diaries, digital images, and music in the Vauxhall Gardens’ repertoire, Peter Medhurst gives a vivid impression of cultural life at London’s first ‘South Bank’. Music performed includes: The Lass with the Delicate Air – M Arne, Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind – TA Arne, Hornpipe for Vauxhall 1740 – GF Handel, Allegro from Organ Concerto in C – TA Arne, Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill – J Hook, and Farewell to Vauxhall – J Lampe. 

Since the 19th century English high society had 'wintered over' on the Côte d'Azur, but always left by April. In the early 1920's, however, an intoxicating mix of artists, writers, musicians and international visitors, inspired by a mythological seascape of luminous colours, created a new summer season. Sun tans and sportswear soon became 'de rigueur' in the chic new coastal resorts, villas and hotels. This liberating playground of ideas across the visual design arts was stimulated by impresarios Serge Diaghilev and Paul Poiret. Traditional boundaries were torn down. Matisse, Picasso, Dufy, Cocteau, and Chanel merged the worlds of fashion, theatre and interiors. Cole Porter, Scott Fitzgerald, and the intriguing Gerald and Sara Murphy, introduced an American perspective and attracted an influential new set of discerning atrons and collectors. We will 'time travel' to meet them.

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

"Nell" Gwyn 1650 – 1687  was a long-time mistress of Charles II.   Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepyes she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England. She was the most famous Restoration actress and possessed a prodigious comic talent.

Nicholas is an art historian and archaeologist. In the 1980s he became Founder- Chairman of the Friends of Shakespeare's Globe. In 2005 he was one of two Lecturer Representatives on the NADFAS Advisory Council and also Vice-Chairman of Folkestone DFAS. He is the author of four books on the Impressionists in England, and one on the Frost Fairs on the Frozen Thames. His latest book My Father, the Man who Never Was features in his latest NADFAS lecture, War Artists, Spies and the Art of Deception.

Sian studied at Cambridge University. She is a lecturer at the National Gallery and Surrey University, specialising in 15th and 16th century Italian painting, Spanish art & architecture, and the relationship between dance and art. She has lived in France and Italy, where she worked at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice.

Inigo Jones introduced the work of Palladio to the English court and his influence led to a revolution in architecture in the 17th century.  Beginning with the Queen’s House at Greenwich he built a number of buildings which became very influential.   Other architects such as John Webb and Sir Roger Pratt developed the new style to create the much-loved ‘Queen Anne’ style. The lecture looks at a wide range of houses built in the latter half of the 19th century.

Christopheer was formerly Head of Geography, Downe House School Newbury.  He became interested in country house architecture whilst at Oxford and has lectured on the subject ever since. Regular 5 day summer school courses for Marlborough College Summer School. Lectures for the National Trust.

A non-technical and not-too-serious account of this masterpiece, its characters and story, with musical illustrations on the piano, focussing on the composer's ability to express character and mood through music and with a brief look at the circumstances and context of its composition.

Jonathan was a Principal Coach at Glyndebourne Opera (Head of Music Staff until 1997) and worked as keyboard player and conductor for Glyndbourne Touring Opera, Kent Opera and English Touring Opera. He has also taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal Academy of Music, the National Opera Studio and the Advanced Performers' Studio.

Nigel's lecture looks at the origin of and armour worn by the European knight from c 1066 and shows how and why armour  fell out of use on the battlefield. it then considers the concept of chivalry expressed in tournaments and elsewhere and the emergence of the interest in armour in the 18th and 19th centuries in poetry and painting. We consider finally the re-emergence of the knight in memorials to the fallen of the Great War.

Guy comes to NADFAS not from the arts world but from the world of science in general and surgery in particular. For a surgeon the basis of safe and successful operations is a sound knowledge of anatomy; talks explore the delineation of our anatomical knowledge through a world of art and specifically the remarkable contribution made to our understanding of the subject by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Courtauld Gallery contains one of the greatest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings in the world, including such masterpieces as Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1881-82), Monet’s Autumn Effect at Argenteuil (1873), Renoir’s La Loge (1874), Degas’s Two Dancers on the Stage (1874), Cézanne’s La Montagne Saint-Victoire (c.1887), Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889) and Gauguin’s Nevermore (1897).

This is a self-contained lecture, an introduction to the collection, and also a preparation for a possible visit.

Nicholas studied art both as an undergraduate and post graduate at the Courtaulds Institute of Art and is currently Emeritus Reader in the Department of the History of Art and Film at the University of Leicester.   He lectures extensively to universities, museums, art galleries and art societies and leads study tours to Florence, Rome, Paris, South of France, Barcelona, Madrid and Vienna.

His numerous publications include 'Matisse' (1984), 'Bonnard' (1994), 'Bonnard Colour and Light' (1998), 'The Genesis of a Decorative Aesthetic' (2001), 'Marino Marini' (2007). TV 'Pierre Bonnard: A Love Exposed' (1998). Regular contributor to The Burlington Magazine and other leading art journals.

From the Edwardian era to the outbreak of World War II millions of artist-drawn humorous postcards were produced not just for entertainment but to bolster morale, to inspire, instruct, motivate and persuade.   Discover the popular themes and styles of the period by the masters of the medium such as Mabel Lucie Attwell, Dudley Buxton, Donald McGill and Fred Spurgin, and the reasons why their popularity waned with the British public.

James is a member of our society as well as a NADFAS lecturer and this will be his fourth lecture to us.   He studied at the Universities of St Andrews and Manchester and is a former curator of paintings, drawings and prints, and co-ordinator of various exhibitions and galleries, at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, also lecturer and ships' historian on board cruise ships.

His publications include illustrated histories of Marine Painting (1995) and yachting art Yachts on Canvas (1998), as well as the catalogue for the 2007 exhibition Rule Britannia! Art, Power and Royalty to mark the 400th anniversary of Jamestown; The Voyage of the Beagle: Darwin’s extraordinary adventure aboard FitzRoy’s famous survey ship (2008) and Careless Talk Costs Lives - Fougasse and the Art of Public Information (2010).

He is currently working on a PhD at the University of Sussex on the artists who travelled with Commander Matthew Flinders onboard HMS Investigator (1801-1803) the first ship to circumnavigate Australia.

The Viennese Secession was the name given to the group of artists, architects and designers that broke away from the main establishment of Viennese artists to form their own group. Formed in 1897, its radical period was brief yet its impact on the cultural life of Vienna and beyond was immense and enduring.

This group aimed to create new, progressive art, to bring contemporary international art to Viennese audiences and to provide a forum for the discussion and distribution of new ideas about art and culture.

The Secessionists, among them Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, JOsef Hoffmann, Joseph Maria Olbrich and Alfred Roller, were united by a shared desire to integrate art into all aspects of life. They aimed to bring purer forms to art and design and to make a separation from the historical styles of the past.

The Vienna Secession was not characterised by one single style but was linked closely with Jugendstil, literally 'youth style', the German-speaking world's adaptation of Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau was an international art movement that was characterised by its use of flowing curved lines and plant forms. Viennese Jugendstil evolved over time to incorporate greater emphasis on simplified forms and geometric motifs.

Douglas was our very first lecturer when the society was formed in 2003 and we look forward to welcoming him back for his fifth visit.   He read Fine Arts at Cambridge and is an Artist, TV Presenter and author of 6 novels.   He lectures to many London art courses and is the Director of the New Academy of Arts.

To mark the 300th year anniversary of his birth in the village of Kirkharle in Northumberland this lecture will consider the life and work of  Lancelot Brown who rose to become the Gardener to George III and the most famous landscape designer in England.

Working on landscapes such as Stowe, Blenheim Palace, Bowood House, Luton Hoo, Wrest Park and Croome Court Brown's naturalistic style echoed the Italian artists of the previous centuries and was further popularised in contemporary paintings and fashions in the late 18th century art.

This will be Twigs's second visit to Bookham.   She is a garden historian, author, researcher and lecturer. She presented Lost Gardens for Channel 4 and has appeared on Gardeners' World as well as making media appearances on a wide range of garden history related topics. She carries out freelance research in the history of specific gardens and parks for bodies such as English Heritage, the National Trust and various private clients. She has a specific interest in the portrayal of plants and gardens in art and literature and the social aspects of garden history. Her publications include A History of Women in the Garden, the highly illustrated A Nation of Gardeners, and a short biography of Gertrude Jekyll, as well as the quirky History of Garden Gnomes!  

Despite his early death, Henry Purcell (1659-95) remains one of the finest musical figures of the late Baroque era, an all round English composer who wrote in a wide variety of musical forms ranging from tiny 16-bar harpsichord pieces to large scale works for the court and the theatre.

The lecture looks closely at Purcell’s music to see exactly what it is that gave him his unique and distinctive musical voice.  It also compares his style with that of contemporary musical wizards on the Continent, and goes on to assess the impact that Purcell had on later generations of composers, including Handel, Haydn, Tippett and Britten.

Peter appears in the UK and abroad as musician and scholar, giving recitals and delivering illustrated lectures on music and the arts and he is always a popular lecturer at Bookham.  He studied singing and early keyboard instruments at the Royal College of Music and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He takes groups to Europe.  Lectures include live music sung and played on piano, virginals or clavichord.   He devises  musical programmes  for special or larger scale events.

From the Renaissance until the late 19th century, art and science existed as one culture. Artists were scientists and scientists were artists. What did they produce, how did they approach work and what can we learn from them? Drawing on examples from over 600 years, this lecture offers a new perspective on how the history of art can illuminate aspects of science.

Sally is a visiting lecturer at the University of Birmingham and has lectured extensively on art, design and antiques throughout the UK. She has broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Four, presents regular history programmes in the Midlands and her publications include Miller's Collecting Modern Design (2001). She has an Honours certificate in public speaking from The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and is a freelance arts journalist for local, national and international media.

2015 marks the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, one of the most famous consitutional documents of all time. To celebrate this occasion, archivist and historian Dr Caroline Shenton will explain what Magna Carta is, how it was made, its historical importance, describe artworks inspired by Magna Carta and  the locations where the four original copies are held. By the end of the lecture you will be able impress your friends and family with your new-found knowledge of why the nation is celebrating this very special birthday!

Caroline is the Director of the Parliamentary Archives at Westminster, an archivist, historian and writer. Educated at St Andrews University, Worcester College Oxford and UCL she was previously a senior archivist at the National Archives; a Fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Historical Society. She is also an Honorary teaching fellow in Archives at the University of Dundee.

She has appeared on national radio and TV and for The Spectator. Her book, The Day Parliament Burned Down, published in 2012, was shortlisted for a number of literary prizes and won the Political Book of the Year Award in 2013.

A verbal, visual and musical kaleidoscope celebrating the British coastline, combining paintings, photographs, posters, sounds of the sea, film, songs, music, and quotations from writers and poets.

Libby is a freelance art historian, curator, film producer, lecturer and writer. She is the world's leading authority on Frank Brangwyn and is currently compiling the catalogue raisonné of all his work - both fine and decorative art - estimated to be in excess of 12,000 items! 

The irrepressible Libby has been commissioned to write film scripts about Fay Godwin, Fiore de Henriquez and Patrick Reyntiens and has expanded her lecture repertoire to reflect her eclectic range of interests.

Tennis probably orginated in Italy in the 14th century and was developed in France.   From the 15th century it was, and still is, called jeu de paume.   Played by aristocrats and royalty originally as a hand ball game, it is well documented in pictures, see above.   The racket had arrived certainly by 1503.

The great paumiers and world champions are discussed.   Other British racket and handball games are examined, together with Lawn Tennis which originated in the 1860's, and including its great champions.

Bob was a director of Phillips' Auction Houses 1979-1998 and President of Phillips' New York 1980 where he conducted in-house seminars in Law Auctions and Fine Art Valuations for the Phillips' group.   He was Chairman of Bonhams North of England 1998-2000. 

In the last twenty years he has lectured and conducted study days extensively in the UK and USA to corporate events, golf clubs and societies.

Waterloo was a defining moment in European history, ending 22 years of war and acting as a catalyst for changes in society that affect our lives to this day. Peter Warwick describes the battle and the key personalities involved, revealing how artists have interpreted the conflict and so contributed to our understanding of what actually happened on 18th June 1815. However, this received wisdom is romantic, Anglo-centric and misleading.

Peter is an author, historian and major event organiser, and a recognised authority on Admiral Lord Nelson. He specialises in naval and polar history and chairs the 1805 Club, which conserves the monuments of the Georgian sailing navy; the New Waterloo Dispatch/Waterloo 200, the official body arranging the bicentenary commemorations for Waterloo in 2015; and Thames Alive which in 2012 arranged the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant and the Thames Olympic Torch Relay. He was vice-chairman of the Official Nelson Commemorations Committee and played a key role in the planning of the Trafalgar 200 and Sea Britain 2005. He lectures at the Defence Academy, National Maritime Museum, National Museum for the Royal Navy, Royal Institution and at schools and universities.

This presentation is part of a series tracing the evolution of the English Country House from medieval fortified dwellings to the stately homes of the 19th century.

Included in this talk are Stokesay Castle, which we will be visiting on our tour of Shropshire in June and we will also look at parallel developments in the decorative arts – the furniture, silver, ceramics and tapestries which so enriched these houses.
 
Finally, the lecture will cover techniques and style as well as discussing the leading craftsmen of the day. Discover the role of salt in the medieval household, why some medieval houses had external staircases but internal porches and find out the origin of the term, ‘a good trencher'.

Naomi has a degree in History and a postgraduate diploma in the Fine & Decorative Arts, and has been involved with the art world for some 30 years in varied roles, from working in an auction house to cataloguing for the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. She has lectured for Bristol and Birmingham universities extra mural departments, taken a sabbatical with the University of New Hampshire in the USA, and talked to many societies interested in architecture and antiques.

This lecture aims to introduce the audience to Russian and twentieth century art through the work of Diaghilev and his internationally renowned ballet company the Ballets Russes. Diaghilev was a leading patron of the Russian avant-garde in the West who interacted with major artistic figures of the day. We will examine his use of the artist in ballet productions and thereby trace the Ballets Russes’ role in the history of modernism.
Particular attention will focus on the visual and moving image; and will look at costume and set designs, photographs, printed
ephemera and ballet film footage.
The lecture will include a general introduction to key themes and artists of the early twentieth-century avant-garde and trace their artistic development through their involvement with the Ballets Russes. Themes of emigration, exchange and the creation of a Russian cultural identity in the West will also be examined.

Theodora Clarke is founder and editor of the online arts magazine Russian Art and Culture. She also set up Russian Art Week in London and publishes the bi-annual guide to this major event. She is an art historian, lecturer and critic specialising in Russian art and European modernism. Theodora lectures widely on twentieth-century avant-garde painting and sculpture to audiences across the UK at museums, galleries, universities and associations, and conducts cultural tours to Russia.

Theodora has previously worked at Christie's and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and holds a BA in Art History from Newcastle University and an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art in Russian Art.

Time: 12 for 12.30pm       Cost:  £20

Mr Punch – the most famous puppet character of all time. His comic irreverence gave “Punch” magazine its title. His anarchic vitality has inspired opera, ballet and punk rock and his enduring popularity has seen his likeness on goods ranging from Victorian silverware to computer video games. Appearing in England in 1662, Punch is descended from the Italian Clown Pulcinella of the C15th Commedia Dell'Arte tradition. Even today this Lord of Misrule uses his slapstick to dispense with oppressive authority, be it politicians, political correctness or the devil, while proclaiming his notorious refrain; "That's the way to do it!”

Bertie Pearce is a Member of The Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star. He has performed all over the world in weird and wonderful places including: The Magic Castle in Hollywood; The Kulm Hotel in St Moritz and The Bertie and Boo Cafe in Balham, 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.
He inherited a fascination with conjuring from his maternal Grandfather Charles Derek Hill who was a classic amateur conjourer of his day, building illusions at local family firm, Higgs and Hill. Equipped with a BA(Hons) in drama from Manchester University, Bertie went on to the Ecole Internationale du Theatre Jaques Lecoq in Paris.

In 2009 Bertie became an accredited Nadfas Lecturer and has toured extensively sharing his passion for Magic, Punch and Judy, Victorian Pastimes and Charles Dickens. He is married and has two children, six light Sussex chickens, two pigs and a border terrier called Buttons.

Inns and public houses are a rich part of Britain’s heritage. Their signs provide us with an abundantly illustrated guide to both our history and our cultural heritage. In this colourful lecture we are shown some of the most interesting and distinctive signs and the fascinating stories behind the origins of some of their peculiar names.

John has recently retired from the University of Bath where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education. His wide ranging career in education and training has given him the opportunity to give lectures and presentations at conferences all over the world.
He has developed highly effective communication skills based upon in in-depth understanding of how people learn and his ability to relate well to people of all ages and backgrounds makes him an impressive and confident speaker. He is now a freelance lecturer drawing upon his eclectic range of interests and enthusiasms. His highly professional digital presentations go well beyond the ordinary lecture with slides. All his talks are very well illustrated, are highly informative and presented with humour.