How do you tell a fake from the real thing? With great difficulty! This talk relates fascinating stories from behind the scenes of the great art museums of the world. Despite cutting-edge modern technology and the expertise of art historians, fake art works continue to circulate on the art market and occasionally make their way into museum collections.

We will hear about the invention and use of radio at the start of the 20th century and its role in mass communication. We look at the early days of the BBC, and some of the people who were vital to its success and explore its relationship with the Government and the worries about the power of this radical new form of communication.

Mankind has exploited the medicinal properties of plants for thousands of years, yet 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, to heal wounds and cure diseases.  

Few historical characters capture our imagination like Mary Stuart. She was a rival claimant to the throne of her Protestant cousin, Elizabeth I. So, at the end of the Tudor era, were two women in a man’s world, where no woman should govern. All around were sycophants, spies and detractors who wanted their power and favour.    

Georgians of all classes dined out in pubs, coaching inns, and confectioners. On a journey through London, we will discover the early morning drinks consumed on the street, Billingsgate dinners, syllabubs & ices, the thin ham dished up to diners at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and even London’s first ‘Indian’ restaurant. 

This talk looks at the extraordinary rags to riches life of designer Coco Chanel. Declining a marriage proposal from the Duke of Westminster “there will be many duchesses of Westminster but only one Coco Chanel” she chose the art of business over marriage to become one of the most successful women of the 20th century.

We will hear about the seemingly happy world of professional, family pantomime and what it’s really like. The bouquets and the brickbats, the famous names, the greatest Dames and why every actor wants to do it. This is a revealing look at professional panto, from someone who was born into it.

Delve into the history and beauty of the Crowns, Orb, Sceptre and other royal jewels used during the coronation ceremony.  Discover the details of the diamonds, rubies, sapphires and pearls used in the royal regalia used by Kings and Queens since 1661. Secrets and mystery abound within these priceless jewels, seen by millions, worn by one.

Dickens has been called “The Man Who Invented Christmas” and indeed on hearing that Dickens had died, a cockney barrow-girl said: “Dickens dead? Then will Father Christmas die too?”  Dickens revived the traditions with his warm portrayal of Christmas in the home. Enjoy a Dickensian Christmas with readings, biography and conjuring tricks.

Van Gogh and Cézanne made little impact on the public mind during their lifetimes. Discover how the work of these artists went from unsold to blockbuster in the early years of the C20th because a few art dealers decided to sponsor them posthumously.

In 1914, Shackleton’s ship was trapped and crushed in the Antarctic ice. The crew rowed to the remote Elephant Island and Shackleton sailed for help to South Georgia over 800 miles away. Three months later he returned to rescue the crew. Frank Hurley was the photographer whose photos are a visual narrative of an epic journey.

Many of Britain’s best-loved country houses were created in the Baroque period. Visiting some of the most iconic houses including Chatsworth, Petworth, and Blenheim, we will meet the patrons who created them and look at some of the highlights of their sumptuous interiors, gardens and collections.

In 1929, a young Daphne discovered an abandoned sailing ship in a Cornish creek with the figurehead of a woman. The ship and its history inspired Daphne to write her first book The Loving Spirit and it brought her international recognition. Here is the true story of that ship and the remarkable woman after whom it was named. 

Pubs and their signs are a fundamental part of our history and cultural heritage. This entertaining talk explores the fascinating stories behind their peculiar names. Who could fail to be intrigued by ‘The Bucket of Blood’, the ‘Cow and Snuffers’ and who on earth was ‘Blind Jack’? 

In the C19th, Mary discovered remains of what were believed to be sea-dragons and we now call marine reptiles. We will look at the social history and influences of Mary and other scientists who revealed how the extinct animals lived.

The antiques market has changed dramatically and pieces that were made during the 1970s can fetch many times more than a piece made in the 1770s. Why has the teak sideboard you threw out become so desirable? This inspirational talk looks at furniture, ceramics, lighting and more and identifies key designs and designers.

The gripping and sometimes hilarious story of how a band of heroic curators and eccentric custodians saved Britain’s national heritage during our Darkest Hour. As Hitler’s forces gathered on the other side of the Channel, men and women from London’s museums and galleries forged extraordinary plans to evacuate their collections to safety.  

Mayfair is one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in the world.  Explore the humble early roots of this area and later its aristocratic appeal. Visit Berkeley Square, see posh shops, private members’ clubs, beautiful buildings and public art. We’ll discover some of the secrets behind the silk curtains and gilded shutters. 

In 1824, Lord Liverpool’s government bought 38 paintings for £57,000. Originally on display in a house, it was decided that a gallery was needed for the collection. We will hear some of the high and low points of the gallery’s early years, including suffragette sabotage, bombs and theft!

A change of topic as, sadly, Nigel Bates is ill and has had to cancel.

Carole Petipher

The collections of Napoleon & Josephine at the Chateau de Malmaison

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 them one of the most followed couples in history? Answers are revealed by exploring the collections at the Chateau de Malmaison.

Monopoly is one of the most popular and enduring board games. But how well do we really know it? Expect some surprises as we explore the classic 1936 London version, find properties that don’t actually exist and uncover the story behind the game we all know so well.

From the early talkies to the golden age of Hollywood, musicals were hugely popular but then declined at the end of the studio era. Find out about this uniquely American art form, with excerpts from the films of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly and more.

The extraordinarily rich hoard found at Sutton Hoo dates from the early 7th century and tells us a great deal about the wealth and culture of Anglo Saxons. But who was buried within the ship in the mound?

The international art market is dominated by four British auctioneers. How do auction houses function and what goes on behind the scenes? With particular reference to Sotheby’s and Bonhams – both founded in the 18th century – all will be revealed!

Tyler will reveal the pains and pleasures of a career in the theatre and take us through the intricate processes of putting on a play from the actor’s perspective, from the casting session to the curtain call and all stops in between.

Thousands of people visit places associated with their favourite writers. What makes us so interested in seeing where great literature began? Starting in Shakespeare’s Stratford, we’ll move to Bronte country and then to Jane Austen’s home and will find collectors, custodians and even forgers!

Cleopatra VII – ‘the shame of Egypt’ – is one of the most intriguing figures in history. This talk will focus on her personality, the events of her life and the men in it, and crucially, what did she look like?

Recipe books have reflected the eating habits of kings, innkeepers and restaurant owners, as well as home cooks and paupers who visited the soup kitchens of Victorian London. This talk tells the story of the cookbook and will tempt you, or indeed disgust you, with a few choice recipes.

The story of Banksy’s humble beginnings as a ‘tagger’ on the streets of Bristol in the 1980s to one of the most recognisable names in the art world is truly remarkable. We look at some of his stunts and discuss his influence on the art market.

A light-hearted talk, describing what we know about the three kings – or rather what we don’t know! How many kings were there? We assume there were 3 because they brought 3 gifts. And we don’t even know their gender – some of them might have been women!

This talk looks at iconic photographs that are embedded in our collective memory, traces the fascinating stories of how they came to be produced, and places them in the context of our appreciation of art.

Giles loved his creation, Grandma Giles – that fearsome, black-clad, gambling, drinking battle-axe – because she allowed him to say things he could not and helped him to poke fun at authority, from Hitler to traffic wardens. Giles gave us a remarkable picture of a half-century of British life.

The history of Faber and Faber through its illustrations, covers and designs. Faber has employed celebrated artists from Rex Whistler to Peter Blake and Damien Hirst. The talk will be peppered with personal insight and anecdote!

For Victorians their homes were not simply bricks and mortar but reflected meanings and values that the age held most dear. This talk looks at the history of the middle-class home, and the new ideas and technologies which showed the owners’ wealth and status.

In 1889 the young Lutyens, later to become the most famous British architect of the 20th century, met the artist & gardener Jekyll at a tea-party in rural Surrey. Their joint creations of house and garden were to become the talk of Edwardian society.

In the 19th century, Paris was the destination for mass middle-class tourism & British artists painted memorable views of the city. This talk looks at the reactions of early 19th century British visitors to the city and explores a range of beautiful drawings, prints & watercolours.

We love standing in a museum gazing at a painting by Titian or Caravaggio, but where was it was before it came to be in that museum, and how did it get there? HOW did they get four life-size bronze horses of San Marco from Venice, over the Alps to Paris for Napoleon’s new museum? This talk will delve into the astonishing history of the movement of art works. 

A huge amount of talent thrived in this street in Chelsea, including JM Whistler, Oscar Wilde and John Singer Sargent.  It was home to artists, suffragettes, queers and madmen. This talk ties together the lives of its inhabitants to form a colourful tapestry of art and intrigue.

From the poignancy of Landseer, Queen Victoria’s favourite animal painter; to the dachshunds of Bonnard and Picasso; the whippets of Freud and more, dogs have provided inspiration and companionship throughout artistic lives.

Bruegel’s brief career introduced new subjects of landscape and everyday life.  But these apparently innocent and joyous pictures contain hidden social and political messages which are being rediscovered by scholars.

The history from its origins in 16th century Italian commedia dell’arte through the influence of 19th century music hall, to the family shows of today; the origins of stories used in pantomime & such traditions as the principal boy and the pantomime dame. Includes personal anecdotes from years of working professionally in pantomime. (He has understudied Julian Clary!).

In 1936 Laura Knight became the first woman to be elected as a full member of the Royal Academy. In her extraordinary career she painted landscapes, portraits and scenes from the circus. She was the only woman to be given War Commissions in both World Wars and the only British artist to cover the Nuremberg Trials of 1946. This talk provides an overview of her fascinating career and achievements. 

Both authors chronicled the rapidly changing London of the 1920s and ‘30s, writing in the same genre but in radically different ways. They had very particular views on where their characters should live and work; a revealing investigation in itself. Hear how the two great Queens of Crime brought the metropolis to life and how Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey found a home there.

From the end of the 17th century, French taste was supreme. So how lucky it was that a wave of skilled Huguenot craftsmen fled to London, escaping persecution in Catholic France! This talk examines the silk weaving trade and explains the role this trade and these luxurious garments played in raising English style and elegance.

Picture Post was the start of photojournalism. Every aspect of life was covered and the creation of the arts featured in the photographic essays which reflected the austerity of Post War Britain. The talk includes contemporary film clips, period advertising and arts sales. A fascinating nostalgic reminder of what influenced people at the time.

The lives and early works of Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley and Morisot will be explored in this lively and entertaining lecture. Their desperation to gain recognition and make their mark is apparent and both the painting styles adopted and subject matter depicted were to cause a revolution in the Art World. 

Until late in her short life, Austen’s time was spent “no more regarded in society than a poker or fire-screen.” She was sustained by a crazy sense of fun; by a love of country life, of writing and reading; and by her sister Cassandra. With slides of paintings, drawings, portraits, mementoes and silhouettes coloured by her own hand.

Blenheim Palace is an uncompromising monument to English military ambition and one family's self- importance. The story of its construction is a fascinating catalogue of excess and outrage, while the result is both monstrous and sublime. The talk explores the characters involved and considers the real impact the palace has left on the nation. 

The genius of Brunel underpins this global story of hopes and dreams, disasters and triumphs. This talk features a wide range of ships, including the Great Britain, Lusitania, Titanic and the Queen Mary, brought to life through historic and contemporary artworks, including striking Art Deco posters and rich interiors.

Villiers was the favourite of King James I and later chief minister to King Charles I. Villiers surrounded himself with beautiful things and in his great house on the Strand, his art collection was as fine as King Charles’s. At the age of 35, Villiers was murdered and his collection was scattered, but inventories allow us to reconstruct it – Titians, Tintorettos, Rubens and more.

Changing weather, climates and the passing of time have inspired artists for centuries. Through the skill of the artist, we can experience the torrid heat of an Australian Summer, the cool mists of an English Autumn, the beauty of a snow-bound Winter and the bright freshness of Spring. 

The Nutcracker ballet has delighted audiences at Christmas for years yet it was originally a failure. Based upon the current Royal Ballet production, this talk takes a close look at how the elements of this well-loved ballet come together to make the most magical escape for young and old alike. 

Gertrude Jekyll, garden designer and artist, famously compared creating a flower border to creating a water colour painting. We will hear how both artists and gardeners achieve a variety of effects and we will look at examples of borders from gardens around the world and paintings by artists such as Turner, Monet, Rothko, and Jackson Pollock.

The Rockefellers not only amassed one of the greatest art collections of the 20th Century, including superb impressionists, but also donated their 9 storey New York townhouse on Fifth Avenue to found the Museum of Modern Art. An incredibly private family, Andrew met someone who knew the Rockefellers and learnt some of their secret and shameful stories.

Caravaggio’s paintings inspired many artists during his lifetime and would go on to influence many more, from Orazio Gentileschi to Rubens and Rembrandt. His style spread across Europe and gave rise to the international movement known as ‘Caravaggism’. Yet for many, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is famed as much for his criminal record as for his art. This talk follows the dramatic incidents of the artist’s life and looks at why and how his influence spread so far.

Wine has been part of society for over 7,000 years. We will explore the role that wine has played in European life and how it became an important component of faith, well-being and festivity. From ancient Greece, to Pompeii, the hospices of Europe, and to the dining tables of fine society, wine has been ever present. Drawings, paintings, buildings, pottery and wine labels themselves all contribute to the story.

The invention of the ball could rank as highly as the invention of the wheel. Simon has spent years delving into cubbyholes at pavilions and factories, finding out how these objects came into being and how design has evolved. Why are marbles glass? Why were games such as lawn tennis and ping pong made possible only in the mid-19th century? Why did some billiard balls explode, and why are rugby balls such an odd shape?  All will be explained!

Wine merchants, poisoners, mine owners and creators of afternoon tea - the colourful history of one of England’s oldest aristocratic families and the fascinating art that surrounds them.  We will hear the story of the Russell family from the 15th to the 20th century.

For Downton Abbey, Andrew produced many jewels for the main characters. This talk is based on Downton and the changing styles of the time portrayed. We will explore this period when the great fashion houses collaborated with the finest of jewellers to produce works of art of outstanding quality and glittering opulence.

What was it like to live and work in a castle? In this talk, we will explore the lives of the ordinary folk in castles - the masons, carpenters, cooks, clerks, servants, stable-hands and lower status visitors to great castles. Instead of studying huge halls and bedrooms, here we delve into the kitchens, stables, staircases, cellars and garderobes to uncover evidence of how the ‘downstairs staff’ lived.

With many years of research into the materials and techniques used by Constable, Sarah’s expertise has been called upon by BBC1’s Fake or Fortune? She will give us a ‘behind the scenes’ look at how paintings are examined and decisions made and will describe some extraordinary success but also crashing disappointments!

Hear stories of women’s lives during the dark years of Nazi occupation and beyond, including British and American women caught in Paris as well as native born resisters who were eventually sent to camps. There are couturiers and jewellers, some of whom flourished in wartime, as well as actors, singers, night club dancers and housewives.

Taught from childhood by artists including Edward Lear, throughout her life Queen Victoria painted and sketched. There are delightful watercolours of the people around her, together with revealing self-portraits. We will hear about her love of ballet, singing and the opera.

Dickens created a staggering array of wonderful characters with orphans, starving children and abusive schoolteachers among them. Mr Micawber, Fagin and Magwitch remain in one’s literary psyche long after the books are put down. We will look at the life and places of Dickens through his characters and hear readings from his work. 

On the basis of sensational new evidence from fieldwork, Neil will contrast the legend of Lawrence with the truth of what happened in the famous desert war of 1916/18. Is the legend a myth? Was Lawrence a liar and a charlatan? Or was he a brilliant military commander and advocate of the Arab national cause? 

We will be transported back to the 1935 Silver Jubilee Celebrations of King George V and Queen Mary and look at a range of art forms. The work of Cecil Beaton; magazine, poster and Penguin paperback design; architecture; commemorative stamps; locomotive design and Art Deco interiors on stylish cruise liners. 

From the Renaissance through to the present day, fine art has provided advertisers with material to enhance brand imagery with admiration, humour and satire. In an entertaining talk, we will hear about the creative process and the (not always entirely successful) advertisements that are the end result.

Many women were amongst the artists commissioned to record the Blitz and devastation in Europe. They painted land girls back home, women in factories and the ATS, all stepping forward to keep the country going. Discover lesser known artists whose work was shown at the National Gallery, while its masterpieces were hidden in slate mines.

The Christmas that we now celebrate is largely based on one that the Victorians invented, but there are many traditions that we take for granted that have their origins in much earlier times…

Who invented mince pies, Christmas pudding and cake? When did cross dressing and slapstick from theatrical performances become part of the Christmas tradition? Who invented and designed the first Christmas card and what themes were popular in this artistic industry? All will be revealed in this light hearted and informative talk.

Dutch art was quite different to any other art of the seventeenth century. It dealt with the real lives of people: at times ordered, at others bawdy or self-important and occasionally tragic. We will hear how Holland achieved its independence through its bitter wars with Spain; how its new Protestant mentality allowed astonishing advances in science as Rembrandt shows in his portrait of Dr Tulp; how its merchant wealth is reflected in serene seascapes by Van de Velde and Van Goyen, its civic pride in the brilliant portraits of Frans Hals, and its insistence on moral order and well-scrubbed households in the enigmatic poetry of Vermeer.

We will explore how art is the mirror of its age and how the age is preserved in its art.

‘Big Ben’ is one of the most iconic buildings in the world – it identifies the UK and democracy in the Western world. But there is a lot more to this tower than the beautiful external gothic architecture. Using stunning images, we will be taken on a virtual tour of the interior, saving us the effort of climbing 334 spiral stairs.

We will hear about the controversial personalities involved in the designing and building of the tower and look behind the magnificent clock faces before going into the belfry to see Big Ben.

Like its name, 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, fuelled by an endless round of champagne, cocaine, parties and jazz. This talk aims to conjure up the energy and originality of the decade and to explore the lives of its leading figures and examples of its most innovative art and design.

London’s grandest thoroughfare for centuries, the Thames has hosted royal weddings and state funerals, fireworks and frost fairs, music and masques, coronations and Lord Mayors’ pageants. Teeming with life and busy with shipping, we will hear how the City’s life-blood has also been the playground of both royalty and the common man, with palaces and pleasure gardens along its banks. The Thames has inspired poets, artists, composers and chroniclers; in Edmund Spenser’s words it has ‘dansed as a stage’. 

For over a century, posters have been brightening up the dark walls of the Tube. Beautiful, striking and informative they’re the best public art to have come out of the tunnels. When seen together, these posters not only tell the story of the Underground, they tell a story of London and graphic design too. The range is magnificent. Idyllic watercolours encouraging escapes to the country, visits to museums and sporting events, the posters trace the fashions and anxieties of Londoners and also reveal the artistic styles of the time and the emergence of key artists.

With six world-class orchestras, two opera houses, abundant events, and a major centre of popular music, London can be called the musical capital of the world.  We will explore how the city developed its wonderful traditions of public music from the 16th century to the present day, from concert hall to rock stage. The story involves many colourful individuals, Purcell, Handel and Elgar among them, who have left their mark on the musical life of the city.  Richly illustrated with musical examples, we will hear how many of our national institutions are inextricably linked to some of the greatest music. 

One of the most derided towns in England, renowned for its dullness, Basingstoke is distinguished only by its numerous roundabouts and absurd Modernist architecture. The post-war planners, who inflicted such features as ‘the Great Wall of Basingstoke’ on the town, were politically-motivated and bent on destroying all traces of its past. But a nobler Basingstoke is buried beneath the concrete. Hilariously told, it is a story that neatly illustrates the ugliest episode in England’s architectural history. As Betjeman wrote prophetically, “What goes for Basingstoke goes for most English towns”. 

Forks and salt-cellars, Bacchus and the Garden of Eden, medieval banquets, Mrs Beeton and coffee-houses; through the centuries, food and its rituals have provided a vibrant opportunity for artists to celebrate, to analyse their world and even to develop complex ideas of morality. This talk will examine the changing significance of food and feasting and its symbolism for faith, wealth and even gender, through objects and images.

The 1700s was a period when the people of England seemed to be especially gullible.  They believed a woman could give birth to rabbits and a balloonist could fly in a Chinese Temple.  Such hoaxes, which involved the likes of Jonathan Swift and Samuel Johnson, were written about in newspapers and brilliantly depicted by artists such as William Hogarth. This entertaining talk illustrates sundry hoaxes and deliberate deceptions; all of which are memorable not only for the imaginative nature of the swindles, but also because of the differing motives of the tricksters.

Experience the story of gold and its significance and symbolism within the history of art: as the colour of the sun; the colour of divinity; the colour of status and the colour of love. From creations ancient and contemporary, sacred and profane - all that glitters is certainly gold…

As a child, Antony first met Picasso when the artist visited Farley Farm in 1950 and they became instant friends. Antony’s parents were Roland Penrose, the curator and biographer of Picasso, and Lee Miller, the photographer, whose images illustrate this entertaining account of life around Picasso.

Hans Holbein, who wasn’t born in England at all, (he was born in Germany in 1497/8), is a prime candidate for the title of Father of British painting. He brought the Renaissance from Northern Europe to London and was the first known, named artist to emerge in this country. Working in perilous times, he produced a widely ranging oeuvre in all sorts of different materials and ended up as court painter to King Henry VIII. The faces and figures that emerge from his portraits form a procession of the age, portrayed with penetrating psychological insight that turns such celebrities of that turbulent time as Erasmus, Thomas More and Henry himself 

In this lecture five well-known paintings will be chosen, and their meaning explained. There are a number of ways in which paintings can be deciphered. One approach is to read a painting as if reading a book; another is to simply appreciate its colours and form; a third approach is to let the painting’s mood speak to you. Using these approaches, the presentation will attempt to make the chosen paintings more accessible and enjoyable.  This will be an engaging and jargon-free talk!

We use soaps, shampoos, creams, powders and perfumes. We choose our clothes carefully and visit the hairdressers to make ourselves appear, perhaps, more attractive, fashionable and pleasing to the eye. It seems this was always the case, with evidence from Ancient Egypt and Greece showing the use of potions, makeup and decorative clothing. Over the centuries, fashion became more and more ridiculous, and indeed positively dangerous. So, when we raise our eyebrows to some bizarre modern fashion, or tut tut over people resorting to cosmetic surgery, we will discover in this fascinating lecture that nothing is new! 

Picture: Windsor Great Park from Bishopsgate, Paul Sandby 1780

Windsor Great Park is the largest and oldest space in the densely populated south-east of England and the most important site in north-west Europe of ancient oak trees. Its origins lie in the hunting forest of the Saxon and Norman kings. In the 18th century the Duke of Cumberland began the transformation of a section of the Park into his country estate, creating Virginia Water Lake. King George IV used the Park as his private pleasure ground, complete with a Chinese Fishing Temple and a Royal Menagerie. In 2006, 1000 acres of the Park were designated “The Royal Landscape”, including Virginia Water Lake and the Savill and Valley Gardens. This lecture traces the development of the Park and its historic buildings from Saxon times to the present day.  

Photo: Grayson Perry's 'A House for Essex'. A holiday home available to rent.

Widely known for his appearances dressed as his feminine alter ego, Claire, Grayson Perry RA is now a core part of the art establishment. Ten years after winning the Turner Prize he gave the brilliant BBC Reith Lecture in 2013. His works of ceramics, textiles, tapestries and prints are highly sought after. Often controversial, he is able to tackle difficult subjects in a poignant yet witty way. This talk will examine Grayson Perry’s works, his exciting and thought-provoking exhibitions, and we’ll look at the character inside the flamboyant frock

Photo: The Shard by St Thomas' Hospital

Looking at the changes to the famous London skyline viewed from across the River Thames, we start with the aftermath of the Great Fire. London became a brick-built city with Wren’s classical St Paul’s, and later the Victorian icons such as the Palace of Westminster and Tower Bridge. The second half of the talk starts with the 20th century, and the height of buildings was limited by how high a fireman’s ladder could reach - 100 ft.  We consider the many changes after wartime damage, and how designs of the 1960s and 70s altered the skyline. The latest tall buildings in the City, the first of which was the ‘Gherkin’, are now joined by the ‘Shard’, the ‘Cheesegrater’ and the ‘Walkie-Talkie’. Finally, we look at some of the tall buildings under construction on the South Bank and City periphery.

Picture: Landscape Painters at Work, by Honoré Daumier, published in "Le Boulevard"17 August 1862

Modern art is often considered difficult, but it is much less so when seen through the eyes of some of the greatest cartoonists of the last one hundred and fifty years, who provide a humorous and sceptical but instructive guide to modern art from Courbet to the Britart of the 1990s. A chance to enjoy the insights and cartoons of (among others) Daumier, Larry, Thelwell, Matt, the wise guys at the New Yorker magazine and, of course, the immortal Giles. Collectively, they provide an absorbing, illuminating and, above all, a funny, revealing and sidelong view of 150 years of modern art. 

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

Picture: The Lute Player by Caravaggio

The lute holds a special place in the history of art: painters of the Italian Renaissance depicted golden-haired angels plucking its delicate strings, evoking celestial harmony; in the sixteenth century, the lute was a becoming pastime of educated courtiers, as depicted by the likes of Holbein and Titian. Throughout the seventeenth century, the instrument continued to play a key role in emphasising the intimate, debauched and transient pleasures of interior scenes by Jan Steen and portraits by Frans Hals. This lecture looks at the lute, and other musical instruments, as devices to express various aspects of the human character throughout the ages.

“Antiques. I don’t understand them and they’re beyond my budget. They’re not for me.” This presentation is a persuasive introduction to buying antiques and integrating and using them in today’s homes. The state of the antiques market and the different meanings of the word ‘value’ are considered, and we take a look at what current and future generations of collectors are buying, why they are buying it and how they are displaying it.

In this illustrated lecture, Sarah Dunant, international bestselling novelist of the Italian renaissance, shares the secrets of her trade. To recreate the past as a living, breathing place, Sarah has visited churches, archives, museums and art galleries all over Italy. This is the story of her discoveries; how the decoding of old paintings alongside the work of the most modern historians helped her to penetrate hidden worlds inside the Renaissance, finding wonder and drama in ordinary lives and exploring the complexities of politics and religion along with emotion, the senses, and the heady appetites of body and soul.

The new style of impressionism is discussed and what contributed to it.

The French Berthe Morisot (1841-1895), was considered by her male contemporaries to be the greatest woman impressionist, moving swiftly from well-born amateur to professional artist. She worked in oils and pastels Berthe was constrained and frustrated by her gender and social position.

Many of her paintings reflect domestic life in the smart suburb of Paris where she lived.  She had a reciprocal artistic arrangement with her great friend Edouard Manet- she was never his pupil. In contrast the American May Cassatt (1844-1926), was free to paint at social gatherings but is best known for her delightful studies of women and children, in oil, watercolour and pastel. A study of Japanese prints and techniques influenced her etchings and outstanding colour prints. The work of Berthe and May is compared to that of their male colleagues.

Ravenna with its cluster of 5th and 6th century churches, baptistries and mausoleums contains some of the finest examples of early Christian art, a kaleidoscopic array of glittering wall mosaics. This was an art form in which the Byzantines excelled, producing examples of truly outstanding beauty and technical perfection in Ravenna. Dante describes the mosaics as “a great symphony of colour, their chief characteristics being clarity, harmony, brilliant colours and a decorative rhythmic design”. This is my most popular lecture. 

Vivaldi is the one Baroque composer whose music is a direct reflection of the city in which it was composed. Listen to a Vivaldi concerto and hey presto you are transported directly to the heart of 18th century Venice. The reasons for this are many – Vivaldi’s passion for colour, display and spectacle in his music; the unusual way in which Venice solved its problems with the poor and the homeless; Vivaldi’s health problems and his eccentricities as a man and a priest. Against the luxurious backdrop of 18th century Venice, and with live musical performances, this lecture (or study day) explores the amazing world of Vivaldi’s music - music that is as intrinsically Venetian as the canvasses of Canaletto. 

Henry Moore’s (1898-1986) life and career spanned most of the twentieth century and his work is celebrated internationally. This lecture will explain the reasons for Moore’s “infamous holes” and set his sculpture into the context of his time. The British Museum and Picasso provided his early inspiration before Moore arrived – in both, his drawings and his sculpture – at his own distinctive style with his key-theme of the human figure.

Reading: Russell, J., 1973 Henry Moore Pelican Exhibition Catalogue Royal Academy London 1988

Sir William and Lady Walton's Italian Garden Paradise: La Mortella means 'the place of myrtles', and rocks and myrtles were everywhere on the property acquired by Sir William Walton, the British composer, and his young Argentinian bridge Susana,when he decided to settle on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples.

This lecture tells the story of how the wild place was transformed into an amazing garden and a wonderful work of art. There will be colourful anecdotes accompanying the beautiful images and music too, imbued with the light of the Mediterranean, played at the conclusion.

Picasso told his biographer, John Richardson, that his work was like a diary – “To understand it, you have to see how it mirrors my life”. This lecture examines the way Picasso’s emotional life influenced what he painted and how he painted it. His response to each new love in his life can be seen in the different styles in which his many women were represented. When he fell out of love, that fact would be revealed first in his paintings. The lecture concentrates on the seven most important women in his life (two of whom he married).

Between 1870 and 1914 hundreds of American heiresses flooded the shores of continental Europe, trading fortunes for titles. They were known as The Dollar Princesses and included Consuelo Vanderbilt at Blenheim and Mary Curzon at Kedleston. These marriages - dubbed by some as gilded prostitution – were usually hard-headed matches plotted by the parents. They may have kept many a grand estate from collapsing but few provided lasting happiness when the fairy tale was exposed. This lecture examines the clothes, the portraits, the jewels and the literature of The Dollar Princesses. 

All too often an over-heated tourist office will dub its local mansion “a treasure house”. In this case, it is no exaggeration.

Today we trace the story of Waddesdon and its collection via its people. We start briefly considering the origin of the fabulous Rothschild wealth. We build the house and its core collection with Baron Ferdinand in the later 19th century. We continue with the story of the subsequent owners and their major additions to the collection. We examine Miss Alice, the sister and heiress to the Baron, whose strict conservation rules are still current today. We follow with Mr. and Mrs. James de Rothschild who gave the property to a somewhat unwilling National Trust. We see how Waddesdon still relies on Rothschild support, finance and direction today. Such help has ensured a major refurbishment of both house and garden…causing both to win many an award. A study of fine art, decisive characters and great achievement. 

Have any other buildings brought such pleasure to so many?

We follow the arrival of moving pictures in the 1890s, looking at early venues such as converted shops and fairground booths. Then the architecture becomes increasingly lavish and we marvel at the plush inter-war picture palaces.  Odeons, Astorias, Gaumonts, Alhambras and Granadas abound.

We look too at the decline of the cinema-going habit but end on a high with a vibrant celebration of the movie poster (Fred Astaire, 'Third Man', Hitchcock and all).

Our lecture today is about 300 years of Christmas shows at one London’s greatest theatres.

14.00 pm (coffee from 13.20 pm)
Location: Lord Roberts Centre

In the centre of the City of London stands its ancient headquarters, the medieval Guildhall. The present building dates from 1411 and remarkably is still in use today. The crypts are even earlier, and the whole building stands on the site of London’s Roman amphitheatre. It contains a wealth of wonderful artistic pieces that commemorate significant events over the centuries, including victories at Trafalgar and Waterloo.

This lecture describes the Guildhall exterior and interior and explores its fascinating monuments, how they came about and what they represent.