Upcoming Events

Titian - The First Modern Artist - a lecture by Douglas Skeggs During a long, successful and immensely lucrative career, Titian established himself as the foremost painter of northern Italy. Training in the Bellini workshop, he developed the Venetian love of light and colour, but adding a sense of drama and immediacy that charged his religious, mythological and, most importantly, his portraits with a realism hitherto unknown to the arts. Tough, astute and ambitious, he is often seen as the…

The Nativity in Art from Giotto to Picasso. - a lecture by Clare Ford-Wille The Nativity must be one of the most popular subjects of all with artists, north and south of the Alps, from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Sometimes the scene takes place at night, sometimes during the day. The lecture will explore the many variations of the scene and the possible meanings, depending upon whether midwives, Joseph or shepherds are present, and analyse the various postures…

Oscar Wilde - Up Close. - a lecture by Giles Ramsay "I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works." This lecture examines the public and private life of one of the world's most original and controversial artists. Born into a moderately respectable Dublin family Oscar Wilde recreated himself as an international celebrity and wrote a series of short stories and plays that charmed the world. In 1890 he also published the last…

Mackintosh and the Glasgow Four - a lecture by Anne Anderson Charles Rennie Mackintosh is now regarded as Britain’s greatest architect but it is well known that his potential was never fully realised during his lifetime and he ended his days in obscurity. The role played by his wife, Margaret Macdonald, and his collaborators, Francis Macdonald and Herbert MacNair has also been obscured. At the time Mackintosh claimed that while he was talented his wife was a genius. Margaret certainly…

Bhutan - The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon - a lecture by Zara Fleming A general introduction to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, known by its inhabitants as Druk Yul or land of the Thunder Dragon. This is a reference to the Drukpa tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism that permeates every aspect of Bhutanese life. This lecture explores the history, art and culture of this extraordinary country, which for centuries has preserved its traditional Buddhist values. Over the last few…

"Everything is Art. Everything is Politics" - Ai WeiWei - a lecture by Frank Woodga This lecture will examine the provocative and often beautiful work of the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in the context of dissident art in China, Europe and South America, and examine some of his sources of inspiration, including the Russian Constructivist, Vladimir Tatlin, and the leading Dada artist, Marcel Duchamp. Ai Weiwei collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron in designing the Beijing National Stadium…

Napoleon and His Artists - a lecture by Barry Venning The French painter Girodet, spoke for all those who worked for Napoleon when he said “We were all conscripted, but not all of us wore the uniform”. Bonaparte’s brilliant exploits in the Revolutionary Wars attracted artists from the earliest stages in his career and he made systematic use of art as propaganda to reveal himself as soldier, peacemaker, lawgiver and the possessor of semi-divine imperial power. He was fortunate to…