Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

Theatrical scene design is one of the world's most beautiful, varied and lively art forms. In his talk, Bertie looks at the relationship between actor and audience and how this transformed the space and architecture of theatre throughout the ages. Beginning with the Greeks and their remarkable innovations to pageants, masques, liturgical drama, through the science of perspective, to court theatre. A quick glance at Commedia dell'arte before entering the Elizabethan stage of the Globe and the Fortune and arriving at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. From great architects such as Inigo Jones and Frank Matcham, to practitioners such as Granville Barker and Gordon Craig and designers Cecil Beaton and Oliver Messel, Bertie brings to life the magical world of theatre.

Bertie Pearce has a BA (Hons) in Drama from Manchester University, and a Diploma Internationale from the École Internationale du Théatre, Jacques Lecoq. A member of the Inner Magic Circle, with Gold Star. Past experience includes lecturing and performing on cruise ships, and to U3A, historical societies, festivals, schools and colleges. In addition, has toured the world with a magic cabaret show and a one man show entitled All Aboard. Has written articles for newspapers and magazines on entertainment and theatre.

Please note, this is a change from the advertised programme.

This lecture will not be available on Zoom. 

That strange noise that opera singers make, is it really necessary? And if, so, why do they make it? How do they make it? Is it something anyone can do or are they some race apart? The talk is liberally illustrated with picture, video, sound, both live and recorded, and a small (unstressful) amount of audience participation. This talk is designed to appeal to opera fan, opera sceptic and opera ignoramus in equal measure.

Tim Mirfin is an opera singer. He has performed in all major European countries, Russia, US, Australia and the Middle East. He has given concerts in some of classical music’s most iconic venues, such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Vienna’s Musikverein, the Bolshoi, the Wigmore, Festival and Albert Halls. He also teaches singing, gives masterclasses, lectures on opera and the voice and runs a local community choir.  He studied postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music and National Opera Studio, previously reading law at Cambridge. He is passionate both about opera as an art form and also about the sheer act of singing. He is keen to share peaks behind the curtain on both apparently mysterious activities.

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

Fine art has provided advertisers and their agencies with a great deal of material to use in their creative campaigns. I describe some of the processes by which these advertisements have been created and why the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo have been a particularly rich source of material and inspiration. From the Renaissance, through to the present day, fine art continues to provide opportunities to enhance Brand imagery with admiration, humour, satire and irony.

In an entertaining and informative lecture I use a wide range of visuals and video to show examples of the original works of art, the creative process and the (not always entirely successful) advertisements that are the end result.

Tony was educated at Highgate School, starting his career in advertising in 1965 as a mail boy in J. Walter Thompson. He graduated through the training system there to become an account director and subsequently worked in a number of agencies before setting up on his own in 1985. There he handled primarily Guinness advertising in Africa and the Caribbean, where he produced many commercials and print ads for them over a period of 15 years. He remains active as a consultant in the industry, but more recently has concentrated on more philanthropic projects - producing a film in the rural villages of Nigeria for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and completing a sanitation project in Haiti after it was devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. He has been a member of The Arts Society for many years and has been an accredited lecturer since 2017.

He is married with 5 children, and is a keen guitarist, enthusiastic choral singer and optimistic tennis player.

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

I put my hand down on Jane’s desk and bring it up covered with dust. Oh, that some of her genius might rub off on me!  (Barbara Pym on visiting Jane Austen’s House) 

Every year, thousands of people visit sites associated with their favourite writers: graves, birthplaces, writers’ house museums - even fictional settings. But what is it that makes us so interested in seeing where great literature began? Does seeing a grave or a birthplace, or even a lock of hair, bring us closer to the writer or the work? This fascinating lecture takes us on a journey through the history of literary tourism in the UK.     

Beginning in Stratford in the 18th century with the cult of Shakespeare, we move north to Scotland and then end with the founding of museums dedicated to Wordsworth, the Brontes and Jane Austen. Along the way we learn about the people who’ve played their part in this history; including enthusiast collectors, custodians, literary pilgrims – even forgers! 

 Following a career in teaching, Annalie Talent spent several years working on education programmes at museums and literary houses across the UK, including the Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere; Wordsworth House in Cockermouth; Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire; and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. At Jane Austen’s House, Annalie won the Sandford Award for Excellence in Heritage Education; she also worked with the British Library, the Bodleian Library, and Chawton House Library in promoting Austen’s work to young people.  Annalie’s lectures focus on aspects of Romantic and Victorian literature. She uses her knowledge and personal experience of literary houses - and their collections - to offer a unique perspective on writers and their works. 

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

The Oxford English Dictionary defines portraiture as “a representation...of a person, especially the face...”. However, this simple explanation belies the complexities of reproducing the face. Portraits range from the symbolic, where a likeness was not required, to images where concern with identity opens up the areas of character, personality, mood, status, costume, occupation, gender and age. We also need to consider the relationship between sitter and painter. Portraits are quite distinct from other categories in art in the way they are made, the nature of what they represent and how they work in terms of display. 

Alice Foster has lectured for Oxford University Department of Continuing Education since 1998. She lectures regularly at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. Her freelance career includes organising History of Art study days with colleagues, and regular weekly classes in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire. In 2004 Alice joined The Arts Society and has lectured in Britain and in Europe. In 2025 she undertakes tours of Australia and New Zealand. Since 2003 Alice has been a tutor on study holidays in Italy. Currently, Alice is a residential tutor at the Argyll Hotel on the Isle of Iona, specialising in Scottish art. In 2010 she was elected President of Banbury Fine Arts Society.

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

How do artists and designers reach fame and hold onto it? Is genius enough? In the 1950s Finn Juhl was one of the most celebrated architects and designers in the world. Only 30 years later he had fallen into total obscurity, his works selling for a pittance. But today he is recognised as one of the giants of Mid-Century Modern design - with one of his chairs achieving over £430,000 at auction. What was behind this extraordinary reversal in fortune, and what does it tell us about the vagaries of artistic success? 

This talk reveals Juhl’s genius by examining his unique and iconic furniture but also looks at the other factors that catapulted him to international attention…and ultimately failed him. It explores the incredible twists of fate and the personalities that propelled Finn Juhl back to fame, from a professor in Japan obsessed with chairs, to New York vintage dealers and a chance sofa commission that created a furniture empire. There's even a remarkable royal find in the United Kingdom that’s had Danes scratching their heads for half a century. 

There’s so much more to Danish Modern than teak and, by comparing other designs from the mid-century by Kaare Klint, Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, the lecture demonstrates why Danish furniture is now so collectible and why Juhl deserves his place in history.

Finally, using Juhl as a test case, the talk suggests just what is needed to create and sustain artistic success.

James Vaux is a researcher and lecturer specialising in Nordic arts, culture, design and history. He has presented extensively on diverse topics throughout his career to audiences across the globe, including CEOs and government ministers. His talks now focus on understanding art through its historic, cultural and political context.  

James read law at Oxford and qualified as a solicitor before switching careers. As a managing director of the international bank Rothschild, he advised governments and corporates worldwide. He set up and ran the bank’s Nordic operations, living and working in Scandinavia and immersing himself in the countries’ arts, culture and history. James then gained an MA (Distinction) at UCL in Language, Culture and History (Scandinavian Studies). His dissertation was on Swedish design, and he specialised in landscapes, the Viking Age, politics and literature. 

He studied interior design and art history at the Inchbald School, Mid-Century Modern at Sotheby’s Institute and electronic music at Point Blank. He has also been a DJ, promoter, record label owner, hosted a local radio show for four years and ran a pop-up community cinema. He is currently chairman of the Oxford University Society of West Sussex. He now lectures and provides study days focusing on Scandinavian arts and design, Danish landscape painting and mid-century furniture, Norse mythology, Icelandic culture, the Modern Breakthrough in Nordic painting and the role of modernism in the Cold War. 

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

This lecture will not be available on Zoom

Whether drawing duchesses or portraying princes, John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was high society’s leading portraitist. Flaunting a consummate technique, his luxurious canvases mirrored his subjects’ wealth. Yet beneath the dazzling veneer of works such as Madame X, The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit and Lady Agnew of Lochnaw lurks a much rawer world by far. Sargent certainly scandalised Parisian society and the city’s Salon with his frank depictions of human sexuality, yet he was even more modern than they might have feared. This talk charts the artist’s life and his prolific output, showing that, like the era he came to represent, Sargent was always on the cusp of seismic change.

A writer and broadcaster, Gavin Plumley appears on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and contributes to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes worldwide. Lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe. Recent appearances include Klimt and The Kiss in cinemas worldwide, and talks for the Hay and Cheltenham Literature Festivals, the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Trust, the National Theatre, the British Museum and the V&A. His first book, A Home for All Seasons, is out now.

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

This thought-provoking presentation is well illustrated with carefully chosen examples taken from both popular culture and the fine arts. The first half of the lecture explores what illusions are, before explaining why and how they deceive us. In the second part of the lecture we examine how illusions have been used both ‘in art’ and ‘as art’. We will look at examples from artists as diverse William Hogarth, René Magritte and the extraordinary sculptures of Bruno Catalano. Ukrainian artist Oleg Shupylak continues to intrigue us with hidden ‘pictures in pictures’ and the beautiful transformational paintings by Rob Gonsalves will not be forgotten quickly.

Formerly a lecturer at the University of Bath where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education with responsibility for the professional development of teachers. He has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant, giving him the opportunity to give lectures and presentations at conferences all over the world. Over the last decade he has been a speaker on the Arts Society circuit in the UK and Europe as well as a frequent visitor to the societies in Australia and New Zealand. 

The lecture will be followed by the Christmas lunch

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall’. Bess of Hardwick is one of the most fascinating women of the sixteenth century and her most famous building, Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, survives as a fine example of Elizabethan creativity, magnificence and pride. During this study day we’ll examine Bess’s story, her rising social status, her association with Mary, Queen of Scots, her many husbands and her royal aspirations. We’ll also look at her earlier great house, Chatsworth, before concentrating on her surviving masterpiece, Hardwick Hall, its architecture, its interior and its luxurious furnishings. 

Dr White specialises in the history and visual arts of late medieval and sixteenth-century England. After beginning her career at the Warwickshire Museum, she then worked for the National Trust as Curator/Collections Manager at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, about which she wrote her PhD at Warwick University. Since that she taught part-time at Leicester University in the Centre for the Study of the Country House and continues to teach History of Art in the Department of Continuing Education at Oxford University and elsewhere. 

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

In this talk we look at one of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world, the fabled city of Palmyra, in the Syrian desert. Palmyra arose on a trade route that brought silk, spices and other luxuries across the desert from the east. Her wealth and power are displayed in gorgeous monuments, while her people, wealthy, sophisticated and cosmopolitan, are preserved in their hauntingly beautiful funeral portraits. Palmyra became so powerful during the Roman empire that its warrior queen Zenobia challenged Rome itself. We’ll see Palmyra’s meteoric rise and its dramatic fall, its rediscovery by English lords, its influence on art and architecture, and then its desecration by Isis. But we finish with the hope that beautiful Palmyra will rise again…

 Dr Paul Roberts OBE is Research Keeper in the Department of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford University.  Paul has been a lecturer with the Arts Society/NADFAS for over twenty years, has travelled extensively to societies across the UK, and has also lectured on numerous cruises in and around the Mediterranean. 

He studied Classics at the University of Cambridge, and Classical Archaeology at the Universities of Sheffield and Oxford.  He then lived in Italy for several years, teaching and researching.  He has travelled throughout the former lands of the Roman Empire, from Britain to Syria, and has excavated in Britain, Greece, Libya, Turkey and in particular Italy, where he is currently working on a Roman Villa in the Molise region of the Central Apennines. 

His research focuses on the daily life of ordinary people in the Greek and Roman worlds, and he has written books and articles on Greek and Roman daily life, Pompeii and Herculaneum, Sicily, Roman Emperors, mummy portraits, and Greek and Roman ceramics and glass. In 2024 his book "Ancient Rome in Fifty Monuments", looking at the history of Rome through its monuments and the Emperors who built them, was published by Thames and Hudson.   

From 1994 to 2015 he was Senior Roman Curator in the Greek and Roman Department at the British Museum, where he curated the exhibition Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum (2013). Arriving in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in 2015, in 2019/20 he curated Last Supper in Pompeii, a tribute to the Roman love affair with food and wine. 

He was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List 2025 for services to Archaeology and Heritage. 

The lecture will be followed immediately by Members' Drinks in the hall

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information).

The lecture will be preceeded by our AGM at 10am.

The art colony that formed in the Lamorna Valley came into being several decades after those at Newlyn and St. Ives, as granite quarries operated there until the late 19th century. However, in the decade 1910-1920, Lamorna was Cornwall's leading art colony due to the presence of John Lamorna Birch, who had assumed the name 'Lamorna' in 1895, Laura and Harold Knight and Alfred Munnings. All these artists went on to become leading Royal Academicians and yet it is their Lamorna period work that has set world record prices. Other important early Lamorna work was done by Elizabeth Forbes and John Noble Barlow and their students. Other pioneers featured will include, from the inter-war years, Frank Heath, Robert and Eleanor Hughes and Charles Simpson, as well as post -WW2 moderns such as Gluck, Marlow Moss, John Armstrong, John Tunnard and Ithell Colquhoun, whose lifestyles - how shall we put it - "raised eyebrows". 

David Tovey read law at Oxford and practised as a solicitor for 20 years. He returned to university in 1996 to read history of art and now specialises in Cornish art. His particular interest in St Ives art derives from the fact that his great-grandfather, William Titcomb, was one of the early settlers in the colony. Since 2000 David has curated numerous exhibitions on Cornish art for Tate St Ives, Penlee House Gallery and Museum, Penzance, Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, Nottingham Castle Museum, Cheltenham Art Gallery and various other art galleries around the country. He has also published several books on the subject, including the two volume Lamorna - An Artistic, Social and Literary History.

David continues to be regularly involved with exhibitions, one of the most recent was the Lamorna Colony Pioneers at Penlee House Gallery, Penzance in 2023.  

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

Like almost everyone else, I have felt deeply shocked but also helpless in the face of recent events in Ukraine. But as an art historian with a long-standing interest in the relationship between art and war, art and displacement, art and adversity, one thing I CAN do is to alert people to the huge contribution refugees from conflict zones around the world, past and present, make to the culture of the country that takes them in. I’d like therefore to offer you a brand new lecture, entitled Island Sanctuary: Refugee Artists in Britain from the Huguenots to the Present Day, which will celebrate the achievements against the odds of artists as diverse as miniaturist Isaac Oliver in the sixteenth century, painters James Tissot in the nineteenth and David Bomberg and Lucian Freud in the twentieth - and many more as we move into the later twentieth century and beyond. And as a small gesture, I’ll donate a portion of my fee for each lecture to a charity which supports refugees fleeing Ukraine right now.

Monica Bohm-Duchen is a freelance lecturer, writer and exhibition organiser. She has lectured for Tate, the National Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Open University, Sotheby's Institute of Art and the Courtauld Institute of Art.  She has been an associate lecturer at Birkbeck College since 2005, and has led many tours. Her publications include Understanding Modern Art (1991), Chagall (1998/2001), The Private Life of a Masterpiece (2001),The Art and Life of Josef Herman (2009) and Art and the Second World War (2013). She is the initiator and creative director of the national Insiders/Outsiders arts festival

(see https://insidersoutsidersfestival.org/), and contributing editor of the companion volume, Insiders/Outsiders: Refugees from Nazi Europe and their Contribution to British Visual Culture (2019).

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where We Meet" for more information)

In the 11th and 12th centuries, when the so-called ‘Cult of Saints’ was at its peak, the idea of a physical journey towards a spiritual goal was extremely popular, and the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain was one of the three most important Christian pilgrimage sites of the medieval period after Jerusalem and Rome. The ‘camino’, or pilgrimage road across northern Spain thus became one of the most widely used in medieval times, dotted with Romanesque churches and monasteries, designed to incorporate the veneration of saints into sumptuous architecture, replete with religious sculptures and elaborate reliquaries, and thus to attract the many pilgrims and their money.

Ian is an art historian with a BA (Birkbeck College) in art history and an MA (Courtauld Institute of Art) in medieval Spanish art history. He is a specialist in the nearly 800 years of Moorish occupation and Christian reconquest of medieval Iberia.  He is the founder and director of an art tours company, specialising in guided cultural tours in Spain, plus lecturing in London at institutions such as the V&A, SOAS, Christies Education, and the London Art History Society. 

Lecture at 11am in Croscombe Village Hall (see under "Our Society/Where we Meet" for more information)

Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia all have capitals that bear the mark of centuries of history. Originating as Hanseatic trading cities built in the North German style of medieval architecture, each capital came under the rule of different conflicting empires, Swedish, Russian and German, and their later buildings bear the mark of these influences. Riga’s churches, Tallinn’s turreted fortifications, and Vilnius’s market squares are all characteristic of the now-independent Baltic states, and welcoming to visitors. Simon Rees has led tours to these cities and draws on his involvement in opera performances and music festivals for this lecture.

Simon studied at Colchester Royal Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge, receiving a BA and an MA in English Literature. He taught in Italy and Japan, exploring the art and architecture of both countries. From 1989 to 2012 he was Dramaturg at Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, working with set, costume and props designers and giving lectures on their work in opera production. Now a freelance writer and lecturer, he lectures widely on opera, art history and literature, travelling extensively with travel companies. He has published several novels, including the award-winning The Devil's Looking-Glass, poems and opera librettos.

Marc has long been a collector of interesting and historical fakes and this talk centres on our age-old fascination with faking and forging. Citing some of the greatest exponents through history and illustrated with a plethora of challenging examples - including hands-on objects from Marc's own collection -  you are certain to never look at art antiques in the same way again!

Marc Allum is a freelance art and antiques journalist, writer and broadcaster based in Wiltshire. He is shortly to begin his 27th year as a specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow and has appeared on numerous television and radio programmes. Marc regularly writes for mainstream magazines and is an author, antiques consultant and lecturer. He also runs a fine art valuation and consultancy service. Marc has his own unique style with interests ranging from pre-history to modern design and is a self-confessed collectaholic. He has a passion and reputation for divining the unusual through ‘a desire to connect with history through the interpretation and pursuit of objects and their origins’. He has lectured widely for many years to a number of different organisations in both the public and charity sector, including travel companies, The National Trust, The WI and many literary festivals including Cheltenham, Bath, Wells and Petworth. He has also lectured as far afield for the Arts Society in New Zealand, Spain, Germany, Malta and Penang. Marc is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

Amongst those who stood on German streets and welcomed the declaration of war in 1914, were many artists. Some, like Otto Dix, set off for war with enthusiasm. Other artists like Ernst Kirchner, were reluctant participants. Many recorded their experience, sometimes in snatched moments at the Front, others whilst on leave. This lecture offers a survey of some of the many German painters and sculptors who had first hand experience of the Great War. Some were official war artists but most not; all have left a fascinating body of work that documents the varied responses to the events of 1914-18. 

Angela has a PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University. She is author of numerous articles and several books including A Timeline of Art History (2013). She is an experienced lecturer who has taught for several universities and has also catalogued paintings in galleries for the National Inventory Research Project. She has led a number of cultural tours on the continent and has lectured for several cruise lines. She regularly runs courses of Days of Special Interest for The Arts Society on subjects including Women Artists Down the Centuries and English church art and architecture. She has contributed to television programmes, most recently an episode of Digging up Britain’s Past.

After moving to Hollywood, Hitch created several masterpieces of cinema including Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960). Vertigo has been recently voted by critics as the best ever film overtaking Citizen Kane. Together we will explore Hitchcock's dark film about sexual obsession. Taking a shower still fills many people with dread and foreboding thanks to the Hitchcock modern Horror classic of 1960. A full analysis of Hitchcock's masterful technique and influences will be the central focus of this lecture. The French New Wave critics of Cahiers du Cinema argued that Hitchcock’s films should be regarded as artistic masterworks. Alfred Hitchcock remains by far the most studied and revered film director of all time.

John has delivered lecturers and workshops in the USA, Beijing, Malaysia and the UK. Initially trained as a painter, John was awarded the Max Beckmann Memorial Scholarship in painting in Brooklyn, New York and went on to be artist in residence for the state of Texas. Later in his career he produced and directed several short films and animations. He has taught film, art and pedagogy at the University of Exeter, Arts University Bournemouth, University Sains Malaysia, Southwestern College, California, Brunel University, and Kingston University London. 

Speed! Technology! Destruction! The battle cry of the Futurists WWI heralded the appearance of the car as a powerful symbol in avant-garde art. Soon the Art Deco masterpieces of the great car builders came to epitomise style, luxury and craftsmanship, works of art in their own right.  The romance of speed continued to be a major theme in how cars were depicted in art, but, since the 1950s the car has become art, used as a canvas for artists as celebrated as Peter Blake, Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst.   This lecture will showcase the beautiful and the bizarre, celebrating the dynamic, creative, and sometimes unsettling relationship between cars and art.

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. He was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1992 and has an honorary doctorate. He has long been involved in teaching and outreach projects, lecturing widely in continuing education, to schools (with a focus on special needs pupils) and societies. His career in broadcasting involved researching and presenting Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings for BBC2 and Mapping the Town for Radio 4. He has written a number of English Heritage publications on Stonehenge, including the previous and current guidebooks to the monument and landscape. Museum work includes curating Stonehenge related exhibitions in the UK and abroad (Germany and Austria) and he has just curated the new permanent ceramics gallery for Salisbury Museum. With no intention of retiring, he is still passionate about Stonehenge, pots and old cars.   

Best known for his outlandish appearances dressed as his feminine alter ego, Claire, Sir Grayson Perry is now a core part of the art establishment, a knight of the realm, Turner Prize winner, Royal Academician, popular broadcaster and colourful character. He’s possibly one of the world’s best-known contemporary artists. His works of ceramics, textiles, tapestries and prints are highly sought after. Often controversial, he tackles difficult subjects in a poignant yet witty manner and holds a mirror up to modern society. This talk will examine Sir Grayson Perry’s work, his exciting and thought-provoking exhibitions, and the unique character inside the flamboyant frocks.

 A Londoner with a contagious enthusiasm for art and architecture, Ian is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral. He is also a freelance London tour guide. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his hometown of Richmond in West London. He is an Accredited Lecturer for The Arts Society and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City livery companies.

From the early sixties, when he left the Royal College of Art more famous than his teachers, Hockney's paintings have shown a charm and humour that sets them apart from others of his generation. A naturally gifted draftsman, his love of ingenious visual devices has led him to experiment with a whole range of techniques, from stage design to coloured paper making. From the early abstract expressionist images, through his famous Californian scenes of swimming pools to the photo-montages of the mid eighties, this lecture follows the career of an artist whose wit and imagination has never faltered. 

Douglas read Fine Art at Magdalene College Cambridge and has been a lecturer on paintings since 1980. In that time he has given over 8000 lectures to universities, colleges and art societies. He was the director of The New Academy of Art Studies for three years and is presently a regular lecturer at The Study Center, Christie's course The History of Art Studies and other London courses. Among his more improbable venues for lectures are the bar on the QE2, MI5 headquarters, the Captain's Room at Lloyds, and an aircraft hanger on a German NATO base. Overseas he has lectured in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain, and has taken numerous tours around Europe. He has written and presented various TV documentaries, notably the Omnibus programme on Whistler and the exhibition video on William Morris. Three one-man exhibitions of his paintings have been held in England and Switzerland. He has published five novels, which have been translated into 8 foreign languages, and his book on Monet, River of Light, has sold 30,000 copies in England, America and France.    

Elizabeth I is one of our greatest monarchs. By the time of her death, in 1603, few in England could remember a time when they were not Elizabethans. Her very long reign provided peace and stability, allowing the arts to flourish so that her era would prove to be a Golden Age. The cult of ‘Gloriana’ revered her as a virgin goddess, while her image increasingly relied on glittering jewels, gowns, and accessories. In this lecture we will view Elizabeth’s queenship through paintings by artists including Hans Eworth, Lucas de Heere, Nicholas Hilliard and Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. Art was a powerful device for royal magnificence and propaganda and Elizabeth knew how to use it.  

Siobhan Clarke BA Hons has worked for Historic Royal Palaces for 20 years, delivering tours and lectures on the palaces of Hampton Court, Kensington, the Tower of London and the Banqueting House, Whitehall. She has lectured for the British Museum, National Trust, U3A and Smithsonian and is an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society. Siobhan has featured on BBC Radio ‘Women’s Hour’ and PBS Television’s ‘Secrets of Henry VIII’s Palace’.

In1950 Barbara Hepworth asked Terry Frost to be her studio assistant in carving the monumental stone sculpture, Contrapuntal Forms, the work she was sending to the 1951 Festival of Britain. She was already widely known for her abstract sculpture; he had recently graduated from Camberwell School of Art, a mature student returning to painting after spending much of the War in a Bavarian prison camp. 

Neighbours on the Cornish coast at St Ives, the two also shared a passionate belief in art as the expression of emotion and experience, and in the power of abstraction to convey this most clearly. Contrapuntal Forms was one of the sculptural high points of the Festival, and in the years that followed, both Frost in painting and Hepworth in sculpture continued their explorations of form, space, shape and colour in the changing Cornish light, creating works which brought them international reputation and national honours. 

Dame Barbara Hepworth died in 1975; Sir Terry Frost RA, born in 1915, in 2003.  This lecture considers the achievement of these two remarkable artists, who brought to the cold geometries of abstraction an extra dimension of human warmth and vitality.

Justine Hopkins studied History of Art at the Courtauld Institute. She has lectured regularly for Tate Britain, Tate Modern, V&A, National Gallery and Portrait Gallery, as well as to Oxbridge and Bristol Universities, Christie's Fine Art, the Art Fund, and groups such as the Bradford on Avon Arts Association, Friends of Covent Garden and U3A. Publications include, amongst others, The Art of John Martin (2001), Michael Ayrton: A Biography (1994) and articles for Apollo Magazine and Modern Painters. Has also broadcast on Flowers in Art for BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

This lecture tells Ukraine's story through the shared culture which binds its proud people together. We will explore the sacred art and architecture of Kyiv and its links to Byzantium, as well as the distinctive characters and ethnicities of Odesa and Lviv. Tracing Ukraine's complicated multi-ethnic history also means looking at its rich folk culture traditions. These range from native song and the secret codes embedded in ancient embroidery, which have exerted a surprising impact on modern painting and contemporary haute couture, to Cossack dancing and borshch.

This lecture will not be available on zoom.

Rosamund Bartlett a writer, lecturer and translator whose work as a cultural historian ranges across the arts. She completed her doctorate at Oxford and is the author of several books, including biographies of Chekhov and Tolstoy, and a study of Wagner's influence in Russia. She is currently writing a history of the Russian avant-garde. Her new translation of Anna Karenina for Oxford World’s Classics was published to acclaim in 2014. She has written on art, music and literature for publications such as The Daily Telegraph and Apollo, and received commissions from institutions including the Royal Opera House, Tate UK, and the Salzburg Festival. Her lecturing work has taken her from the V&A and the National Theatre in London to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, and she contributes regularly to Proms events and opera broadcasts on the BBC. 

Between about 1890 and 1930, Arts and Crafts designers built and contributed to hundreds of churches across England. Some are famous schemes including the church building and all its interior fittings. Sometimes it’s just one commission – a stained glass window, a screen, a font cover. Discover how these designers, Morris & Co. in churches like Selsley changed the course of church furnishing in England, and how the next generation of Arts and Crafts designers revolutionised church design. The lecture will make particular focus on Brockhampton, just over the border in Herefordshire, perhaps the finest Arts and Crafts church in Britain.

Kirsty Hartsiotis has been the curator of the Decorative and Fine Art at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, Cheltenham since 2008, and prior to that was the curator and manager of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. At Cheltenham she looks after the Designated Arts and Crafts Movement collection. She’s curated many exhibitions on the Arts and Crafts and Private Press Movements, most recently Ernest Gimson: Observation, Imagination & Making. Passionate about sharing her deep love for and knowledge of the arts, she’s also a freelance researcher, currently researching Arts and Crafts war memorials and the work of Arts and Crafts designers in churches in the South West. She’s the newsletter editor for Society of Decorative Art Collections, a regular columnist for Cotswold Life, and writes for diverse other publications on art history and folklore.

Like LS Lowry, oil painter and watercolourist Edward Seago (1910-74) was immensely popular but overlooked by critics; today the best of his landscapes look fantastic, while his life story is full of interest. A prolific author, he overcame childhood illness before running away with the circus. He also mixed in aristocratic circles, making friends among the Royal family; a colourful wartime career and a trip to Antarctica aboard the Royal Yacht add to this fascinating account. Seago is much loved by artists, and in this lecture, we explore a number of his finest oil paintings and watercolours in detail, looking at his choice of subject, design and technique. James is the author of ‘Edward Seago’, the definitive account of the artist’s life and work, which was published by Lund Humphries in 2014, with a Foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales. 

Having studied History at Pembroke College, Cambridge, James Russell enjoyed a lengthy stint selling contemporary paintings and sculpture in Santa Fe, New Mexico, an experience that inspired him to begin writing and lecturing on 20th century art. Of his dozen or so books, one was a Sunday Times book of the year, while his writing has been described by critics as 'insightful', 'informative' and 'enjoyably readable'. James has curated major exhibitions at Dulwich Picture Gallery and for museums around the country. He bases his lectures on wide-ranging original research into the subjects that fascinate him

Gustav Klimt and his colleagues broke away from the imperially endorsed art institutions in Vienna in 1897 and founded the Secession. That was the same year that Gustav Mahler arrived to take charge of the Opera House in the city. Comparing these two totemic fin de siècle talents, this lecture places Klimt and Mahler in context, asking what fundamentally links and, indeed, divides them.

This lecture will not be available on Zoom.

Gavin Plumley is a writer and broadcaster, appearing on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and contributing to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes worldwide. He lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. Recent talks include the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Trust, the National Theatre, the British Museum, the V&A, the Southbank Centre, the Tate and the Neue Galerie, New York. His first book, A Home for All Seasons, was published in June 2022. Gavin lives in Wells, appeared at Wells Literary Festival this year, and has lectured to us recently on the art of Breugel.

In this lecture Harry will be tracing the history of his profession with examples from early practitioners like Cruickshank and Hogarth, to more contemporary artists such as Giles and Schulz, bringing events right up to date with cartoons produced fresh on the page that day!

Yes, Harry will be drawing live. Prepare to hear some tricks of his trade, learn where to put eyebrows for maximum effect and discover exactly what the eskimo brothers said in The Funniest Joke Ever (possibly).

This lecture will NOT be available on Zoom

Harry Venning graduated from the University of Wales in history, formed a touring theatre company for rural Wales, was then employed for a year as an actor/writer with the Channel Theatre Company in Ramsgate, Kent, before giving up acting and becoming a cartoonist. He has had work published in the UK and abroad, including the strip Clare in the Community which has been a weekly feature in The Guardian since 1996. In 2016 he was awarded Strip Cartoonist of the Year by the UK Cartoon Trust. Harry is also a Sony Award winning writer of radio comedy, including the show Clare in the Community, currently recording its twelfth series. Harry can’t draw hands or horses!

The lecture will trace the story of Banksy’s humble beginnings as a tagger on the streets of Bristol in the 1980’s to one of the most recognisable names in the art world.  We will examine the reasons behind his incredible rise, looking at some of his famous stunts and discuss what his influence has been on the art market today and look at what his legacy, if any, might be. 

Pepe Martinez qualified as a London blue badge tourist guide in 2011, graduating at the top of his class. Since qualifying as a guide he has specialised in the graffiti and street art of East London. Prior to becoming a London blue badge, Pepe was a tour manager for 15 years, travelling extensively, all over the world.  

This is a very personal account of how Caravaggio came into life of the speaker. This journey embraces the story of Caravaggio’s life and his paintings, and epitomises the ability of Art to inspire anyone.

Keith was a teacher and senior manager in education for 38 years. Retirement in 2008 gave him the opportunity to pursue a consuming interest following a fortuitous weekend break in Dublin which had introduced him to Caravaggio.

He has travelled extensively throughout Europe to see Caravaggio’s paintings in situ, tracing his life story from the town of Caravaggio to the cities of Milan, Rome, Naples, and the islands of Malta and Sicily. Keith subsequently wrote a book on these experiences.

An exploration of the relationship between the making of an image and the way in which it is perceived by the viewer. More than 60 images are used in the demonstration. The lecture also examines the partnership between the eye and the brain which uses both visual references and intellectual interpretation.

Charles Waite is one of the world's leading landscape photographers and has lectured for 25 years throughout the UK, Europe and the US. He has held numerous one-man exhibitions in London, exhibited twice in Tokyo, and was awarded the prestigious honorary Fellowship of the British Institute of Professional Photographers, as well as a Direct Fellowship by the Royal Photographic Society. In 2007, he launched the award ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year’. Amongst many publications, the most recent includes Landscape; the Story of 50 Photographs (2005), and Arc & Line (2011). He was invited by the Royal Academy to exhibit in 2015's summer exhibition. 

This lecture covers surprising attempts to create some graphic unity, even in the 1860s and 70s, expansion of the Underground and the need to create some cohesion between the different operating companies, Leslie Green's architecture and the Arts & Crafts movement, Frank Pick and Edward Johnston's typeface, Charles Holden's architecture and the Streamline Moderne/Art Deco movementand much more. It is brought up to date with the  Jubilee Line Extension/architecture, creation of TfL, recent schemes and future works including the Elizabeth Line/Northern Line extension to Battersea.

Mark Ovenden is a broadcaster and author who specialises in the subjects of graphic design, cartography and architecture in public transport, with an emphasis on underground rapid transit.

His first book Metro Maps of the World published in 2003  and this has been folllowed regularly by books covering an international coverage of underground station design and typeface. He has recently presented TV documentaries on design related topics. Others works on graphic design and transport systems are in preparation.

This lecture looks at western bookbinding, in particular during the age of the printed book. Aspects of the book trade, including bookbinding practices and materials used in bindings are shown and, as structure and decoration changed as the centuries passed, the individual binders’ fingers tell their own tale as the craft developed. The bookbinding trade has long recycled waste materials, some of which may be more valuable than the books themselves. Bookbindings also provide an insight into the owner’s wealth and station in life, as books were bought unbound and bindings were therefore generally chosen by the first owner until the 19th century.

Caroline Bendix is a library conservator, accredited through the Institute of Conservation, who has worked on over 500 collections in the UK and abroad, including St Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai, advising on all aspects of books’ care in situ. She has written three of the British Library’s guides on preservation and in 2019 was awarded the Plowden Medal for her “outstanding work in developing in-situ library conservation”. Since 1992 she has been the National Trust’s Adviser on Libraries Conservation, the adviser and trainer for The Arts Society’s Heritage Volunteers projects and is on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s advisory panel for Lambeth Palace Library.

Picasso is one of the most famous and controversial figures of the 20th century. Even today his work triggers mixed and often violent reactions from art lovers. This lecture aims to calm those fears. It follows his early career from his childhood in Spain, where his unique talent was first recognized, to the garrets and back streets of Paris where the poetic and wistful images of the Blue Period were transformed into the daring experiments with form and structure that became known as Cubism.  It examines the ideas and hopes that he nurtured, the friends and influences he met along the way, the technical problems he overcame and the single minded determination that enabled him to break every rule of painting, alter the course of modern art and yet remain a classical painter in the long tradition of western art.

Douglas Skeggs read Fine Art at  Cambridge and has been a lecturer on paintings since 1980. He was the director of  The New Academy of Art Studies for three years and is presently a regular lecturer at The Study Center, Christie's course 'The History of Art Studies' and other London courses. Among his more improbable venues for lectures are: the QE2, MI5 headquarters, the Captain's Room at Lloyds, and an aircraft hanger in a German NATO base. He has lectured in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain, and has taken numerous tours around Europe. He has also written and presented various TV documentaries, had three one-man exhibitions and published five novels.  His book on Monet, River of Light, has sold 30,000 copies in England, America and France.

When Lucy Kemp-Welch’s painting Colt Hunting in the New Forest (now in the Tate Gallery) was first exhibited at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in 1897 it caused a sensation. The Times predicted that the artist would ‘very rapidly become our most successful and popular painter of horses,’ and perhaps the first female Royal Academician in over a century. Born in Bournemouth in 1869, Kemp-Welch studied at the Herkomer School of Art in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and added to her fame with her defining illustrations to the 1915 edition of Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel, Black Beauty. She also made a number of important paintings of the First World War. This lecture explores her life and work, and coincides with both a new biography (written by the lecturer), and two exhibitions curated by him, to be held in Hampshire and East Anglia in 2023.

David Haycock read Modern History at the University of Oxford, and has degrees in the History of Art and British History. He is the author of a number of books, including Paul Nash (2002), A Crisis of Brilliance: Five Young British Artists and the Great War (2009) and Augustus John: Drawn from Life (2018); He has lectured widely at galleries and museums in the UK, including Tate Britain, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Watercolour Society and Pallant House. He was formerly a Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford, and at UCLA. He was at one time Curator of Maritime and Imperial History at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. He is now a freelance writer and lecturer.

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.

Carole is an experienced guide and lecturer on combined history and art tours in France with 20 years experience. Having lived and worked on a number of bespoke river vessels and converted barges there she has used them as a platform from which to research her lectures. She uses art in all its guises to explore the characters who shaped France and likes to delve behind the scenes to discover hidden truths.

She also acts as a guide for a privately owned ancestral home in her native Chilterns.

The High Renaissance saw the seamless integration of art and architecture, the pinnacle of a tradition extending back thousands of years. So how was it that by the mid-20th century, mainstream Modernist architects saw painting and sculpture as anathema to their designs? This lecture tells the fascinating story of how painting and architecture went their separate ways, exploring the complex reasons behind their dramatic divorce, including:

·         The “special status” of painting as the heralded product of artistic genius

·         A change in the form and function of the picture frame

·         The emergence of the commercial art market

·         The rise of the public “Art Exhibition”

Embracing the likes of Michelangelo, Watteau, Whistler and Matisse, this broad-ranging survey culminates with the Bauhaus and its legacy in the USA – and ends by asking whether the partnership between art and architecture might be revived in the 21st Century.

Richard is a professional artist who graduated in English and Art History from York University in 1986. From 1988-1994 he lectured at the adult education departments of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities, and then went on to become a full-time figurative artist, executing large-scale public commissions, and exhibiting widely throughout the UK. He now lives and works in Chichester, West Sussex. 

The period 1900-1939 saw some of Cartier's most original and imaginative design - from their pioneering diamond and platinum jewellery of around 1900 to the fascination with exotic influences and the bold geometric designs of the interwar years with their unrivalled brilliance of conception and craftsmanship. This lecture, given by the organiser of the exhibition Cartier 1900-1939 shown at the British Museum in 1997-8 and author of the exhibition catalogue, reveals not only the genius behind Cartier's luxurious jewels, but also the firm’s celebrity clientele, from the royal heads of Europe to Indian maharajahs, American heiresses and stars of film and stage.

Since 1974 Judy has  been curator at the BM, specialising in jewellery, and in 19th-20th century decorative arts. She is author of Cartier 1900-1939 (BM 1997) and organiser of the Cartier exhibition at the BM, as well as being a contributor to other publications.. 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. 

In 1565, Pieter Bruegel the Elder was commissioned to create a series of paintings for a dining room in Antwerp. The images, charting the course of a year, changed the way we view the world through art. Landscape had previously been a decorative backdrop to dramas both sacred and profane. But in Bruegel's hands the landscape and our interaction with it became the focus. Looking at paintings such as The Return of the Herd, Hunters in the Snow and The Gloomy Day, this lecture explores how Bruegel pioneered a whole new way of thinking about the environment and our individual places within a shifting cosmos.

Gavin Plumley lives in Wells and appeared at Wells Literary Festival this year, speaking about his recent book entitled 'A Home for All Seasons'. Copies of this book will be available at the lecture for purchase.

George Romney (1734-1802) was a successful rival of Reynolds and Gainsborough. Though he spent much of his time painting portraits of the gentry, he empathised with the underdog and was opposed to the excesses of the elites in society. As a Whig, he sympathised with the movement which led to revolution in France. Indeed, he visited Paris with some radical friends in 1790 to see at first hand the fruits of revolution and he has been called the British artist ‘most committed to revolution and reform’ in Britain.

Adam Busiakiewicz is an Art Historian, Lecturer and Lutenist. He held the position of Head of Historical Interpretation (curator) at Warwick Castle. He left the castle in 2013 and is currently finishing his doctorate in Art History at the University of Warwick for which he received a full scholarship. 

Adam is a Lecturer / Educator at the National Gallery and Guide Lecturer at the Wallace Collection, where he has organised several events and courses on Music & Art as well as other subjects. He has also given talks and performances at the Royal Collection, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. 

This lecture considers the influence of the art from the Low Countries on Italian Renaissance art. Generally considered a one-sided cultural exchange from the South to the North, this talk demonstrates the significance of Flemish art for its innovations in the medium of oil, landscape painting and portraiture. Focusing on the example of Florence, the impact of Netherlandish art is considered from the perspective of the Medici and leading patrons together with painters including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Leonardo. The extent to which Flemish art was valued, economically and aesthetically, is underlined by its frequent appearance in household inventories and the stylistic changes adopted by Florentine artists to satisfy the increasing demand.

Dr. James Lindow was the first Renaissance PhD from the Royal College of Art and the V&A. He has convened and presented at international conferences, lectures widely in the UK and overseas and is currently a fine art underwriter in the City. He has written articles on diverse aspects of the Renaissance, and his book entitled The Renaissance Palace in Florence: Magnificence and Splendour in Fifteenth-Century Italy was published by Ashgate Press in 2007 to widespread critical acclaim.

Tony Faber is the grandson of the founder of the publisher Faber and Faber and was Managing Director for five years. He is a lecturer, public speaker and author. He lectured to this Society in 2018 on the subject of the art depicting the American West in the 19th Century.

This lecture explores the central mystery of why no subsequent violin maker has succeeded in matching a Stradivarius instrument and follows some of the instruments from his workshop to the present day. 

Ms. Fernald illustrates her extensively researched and vivid lectures on writers and diarists from mid-18th to 19th centuries with contemporary pictures and portraits.

Mary (Perdita) Robinson, famed as a beauty, actress, poet and fashion icon was painted by some of the gifted artists of her day. She was also a friend of famous authors and known for her own witty and perceptive writing as well as a politically radical columnist.

Scott Anderson trained and worked as an archaeologist before moving into the art world and auctioneering.  He is a Senior Lecturer at Southampton. 

Neatby trained in architecture, but moved into decorative arts, design and illustration. As a William Morris admirer, Neatby worked in metal, enamel and glass, also producing furniture and wallpapers. This lecture will be a journey through the career of the designer of the famous interior of Harrods Meat Hall, and who also designed wallpaper and illustrated books.

Ms. Rosalind Whyte is an experienced guide at major London museums and is a lecturer at the Tate. The selected works of these sculptors will be looked at, exploring similarities and differences in style, technique and themes. The picutre shows the 'C-curve' by Anish Kapoor.

Ian Cockburn is a specialist in nearly 800 years of Moorish occupation and Christian re-conquest of medieval Iberia.  Today we shall hear the story of Iberia during the Moorish invasion in 711 A.D. and on to the Christian re-conquest  in 1492.  We shall be introduced to the unique culture that produced the surviving architecture, silk textiles, ivory caskets, bronzes and refined ceramics from that period

Georgia - Land of the Golden Fleece

John Osborne taught Classics at Marlborough College and worked for several years for the British Council in Iran & Turkey. He leads specialist tours to many countries including Georgia.  In this lecture we shall learn something of the tradition of fine church building and how the ancient tradition of gold working gave rise to the legend of the Golden Fleece.

Imogen Corrigan’s studies of Medieval History and Art followed 18 years in the army. We have had lectures from her on the Green Man and on the Luttrell Psalter, well received on both occasions.This lecture reveals the key players in the story, dissects the symbolism of Mary and the Annunciation and examines its worldwide importance. It is richly illustrated with gorgeous images from the 4th-16th centuries.

Leslie Primo graduated in Art History and has an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck, University College, London. During his studies he specialised in early Medieval and Renaissance studies, including, Italian Renaissance Drawing, Art and Architecture in Europe 1250-1400 Art and Architecture in Europe 1400-1500, Leslie has worked at the National Gallery, London since 2000, The Arts Society since 2009, and has also taught outreach courses at the Courtauld Institute. He was a visiting lecturer at Reading University in 2005 and 2007 and currently lectures at the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and teaches art history courses at Imperial College, London and a variety of higher academic institutions.

The viewer of pictures during the Renaissance was familiar with a complex range of icons and symbols which enriched or even changed the meaning of a painting.  For us to appreciate these nuances we too must relearn this symbology to gain the hidden messages.

This lecture examines the work of one of the outstanding figures of 20th-century sculpture, an artist who achieved an international reputation for her monumental works depicting the human figure, birds and other animals. Sadly she died in her early 60s but, from the first small sculpture acquired by the Tate Gallery (when she was a student of 21) until her death, she produced an astonishing body of work. Her bronzes varied in scale and feeling, from small, threatening birds to the life-size, tranquil Walking Madonna in Salisbury Cathedral Close. Frink’s work will be examined in the context of great British and European predecessors such as Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin and Alberto Giacometti, as well as her contemporaries, including Reg Butler, Jean Fautrier and Germaine Richier.

Frank Woodgate is a lecturer and guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, lecturer for the Art Fund, the National Trust, U3A and other organisations. He has lectured in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Lecturer and runs courses at the Pallant House Gallery, Chichest

Simon worked at Chatsworth for 19 years after graduating. He has conducted several presentations and interviews with Debo, Duchess of Devonshire.  She was the youngest of the Mitford sisters who, with her husband, 11th Duke, transformed Chatsworth from a worn-out survivor of taxation, war and social change into one of the best-loved historic houses and estates. This lecture is a tribute to a Mitford who had a lasting impact on Chatsworth and everything that she touched.

Ian Keable is by profession an accountant and .....a Magician! He has also researched the long and powerful history of satirical cartoons, from their origins in the 18th Century through to the modern day

Paul is an Art Historian and a National Gallery trained guide with many years of experience working in education. As a freelance Paul delivers courses and lectures for a wide range of educational organisations and is a fully accredited Arts Society Lecturer. Paul has also given talks and tours for art associations/societies. Paul has a long standing commitment, in conjunction with the N.G as a tour guide at the Longford Castle art collection.

Thomas William "Tom" Roberts (8 March 1856 – 14 September 1931) was an English-born Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism.

After attending art schools in Melbourne, he travelled to Europe in 1881 to further his training, and returned home in 1885, "primed with whatever was the latest in art". He did much to promote en plein air painting and encouraged other artists to capture the national life of Australia. While he is best known for his "national narratives"—among them Shearing the Rams (1890), A break away! (1891) and Bailed Up (1895)—he also achieved renown as a portraitist, and in 1903 completed The Big Picture, the most famous visual representation of the first Australian Parliament.

This lecture was originally programmed for last year.

Caroline Rayman has lectured for many years to universities and art organisations in America and on cruise boats. She was an official guide at the British Museum and has published articles on samplers. Her lectures range from the role of the royal mistress in history to more scholarly lectures on Frederick the Great of Prussia.

The lecture describes whow this work by van Eyck for St Bravo's Cathedral has been stolen 3 times in its 700 year existence.  The final occasion was when Hitler stole it for the museum he intended to build in his home town of Linz.

Janusz Karcezewski-Slowikowski is a freelance lecture, English furniture historian and antique dealer.

The company of Gallows was founded in Lancaster in 1730.  The output of this companywas the byword for quality and good design.  In 1897 the company merged with Warings to become Waring and Gillow.

Linda Smith who lectured to us last year entitled 'Kicking and Screaming ; a brief history of post war art'. She is a highly qualified Art Historian with particular knowledge and interest in British Art and the art of the twentieth century. In her MA at Birkbeck she specialised in Post-Modernism. An experienced guide and lecturer at Tate Britain, Tate Modern and the Dulwich Picture Gallery, she lectures to secondary school audiences and independent arts societies.

Paula Rego is a Portuguese born artist whose work reflects feminism as well as being strongly influenced by the folk themes from Portugal.

Dr Jonathan Foyle was chief executive of the British office of World Monuments Fund for eight years, and a curator of historic buildings at Hampton Court for as long. He is a frequent feature writer for the Financial Times on issues of architecture and craft and has written seven monographs on medieval great buildings. A presenter of numerous television series, including BBC Four's Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer? and BBC Two's Climbing Great Buildings, he lectures on art-historical topics. Among his Arts Society talks are A Paradise Garden: the art of medieval natural symbols; Lincoln Cathedral: Mary’s Paradise Garden: 300 years of changing expression on St Mary in an architecturally superlative cathedral; and Henry VII’s State Bed, the story of an exceptional recent discovery of state furniture, rich with carved plant symbolism, revealing the self-image of one of our most interesting monarchs.

Paul is currently the Sackler Keeper of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford.  His research interests focus in archaeology and art of the Classical Mediterranean from 5th Century BC to the 6th Century AD. One aspect of his research deals with the use of ceramics to reveal patterns of social, economic and political change. These include the distribution of pottery as an indicator of trade routes and marketing systems, and the examination of cooking vessels and their development to reveal changes in diet or eating habits. 

The talk will introduce next year’s exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum on food and drink in Roman society, from dining to religion.

Anne Sebba is an award-winning British biographer, writer, lecturer and journalist. After graduating in History from Kings College, London, her first job was in the BBC World Services in the Arabic Department. She was at one time the Reuters Foreign Correspondent. She is the author of nine non-fiction books for adults, two biographies for children and several introductions to reprinted classics.

Her lecture is about the women of Paris in the 1940s and is the subject of her very successful book ‘Les Parisiennes’. There are tales of Resisters, collaborators, spies, writers, actresses, designers, housewives .....and others. She has always been fascinated by French history and the reverberations from this period are still being felt today in that country.

Dr Claire Walsh worked at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the University of Warwick before teaching  for the Open University.  Her lecture circuit has included the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Costume Society and Museum of London, as well as in Europe, the USA and Canada.

In 1915 Churchill was rescued from depression by the muse of painting.  His paintings recorded landscapes from the Riviera to Blenheim, Chartwell and Marrakesh.  The fascinating aspect is the role it played in his personal and political life.  He took lessons from Lavery, Sickert and Nicholson.  And the choices he made tell us much about the colour, texture and direction of art in the early 20th Century.

Peter Medhurst studied voice and piano at the Royal College of Music and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. His work as a singer, harpsichordist and lecturer-recitalist has taken him all over the world, giving performances in all the major capitals of Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand. He is known to our Society from his Day of Special Interest on the obsolete musical insturments depicted in society paintings and also for a lecture last year on the 'Influence of Handel on English culture', both of which contained muscial excerpts played by him. 

Some of the greatest artists in history - Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Gainsborough - have invoked the world of music into the heart of many of their paintings resulting in a harmonious combination of two much loved disciplins of the arts. However, paintings that contain references to music are invariably laced with powerful allusion and complex symbolism. With a musicologist's eye, Peter Medhurst views, discusses and analyses a range of magnificent paintings that stem from the Late Medieval and Renaissance eras.  At the same time, to add a further dimension to the lecture, he complements the paintings discussed with a selection of period music played by him on the harpsichord, the virginals and the organ. Paintings include works by Geertgen Tot Sint Jans, Lorenzo Costa, Francesco Raibolini,Titian and 'Anon'.

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Lucia has extensive experience in Egyptological research, teaching, museum work and excavation, and has earned a well-deserved reputation for making Egyptology exciting and accessible. She has lectured on the subject in Australia and has written books on ancient Egypt.

The ancient Egyptians did not pioneer the act of turning glass into works of art, but they certainly took the craft and put their own unique stamp on it. This lecture explains how the ancient Egyptians produced glass objects and the wonderful range of objects including vessels, inlay beads, amulets and even headrests.

Guy Rooker comes to lecturing from the world of science in general and surgery in particular. As a retired surgeon he describes himself as having a lifelong interest, fascination, and admiration for the work of Leonardo da Vinci and the remarkable contribution he made to both the world of art and the investigation of scientific concepts.

Da Vinci believed that art was based on a scientific understanding of everything depicted and accurate representation depended on him getting under the skin and into the mind of his subjects. This talk explores the way in which Leonardo acquired his knowledge of anatomy from experience, through extrapolation to human dissection, and ties in with the chronology of his travels and artistic achievments. It is illustrated with examples of his anatomical drawings and reflects the extra ordinary accuracy of his findings.