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Detailed Programme of Lectures 2023-2024

NEXT LECTURE  .

May 22nd
AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK:THE ART OF LORD DUVEEN
Lecturer: Mark Meredith

“Europe has a great deal of art, and America has a great deal of money”. Only one man had the quintessential English wit and charm to convince hard-nosed, tight-fisted Wall Street titans that, “when you pay high for the priceless, you’re getting it cheap”. Frick, Mellon, Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Vanderbilt etc. all vied for his discoveries and until you were on his client list, you could be assured that you and your collection were second rate. Glimpse the oft-times hilarious world of Lord Duveen, and the art that made Wall Street’s toughest go weak at the knees.  

Lord Duveen  His Family  His Art

Remainder of Lectures 2024

June 26th
VAN GOGH
Lecturer: Lucrezia Walker

We all know van Gogh. We know the Sunflowers, Starry Night, his self-portraits, the bright prismatic colour applied with energetic strokes of the brush. We know his life was not an easy one. But why is he so famous? What makes him possibly the best-known artist in the world? Why does every gallery gift shop display a Vincent gift? What makes his paintings instantly recognizable? His failure to find sales or success during his lifetime, his suffering leading to self-mutilation and later to suicide at the age of 37 are all well known. What happened during his short life, and afterwards, to transform him into the world’s best-loved artist? 

July 17th
NURSERY RHYMES OF LONDON TOWN: A MISCELLANY OF POEM, PICTURE AND ANECDOTE
Lecturer: Caroline Walker

"There is an Old Lady in Threadneedle Street Sits threading of needles so deft and so neat. . ." Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) produced an instant hit for everyone, including soldiers on the Western Front, with “Nursery Rhymes of London Town” (1916, 1917), whimsical verses featuring London locations. Her much-loved children's stories, poetry, and plays followed soon after. Today, she is mostly remembered for “Morning has Broken” and her poem “Cats Sleep Anywhere”. Comic illustrations, by Caroline’s great uncle, Macdonald “Max” Gill, were crucial to her success. The lecture is a magical mix of poetry, picture and anecdote interwoven with tales of the talented Farjeon family, her friend, poet Edward Thomas and illustrator Max Gill.

September 18th
A CONCISE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT BRITISH PUBLIC PARKS
Lecturer: Paul Rabbitts

This fascinating insight into the history of one of our greatest institutions - the Great British Public Park - gives examples of parks across the UK, and their designs and architecture.. We all enjoy them but what do we really know about them? What are their origins? This talk ranges from the great Royal Parks through 18th century Pleasure Gardens, to their Victorian heyday, their decline in the sixties, seventies and eighties, and now a renewed interest in and affection for them. What makes a great park? A combination of many features including lodges, lakes, bandstands, fountains, lidos, palm houses and wonderful floral displays – in short, its ‘parkitecture’. 

 

For the complete years programme click here