All our meetings are held in Westerham Hall, Quebec Avenue, Westerham. TN15 1HH .The Wine Bar opens at 7.30 - talk begins at 8pm. Free to members - Visitors £5 on the door
FIFTEENTH SEASON - 2020 Membership remains £35 single - £65 couple
CORONAVIRUS ALERT !! Please note that the Lectures on 1st April, 13th May and 3rd June have been CANCELLED. All three Speakers have been re-engaged for the 2021 Season
NB - Change of Lecturer !! Founders & Treasures of the Wallace Collection
Wednesday 1st April 2020 - Andy McConnell (the Glass Expert from the BBC's Antiques Road Show) regrets he is unable to come. Rebooked to April 2021!
He is replaced by STEPHEN DUFFY recently retired as Senior Curator of the Wallace Collection.
He is replaced by STEPHEN DUFFY recently retired as Senior Curator of the Wallace Collection.
"Indians, Buffalos and Storms" - The American West in 19th Century Art
Wednesday 13th May 2020. Artists were never far behind the Explorers who opened up the west of America in the 19th C. Sometimes they painted what they saw. Sometimes they painted what they wished they had seen!! Toby Faber will tell us this story, which is on a big scale, and it seems appropriate that among the pictures illustrating this lecture are some of the largest and most grandiloquent of the era.
VISIT to AVINGTON PARK via the WATERCRESS LINE CANCELLED .....................................CANCELLED
Thursday 28th MAY 2020
By Coach and via Steam Train on the Watercress Line from Alton to Arlesford We are most fortunate to have been granted a special Guided Tour of this delightful, historic, privately owned house in Hampshire where King Charles 2nd entertained Nell Gwynne and King George IV took Mrs FitzHerbert! It also houses an interesting collection of furniture, paintings and mirrors in addition to the tiny St Mary's Church in the delightful grounds, where we will hear a recital on the Barrel Organ! [probably about £50] Reservations for Members Only will open at the April meeting - there are 29 places.
By Coach and via Steam Train on the Watercress Line from Alton to Arlesford We are most fortunate to have been granted a special Guided Tour of this delightful, historic, privately owned house in Hampshire where King Charles 2nd entertained Nell Gwynne and King George IV took Mrs FitzHerbert! It also houses an interesting collection of furniture, paintings and mirrors in addition to the tiny St Mary's Church in the delightful grounds, where we will hear a recital on the Barrel Organ! [probably about £50] Reservations for Members Only will open at the April meeting - there are 29 places.
"Jennie Churchill: Style Icon, Pushy Mother, Ambitious Seductress!!"
Wednesday 3rd June 2020. Jenny Jerome was born in America with the belief that it was her destiny to make a great marriage and achieve something in the world. Anne Sebba has written a book about the life of Lady Randolph Churchill and feels that she has been treated unfairly in history, as a woman who took 200 lovers; but in the 21stC, almost 100 years after Jennie's tragically premature death, surely it is time to re-evaluate her legacy. This talk is carried over from last year, when Anne was unable to come.
"Matisse: the Master of Colour"
Wednesday 1st July 2020. Matisse is known for his mastery of colour, but how did this happen? His early life was inauspicious as an artist - but gradually the help of his teachers and the women he loved, gave him increasing confidence. He became a giant of modern art and towards the end of his life when ill health prevented him from painting, he began "Carving into Colour" with his series of spectacular cut-outs. Liz Strang will fill in all the details of his life and career and the invention of this new medium.
"RESTORATION & AFTER: Boobs, Bombast and Gin!"
Wednesday 2nd September 2020. Giles Ramsey is an independent Theatre Director and Producer. His directing credits are too numerous to mention! He is a Course Leader in Theatre at the V & A Museum. This talk is a fascinating slant on History - how the theatre of the day reflected this most saucy of eras.
"A Provocative Beauty - the Art of Grayson Perry"
Wednesday 7th October 2020. Grayson Perry who won the Turner Prize in 2003, is close to becoming a "National Treasure". His beautiful, finely crafted pottery, which frequently has a sting in the tail, and his colourful, imaginative and often amusing tapestries are enormously popular in the fine art world. In his lecture Frank Woodgate will look at his work in some detail, as well as considering his cross-dressing alter ego, Claire, and his fondness for his childhood teddy bear Alan Measles..
"The MOON - in Mythology, Science and Art"
Wednesday 4th November 2020 given by Dr David Whitehouse - author of "Apollo 11 -the Inside Story" - he was the "Face of Space" on British television as the BBC's Science Correspondant from 1988 - 2006, and as a science communicator he is in a class of his own! This lecture is not just for astronomers or those keen on science - there is also much to interest Art Historians.
"From Downton to Gatsby" - Jewellery & Fashion 1890 - 1929
Wednesday 9th December 2020. A "sparkling" end to our Season.
Andrew Prince is a respected craftsman, historian and lecturer and has created some of the finest crystal jewellery in the world: he was commissioned to make many of the jewels worn by the main characters in the acclaimed TV series "Downton Abbey". His lecture explores the extraordinary era when great couturiers collaborated with the finest craftsmen to produce creations of outstanding quality and glittering opulence. He promises to bring some examples of his craft for us to examine.
Andrew Prince is a respected craftsman, historian and lecturer and has created some of the finest crystal jewellery in the world: he was commissioned to make many of the jewels worn by the main characters in the acclaimed TV series "Downton Abbey". His lecture explores the extraordinary era when great couturiers collaborated with the finest craftsmen to produce creations of outstanding quality and glittering opulence. He promises to bring some examples of his craft for us to examine.
