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Live and Recorded talks relating to:

Women & Art

  • ‘Me too’ in Dutch 17th century art
    ‘Me too’ in Dutch 17th century art
    Inappropriate advances, young girls being solicited by older men, there are plenty of Dutch Golden Age genre painting which make for uncomfortable watching. Join us to interpret how why these paintings were made and how 17th audiences would have viewed them.
  • Weaving innovations and political entanglements
    Weaving innovations and political entanglements
    This talk by Sophie coincides with Unravel: The Power & Politics of Textiles in Art, 14/2 -26/5/24, Barbican, and will cover the plasticity and transformative potential of textiles as forces of resistance and healing! more info below
  • Love, sorrow and passion: Rubens' Women
    Love, sorrow and passion: Rubens' Women
    From his mother, to his wives, daughters, the Virgin Mary, and his many female patrons - women played an extremely important and deeply emotional role in Rubens' life. This talk will highlight them, quoting the current exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery.
  • Peggy Guggenheim, a collector with flair
    Peggy Guggenheim, a collector with flair
    Peggy Guggenheim was a progressive and forward-thinking patron & collector. Her singular career spanned the modern era, linking the Dada and Surrealist movements with Abstract Expressionism. Time for a talk on this extraordinary arts patron!
  • Berthe Morisot
    Berthe Morisot
    In this talk we will trace Berthe Morisot's biography, her influences and the development of her style, and discuss how Morisot was able to thrive within the most radical group of artists, The Impressionists, in 19th century Paris. More info below.
  • Pioneering Female Photographers
    Pioneering Female Photographers
  • Little Luxuries: 18th century English Ceramics
    Little Luxuries: 18th century English Ceramics
    This week Hattie will show us the wonderful variety of ceramics produced in 18th century England: From Chelsea to Wedgewood!
  • Little Luxuries: 18th century Parisian Shopping
    Little Luxuries: 18th century Parisian Shopping
    The Marchand Merciers of Paris provided the wealthy aristocrats of France with luxury goods. From small shops merchants sold exquisite & costly objects often imported from Asia but given a distinct French taste. We'll discuss the importance of women patrons like Mm de Pompadour & Marie Antoinette.
  • The Greatest Female Patrons in History: Isabella d'Este (1474–1539)
    The Greatest Female Patrons in History: Isabella d'Este (1474–1539)
    Known as the “Marchioness of Mantua”, Isabella was able to commission works by new & emerging artists. Mythological paintings and portraiture show off her personal interests & political power. These artists are now immortalized as some of the finest in history.
  • The Greatest Female Patrons in History: Catherine the Great (1729–1796)
    The Greatest Female Patrons in History: Catherine the Great (1729–1796)
    She reigned over a golden age of Russian culture, founding what would become the State Hermitage Museum and transforming St. Petersburg into one of Europe’s cultural centers. Started for political reasons, she becomes a knowledgeable and passionate collector owning 4,000 Old Master paintings.
  • Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the Art of Queenship
    Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the Art of Queenship
    This lecture (timed close to her birthday) looks at the queen's use of art, as a powerful device for propaganda, while the cult of Gloriana revered her as a goddess. A large part of Elizabeth's legacy is her captivating image!
  • Surrealist Women: not muse, not object
    Surrealist Women: not muse, not object
    Women artists have often been misunderstood as secondary members of the surrealist movement. Re-examining surrealism shows us that women artists were an integral part of the movement. This talk introduces the work of these women. more info below
  • American Women Collectors: Isabella Stewart Gardner, a Venetian fantasy in Boston
    American Women Collectors: Isabella Stewart Gardner, a Venetian fantasy in Boston
    Isabella developed an appreciation for the Italian Old Masters while traveling to her beloved Venice. She started collecting art creating one of the most astonishing private collections of Italian & European Art visible in the United States. Join this portrait of a remarkable female collector!
  • Heroines or Villains; women in the bible
    Heroines or Villains; women in the bible
    The bible depicts women as dangerous temptresses, but also as brave and patriotic heroins. In this one hour lecture Mariska will discuss some of the most popular figures depicted in Art History, their symbolism and popularity.
  • Greatest Female Patrons in History: Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764)
    Greatest Female Patrons in History: Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764)
    Pompadour wasn't only a well-known patron of the arts but also the owner of a creative mind making various artworks & artifacts with her own hands. She helped usher in the creation of France's first encyclopedia, planned buildings & palaces and established a center for porcelain production at Sèvres
  • Woman who made Modernism
    Woman who made Modernism
    Cindy Polemis looks at the work of 4 extraordinary women artists working in Germany in the 1900s-Paula Modersohn-Becker, Kathe Kollwitz, Gabriele Munter and Marianne Werefkin, all of whom played a central role in the development of radical new directions in European art at the turn of the century.
  • The Greatest Female Patrons in History: Queen Victoria
    The Greatest Female Patrons in History: Queen Victoria
    Queen Victoria was a keen patron and collector of contemporary art. in this talk we will look at how she chose artists (sometimes controversially) to present herself as monarch, mother, wife and widow.
  • Northern Lights: four  leading northern European artists
    Northern Lights: four  leading northern European artists
    Cindy explores the eerie and sublime landscapes of Norwegian artist Nicolas Astrup, the haunting portraits of Finnish painter Helen Schjerfbeck, the extraordinary abstract shapes and swirls of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, and the fantastical folkloric images of Lithuania’s M.K. Ciurlionis.
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