The work of women photographers has often been unfairly neglected. This lecture seeks to correct that by examining the contribution of three outstanding British practitioners; Julia Margaret Cameron, Jane Bown, and Fay Godwin, and two highly influential Americans: Dorothea Lange, and Annie Leibovitz.

NB: this lecture is on a Friday

Nicholas was the Greek Bishop of Myra. Following his death, his legendary generosity established him as the principal gift-giving saint. Over the centuries the image of St Nicholas changed constantly until the Dutch reinvented him as Sinterklaas. Taking him to their new colonies in America, he transformed into Santa Claus.

Later re-imported into Britain without his Catholic baggage, he gradually emerged as Father Christmas.

2027 is the 500th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, one of the most intriguing artists of all time.

He captivated his contemporaries with depictions of the human face composed of objects such as fruits, flowers, fish & books. This lecture examines his career in the context of his patron’s project of pursuing occult
knowledge at the frontier of art and science.

Behind the front door of a modest terraced house in Cambridge lies an extraordinary Victorian hand painted interior. Working class decorative artist David Parr spent many years decorating the finest churches and grandest homes in the country. In his spare time, he painted the walls of his own home with designs inspired by those he had worked on professionally, adapting them to create his own palace of art.

This lecture begins with an overview of the monument and the broad decorative programme of the interior. It explains the hidden meanings in the complex geometry of the glazed tilework and the stalactite-like muqarnas plasterwork. It also takes a closer look at the inscriptions, some of them an endless repetition of the Nasrid dynastic motto, but many also consisting of Arabic poetry.

NB: Our AGM will be held on this date, starting at 7pm before the lecture.

Jim Thompson arrived in Bangkok as a US army officer in 1945, fell in love with it and stayed. Captivated by the beauty of Thai silk, an ancient craft in decline, he resuscitated it and made it famous, creating costumes for films and embellishing his house, which today is a museum.

Ingres (1780-1867) is misunderstood by admirers and critics alike. Often described as a leader of the French classical tradition, he is characterised as an enemy to Romanticism and Delacroix’s greatest opponent. Such an approach belies the contradictory nature of Ingres’ work, above all in the field of portraiture.

The Nazis looted over 20% of Western Art during World War II. This lecture will provide an overview of Nazi looting by setting the scene in Nazi Germany, discussing Hitler’s obsession with art and how the Monuments Men recovered art after the war.