Lectures

We trace the Art of the Kimono from the many layered robes of court dress, through changing styles that encompassed intricate and bold de-sign that wove signs, symbols and stories into the fabrics that people wore during the Edo period from the early 1600s to the mid-1900s

Voracious and adventurous in her tastes, Queen Victoria was head of state during a revolution in how we ate - from the highest tables to the most humble. A Greedy Queen considers Britain’s most iconic monarch from a new perspective, telling the story of British food along the way

The ‘Mona Lisa’ is both mesmerising and tantalis-ing. So much about it is mysterious, but one thing is clear: in a life studded with unfinished projects, this was one which Leonardo not only completed, but kept with him until his death, because in it he addressed and realised so many of the themes which are at the core of his work.

The lecture will examine the traditional role of carpet weaving and embroidery in the social lives of Central Asian women and how social and political influences led to the decline of textile production.  It will focus on the attempt to revive the rich textile heritage of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, using 15th Century designs sourced from illuminated manuscripts of the time and will highlight the challenges involved such as the sourcing of natural dyes from neighbouring Afghanistan.

Biography

Chris was born in Turkey and spent his childhood there and in war-torn Beirut. After school, Chris spent two years at sea before studying Media and journalism at Leicester University. He then moved to Khiva, a desert oasis in Uzbekistan, establishing a UNESCO workshop reviving fifteenth century carpet designs and embroideries, creating income for women. After a year in the UK writing A Carpet Ride to Khiva, he moved to the Pamirs in Tajikistan, training yak herders to comb their yaks for their cashmere-like down, spending three years there. Next came two years in Kyrgyzstan living in the world’s largest natural walnut forest and establishing a wood-carving workshop. Chris has recently finished studying at Oxford and is now a curate at St. Barnabas, North Finchley, and author of Alabaster and Manacle. He returns to Central Asia whenever he can and conducts tours there.

 Poster_2019_09_19_Khiva_carpet-3.pdf (146 KB)

Since the 19th century English high society had 'wintered over' on the Côte d'Azur, but always left by April. In the early 1920's, however, an intoxicating mix of artists, writers, musicians and international visitors, inspired by a mythological seascape of luminous colours, created a new summer season. Traditional boundaries were torn down.

Biography

Mary Alexander's experience includes public lectures in museums, tutoring for the Open University, visiting lecturer at Christie's Education in London, museum curator at Platt Hall, the Gallery of Costume, Manchester. She is now a freelance lecturer to various arts, heritage and antiquarian societies. She also worked in Pentagram design consultancy in London and New York, organising conferences and special events. She is an author of various articles on design and visual awareness issues.

 Poster_2019_10_24_Riviera.pdf (91 KB)

It is now around 200 years since the purchase of the so-called 'Elgin Marbles'  from Lord Elgin by the British Parliament. This lecture will explore the aesthetics, the back-story and the heated debates surrounding these fascinating and controversial works of ancient Greek art which were originally part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens.

Biography

As a Classics Tutor for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Professor of History of Art for the European Studies Program of Rhodes College and The University of the South, Stephen Kershaw has spent much of the last 30 years travelling extensively in the world of the Greeks and Romans both physically and intellectually. He has published A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths (Robinson, 2007) and A Brief Guide to Classical Civilization (Robinson, 2010) and is currently working on A Brief Guide to the Roman Empire.

 Poster_2019_11_21_Elgin_Marbles.pdf (103 KB)

When we look at early child portraits we often see only miniature adults dressed stiffly in adult-like clothes. Yet what can portraits by artists such as Rembrandt or Velázquez really tell us about children in the past? Recognising the (artistic) conventions behind such images may help to discover more about childhood throughout history, and about social expectations.

So how did adults see children in the past, and how were they actually presented in art from Antiquity up to the present? Our findings could well be very different from what we might expect.

Biography

Born in Gouda (Netherlands), Sophie has an MA and PhD in English Literature (Leiden), an MA in Medieval Studies (York) and a PhD in Art History (Leicester). She has taught at the universities of St Andrews, Leicester, Nottingham and Manchester, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, National Trust, V&A, U3A, WEA and other organisations, and organised many study days, tours and visits. She is also a regular lecturer for Cambridge University and Martin Randall Travel, and Honorary Research Fellow with the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews. She has numerous publications to her name.

 Poster_2020_02_18_Miniature_Adults-2.pdf (148 KB)

The Arts Society Hamburg very much regrets that it has taken the decision to cancel this lecture due to the increasing seriousness of the Coronavirus.

One hundred years ago a group of American musicians docked in London, bringing with them for the very first time one of the twentieth century’s most important musical genres: jazz, a fascinating blend of rigorous structure, free-wheeling creativity, close-knit ensemble work and improvisation.

Drawing on his practical experience both as musicologist and gigging musician, Sandy is able to shed light on jazz from the inside.

His talk touches on the disparate influences which lay behind the emergence of jazz, and his musical illustrations range from the blues, ragtime and the very earliest jazz recordings through to classics by Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and the dawn of the Swing Era.

The evening will be concluded with a concert featuring a group of musicians from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, led by British jazz clarinetist Samantha Wright. The audience can expect to experience music associated with early jazz musicians such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller.

Biography

Sandy is one of the UK’s most versatile music commentators, enjoying a career that combines broadcasting, performing and lecturing. After studying at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and working as music director for the RSC, National Theatre and in London’s West End, Sandy Burnett spent a decade as one of the core team of presenters on BBC Radio 3. Combining engaging scholarship with hands-on expertise, he devises and leads cultural holidays all over the world, is the author of the Idler Guide to Classical Music, is a highly sought after double bassist on the London jazz scene, and was appointed the Academy of Ancient Music’s Hogwood Fellow for the 2018-19 season.

Watch Sandy on YouTube

 Poster_2020_03_26_Age-of-Jazz-c-2.pdf (401 KB)

This is an online lecture

A fascinating talk exploring the many depictions, myths and cultural roles of that most glorious of plants, the sunflower.

Tracing its origins from South America, its association with the god Apollo, to its role in art as personification of kings starring in depictions by artists from van Dyck to van Gogh. Worshipped by the aesthetes and arts and crafts movements it found favour in the gardens of the Impressionists, and led a touch of magic to the humbler cottage garden.

From Clytie to Klimt this is the extraordinary tale of an extraordinary plant.

Biography

Twigs Way is a successful writer, researcher and speaker, who is fascinated by the social and cultural aspects of garden history including landscapes in art and literature. She combines this with a specialist consultancy in management of historic landscapes.

In order to register to receive the link to get into this live online lecture, please contact hamburg@theartssociety.org.  

Arts Society members are free.  Guests €15.00, payable in advance.

 Poster_2020_07_21_Sunflower-2.pdf (185 KB)

This is an online lecture

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is arguably the most important Indian artistic figure of the modern era. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, claimed that he had two gurus: Gandhi and Tagore. A renowned poet, novelist, composer and painter, Tagore is also the only person in history to have written the national anthems for two countries (India and Bangladesh).

This lecture provides an introduction to Tagore’s remarkable life and work, including his novels, poetry, songs and paintings. It also explores the role Tagore’s art played in the story of India’s fight for independence.

Biography

Dr John Stevens is a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London, and a member of academic staff at the SOAS South Asia Institute. His PhD in History is from University College London. He teaches British Imperial history, Indian history and Bengali language, and is a regular visitor to India and Bangladesh. He publishes widely in the fields of British and Indian history. His biography of the Indian guru Keshab Chandra Sen – Keshab: Bengal’s Forgotten Prophet - was published by Hurst and Oxford University Press in 2018. He appears regularly in the Indian media, and was recently a guest on BBC Radio Four’s In Our Time, discussing the poet and artist Rabindranath Tagore.

 Poster_2020_09_08_Tagore.pdf (220 KB)

In order to register to receive the link to get into this live online lecture, please contact hamburg@theartssociety.org.  

Arts Society members are free.  Guests €15.00, payable in advance.

This is an online lecture

William Morris considered a beautiful home to be “the most important production of Art” and much of his working life was devoted to the production of household goods that were intended to bring art and beauty into a wide range of homes.  He also expended enormous time and energy on beautifying his own homes, creating first at Red House in Bexleyheath, and then at Kelmscott House in Hammersmith, and finally at his country home, Kelmscott Manor, a series of interiors that exemplified his ideas about art and design. This lecture explores not only the decoration, but also the relationships and lifestyles associated with each of these very different homes.

BIOGRAPHY OF LECTURER

Jo Banham is a freelance curator, lecturer and writer. From 2006 to 2016 she was Head of Adult Learning at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and before that Head of Learning and Access at the National Portrait Gallery, and Head of Public Programmes at Tate Britain. She has also been Curator of Leighton House and Assistant Keeper at the Whitworth Art Gallery. She has published on many aspects of Victorian and early 20th century decoration and interiors. She is currently curating an exhibition on William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement for the Juan March Fundacion in Madrid and the Museu Nacional d’Art Catalunya in Barcelona. She is also Director of the Victorian Society Summer School.

In order to register to receive the link to get into this live online lecture, please contact hamburg@theartssociety.org.  

Arts Society members are free.  Guests €15.00, payable in advance.

 Poster_2020_10_08_William_Morris.pdf (73 KB)

This is an online lecture

One of the most extraordinary Spanish artists from Valencia, Joaquin Sorolla has become better known more recently. He lived from 1863 to 1923 and created a world full of light and colour which delights the senses. Sometimes a social painter he was more concerned with capturing light falling on bodies and sea-scapes and his wonderful technique will be considered in this colourful lecture. His final Visions of Spain now in New York will also be shown.

BIOGRAPHY OF LECTURER

Jacqueline is Managing Director of an art tours company, running residential courses in Andalucía, Southern Spain in the art and culture of the region. Jacqueline is a course director and lecturer at the V&A and also lectures at The Royal Academy, Christies Education, The Art Fund, The London Art History Society and has recently toured New Zealand for The Arts Society and Australia fror ADFAS, where she will return next year. Her specialist field is Spanish Art, but she also lectures on European Art 1790-1950. She has recently published A Taste of Art, London (Unicorn Press 2019). 

In order to register to receive the link to get into this live online lecture, please contact hamburg@theartssociety.org.  

Arts Society members are free.  Guests €15.00, payable in advance.

 Poster_2020_17_11_Sorolla.pdf (69 KB)

This is an online lecture

To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, born in December 1770, Sandy guides us through the life and work of this brilliant, cantankerous, visionary and astonishingly original composer, a man who tore up the rule book of classical music. Visual illustrations include a selection of contemporary portraits, while musical examples are drawn from his genre-busting piano sonatas, quartets and symphonies, and from the revolutionary opera Fidelio. We’re talking about much more than just a musician here – Beethoven was a true Romantic artist, or as he preferred to describe himself, a “poet in sound.” 

Biography of Lecturer

 Sandy is one of the UK’s most versatile music commentators, enjoying a career that combines broadcasting, performing and lecturing. After studying at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, Sandy worked as music director for the RSC, the National Theatre and in London’s West End, as well as extensively on BBC radio.  He is the author of the Idler Guide to Classical Music, runs an online classical music appreciation Listening Club, is a highly sought after double bassist on the London jazz scene, and was appointed the Academy of Ancient Music’s Hogwood Fellow for the 2018-19 season.  

In order to register to receive the link to get into this live online lecture, please contact hamburg@theartssociety.org.  

Arts Society members are free.  Guests €15.00, payable in advance.

 Poster_2020_16_12_Beethoven.pdf (167 KB)

We invite you to an online wine tasting on Zoom at 7 pm (CET)

Helen Swift, the manager of the Hamburg Branch of Vino, will be introducing us to 6 "seasonal drinking” wines (below).  To join this event you will need to register in order to be sent the six bottles of wine in advance of the tasting.  

To register, contact:  hamburg@theartssociety.org

Bio of Helen Swift:
Helen grew up in England and lived afterwards in France and Spain for several years.  She has been working in the wine trade since 1986 here in Hamburg, the last 15 years of which have been as branch Manager of Vino.  Over the years she has gathered several different WSET qualifications (WSET is a British based foundation for educating wine professionals) and she is still engaged in the Diploma studies. Helen has travelled extensively, particularly through France in search of interesting wines and of course to enjoy the country and it’s charms.

LECTURE SUMMARY

This lecture explores the relationship of art to film in the crucial years in Germany between the wars. Metropolis (1926) will be our starting point to understanding expressionism in German cinema. The blueprint of the murder/suspense/thriller genre film M (1931) was made by the same director and will be closely examined for its invention and influences. The savagely satirical paintings of Dix, Grosz and Beckmann will support our investigation into this highly important twenty years of European culture.

BIOGRAPHY OF LECTURER

John Francis has delivered lecturers and workshops in the USA, Beijing, Malaysia and the UK. Initially trained as a painter, he 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, London and Kingston University.

 Poster_2021_02_11_German_Film.pdf (111 KB)

In order to register to receive the link to get into this live online lecture, please contact hamburg@theartssociety.org.  

Arts Society members are free.  Guests €15.00, payable in advance.

Everyone knows Saint-Saëns musical interpretation of the Danse Macabre, but what was the original Danse about? The Dance of Death reminds viewers that Death comes to us all, rich or poor, young or old: "memento mori". Graphic illustrations of such encounters occur in manuscripts, murals, windows and print. Alongside the shock value there is satire, e.g. in Holbein‘s woodcut of a nun ogling a handsome suitor in her cell, oblivious of Death nearby. An unusual topic with lots of black humour.

Biography

Sophie was born in Gouda (Netherlands). She has an MA and PhD in English Literature (Leiden), an MA in Medieval Studies (York) and a PhD in Art History (Leicester). She has taught at the universities of St Andrews, Leicester, Nottingham and Manchester, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, National Trust, V&A, U3A, WEA and other organisations, and organised many study days, tours and visits. She is also a regular lecturer for Cambridge University and travel companies, and Honorary Research Fellow with the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews.  

 Poster_2021_03_16_Dance-of-Death.pdf (229 KB)

In order to register to receive the link to get into this live online lecture, please contact hamburg@theartssociety.org.  

Arts Society members are free.  Guests €15.00, payable in advance.

The bed has been the site of multiple encounters in art from Titian’s stunning mythologies through Manet’s Olympia, Picasso’s nudes, and the object of Tracey Emin’s infamous My Bed. But if the bed has been linked to passion, it has also been linked to death and this lecture explores its manifestations in the art of Caravaggio, Munch, Klimt, and others.

Biography

Marie-Anne trained as an artist before gaining a PhD in Art and Critical Theory from the University of Sussex. She has lectured in art history for the City Lit, Tate Modern, the Course, Art in London, London Art Salon, Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Nth Degree Club and many private art societies. She also runs art history study tours abroad. 

In order to register to receive the link to get into this live online lecture, please  contact hamburg@theartssociety.org.  

Arts Society members are free.  Guests €15.00, payable in advance.

 Poster_2021_04_20_Beds_in_Art.pdf (158 KB)