We start in September with a lecture about booze and intoxication in art. An examination of the way drink and drinking are depicted, the social messages portrayed, the happy and unhappy consequences, and how alcohol affected the lives of the artists, their families and friends.

The Bayeux Tapestry will be displayed at the British Museum from 10th September 2026 to 11th July 2027. This lecture looks not only at its creation, but also its amazing afterlife.

2025 was the 100th anniversary of the international 1925 Arts Décoratifs exhibition in Paris (giving its name to the style later to become known as Art Deco). This lecture will ask questions such as: Why Paris? Was there a distinctive style? Who were the key movers? Original black and white photographs, set against colour 

We will learn about the origins of slapstick and how Britain became the crucible of the pantomime form, independently from the rest of the world. Find out exactly why pantomime is so popular, what makes it so successful and how it remains a joyful celebration of all that is quintessentially British.

Elaine returns to bring the sunlight of the South of France to the screen and will brighten the dreariest winter's day. We will explore the work of the impressionist artists and those artists influenced by their work. Attention is drawn to the work and lives of Cézanne, Van Gogh and Matisse, and the depictions of the rural and urban scenes which inspired their art.

In this illustrated talk, Franny will look at the iconic portraiture of Louise XVI's queen made by her official portraitist Vigée Le Brun became Marie Antoinette's court painter in 1778, after which she made some 30 further depictions of the monarch. Each defining portrait reflects a moment in the queen's tumultuous and ultimately tragic career

Princess Louise was a daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and a well-respected sculptor. Her life and legacy have been locked away in the Royal Archives ever since her death in 1939, but her work was stunning, and her life fascinating. Researching her biography was like being a detective.

Today we talk of “symphony concerts” and “symphony orchestras”, but where did these come from? The answer involves a fascinating story stretching across the whole of the eighteenth century, as the new and strange idea of just sitting and listening to music, rather than singing or dancing to it, gradually took off in musical life across Europe. One of the most surprising aspects of this story is the part played in it by Britain. 

The Grand Tour was an eighteenth-century phenomenon in which young men completed their education by absorbing the art and culture of mainland Europe. But what to see? This lecture examines the visual culture of Europe in the eighteenth century, highlighting the typical itinerary but also illuminating the more exotic possibilities available to travellers.

This lecture will provide an introduction to and an overview of the arts of Japan. It will chart the development of key aspects of the Japanese aesthetic in painting, sculpture and the applied arts through different periods of history. Contact with China and the West, contrasting aristocratic and military tastes, and the growth of townsmen’s culture in the Edo period have all contributed to distinctive visual trends and techniques.