Lectures are held in the Sixth Form Lecture Theatre, James Allen's Girls' School (off Green Dale, London SE22 8TX) at 7.30 for 8.00pm, and also on Zoom. The Sixth Form Centre has its own parking off Green Dale. See the Where We Meet page for directions. Click below to download the lecture programme. To join or to findout more about coming as a guest, go to the Membership page.
Top 20 Most Popular Artworks in Britain Today
- Date: Thursday 10 April 2025, 8.00pm
- Lecturer: Raymond Burton
The lecture will reveal the top 20 most popular paintings in Britain resulting from polls taken up to 2020. There will be a brief description of the works that didn't make it, followed by a countdown of those that did. The audience will be asked to name their favourites and towards the end of the lecture, they will see how they compare with the poll results. The factors that make a painting popular will be discussed, as it does not necessarily rely on quality nor the status of the artiest.
Hogarth at the Hustings
- Date: Thursday 8 May 2025, 8.00pm
- Lecturer: Rupert Dickens
The long tradition of British political satire came to the fore again with the General Election. At the root are William Hogarth's Election Entertainment prints from the 1750s. His ruthless exposure of electoral corruption and hypocrisy sets the stage for later generations of satirists including James Gillray, Private Eye and today's digital artist Cold War Steve. Rupert will explain Hogarth's many jokes and references and reveal some surprisingly topical themes, from voter identifications to immigration.
Tamara de Lempicka, Art Deco Diva
- Date: Thursday 12 June 2025, 8.00pm
- Lecturer: Alexandra Epps
Tamara de Lempika's story is one of self-invention. From her beginnings as an aristocratic fugitive from the Russian Revolution to later taking Paris by storm as a successful artist living on her own terms, she has become an icon of the Roaring Twenties. Her unique style reflects the shifting morals of the age, representative of the wealthy and decadent European elite and boldly celebrating female sexuality. Few artists sum up an epoch quite as completely.
Wilde about Oscar, Famous for being Famous and Infamous
- Date: Thursday 10 July 2025, 8.00pm
- Lecturer: Simon Whitehouse
This lecture examines the lift and times of Oscar Wilde from his Irish roots to his student days at Oxford and his meteoric rise to the heights of celebrity. We will travel with hi, to the US and examine his starring role in the artistic and theatrical worlds of late 19th century London. We will visit his Chelsea home and some of his favourite West End haunts. We will learn how he became famous for being infamous ...