Fish & Chip Lunch

24 Sep 2021

Location:

City University Club, 42 Crutched Friars, EC3N 2AP

The famous Arts Scholars Friday Fish & Chip lunches are back!

This lunch on 24th Sep 21 will be the first in a new series, to be held at the City University Club, the new home of the City Livery Club (the current President of which is Arts Scholars' Past Master Nic Somers).

Georgian Gems and Jewels: A window onto a forgotten world

4 Oct 2021

Location:

Online (Zoom)

Arts Scholar John Benjamin’s talk on 18th Century Jewellery will look at many of the key inspirations of this beautiful - and often misunderstood - period of jewellery design, so very different from much of the repetitive, perfectly proportioned generic jewels sold today.

Mithras Lecture - The Artist, the Pope and the Eternal City

14 Oct 2021

Location:

Apothecaries' Hall, Black Friars Lane, EC4V 6ER

Drawing on his recent book, ‘An Elephant in Rome’, Past Master Loyd Grossman will talk to members and their guests about the relationship between the sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pope Alexander VII, and the building of Baroque Rome.

We will hear how, in 1655, the newly-elected Alexander VII engaged Bernini, the most important artist of the age, together creating a city grander and more beautiful than at any time since the days of the Emperor Augustus, and which continues to delight today.

The talk will be followed by a canapé Reception, with the evening concluding at 8.45pm.

Visit to the Museum of Brands

21 Oct 2021

Location:

111 – 117 Lancaster Road, Notting Hill, W11 1QT

Arts Scholar Wynyard Wilkinson will lead us in a visit to the innovative Museum of Brands, minutes from Portobello Road. In a chronological journey of discovery through the permanent exhibition The Time Tunnel, we will explore the remarkable story of how consumer society has evolved since Victorian times, with our favourite brands put into their historical context.

The evening will finish with a glass of wine. For those who wish, there will be the opportunity to have supper in a nearby Turkish restaurant (not included in the price).

Livery Dinner

25 Oct 2021

Location:

Barber-Surgeons’ Hall, Monkwell Square, Wood Street, London EC2Y 5BL

The 2021 Arts Scholars’ Livery Dinner will be held at Barber-Surgeons’ Hall on the evening of Monday 25th October 2021.

The event is for Liverymen only - no guests. The opportunity will also be taken to ‘cloathe’ new Liverymen.

In conversation ... with Philippa Glanville & Nigel Israel

1 Nov 2021

Location:

Online (Zoom)

A lunchtime conversation between Past Master Philippa Glanville and the Arts Scholars' polymath Nigel Israel.

Details & Zoom Registration Link to follow

Arts Scholars preview - Fabergé Exhibition at V&A

1 Dec 2021

Location:

V&A Museum, Exhibition Road, SW7 2RL

The Arts Scholars have secured privileged access to an early preview of 'Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution’ at the V&A, an exhibition dedicated to the legendary St Petersburg jewellers. Arts Scholar Cynthia Sparke will be giving a unique introduction to the exhibition, after which members will have an opportunity to view objects by the House of Fabergé illustrating the firm’s meteoric rise from conventional jeweller to legendary purveyor of Imperial eggs.

N.B. Registration opens on 1st Oct 21

J.M.W. Turner: Painter Turned Architect

6 Dec 2021

Location:

Online (Zoom)

J.M.W. Turner is renowned for his art but less known for his profound interest in architecture. Going someway to redress the balance, Arts Scholar Mary Rose Rivett-Carnac will recount how Turner designed his own rural retreat called Sandycombe Lodge, an architectural gem near the River Thames. The lecture explores Turner’s longstanding interest in architecture as revealed in his paintings, the story behind Sandycombe Lodge and the unexpected findings made during its rescue, after suffering decades of neglect, and before re-opening to the public in 2017.

Setting Europe ablaze: A talk on the Special Operations Executive

5 Jan 2022

Location:

St Stephen's Church, Walbrook

Arts Scholar Francelle Bradford White BEM will describe how, in June 1940, a new volunteer force, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), was set up to wage a secret war in occupied Europe and, later, the Far East. Its agents were mainly tasked with sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines. They had an influential supporter in Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who famously ordered them to 'set Europe ablaze!'. As she will reveal, Francelle has a very personal connection with 'Churchill's Secret Army' as the SOE became known.

Museums: Tomorrow’s world arrived Yesterday

7 Feb 2022

Location:

Online (Zoom)

A talk by Arts Scholar David Glasser.

Full details to follow.

The Black Prince's Ruby: Investigating the legend

11 Apr 2022

Location:

Zoom (Online)

The 170-carat red spinel which is set in the Imperial State Crown in Britain’s Crown Jewels is known as the ‘Black Prince’s Ruby’ and is one of Britain’s best-known gems. It has been popularly associated with Edward the Prince of Wales the ‘Black Prince’—who lived in the 1300s. An oft-repeated legend links the gem back to its presentation to the Prince in Spain in 1367 and tells of how Henry V wore it on his crown at the Battle of Agincourt. This talk, by Arts Scholar Dr Jack Ogden, looks back through Georgian, Renaissance and Medieval sources to try to separate fact from fiction.

Coronations and Coronation Furniture

23 May 2022

Location:

Zoom (online)

Until recently, very little was known about the chairs and stools manufactured specifically for British coronations since the reign of Edward VII. In his first online lecture for the Art Scholars, Freeman Luke Honey traces the fascinating story of British coronations (and investitures) since the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838, and explains how the design of coronation furniture reflects the evolution of our constitutional monarchy in the 20th century.

International Visit: Romania (Transylvania)

18 Jun 2022

Location:

Transylvania

A 7 night 8 day visit, including Suceava, Sighisoara and Brasov 18th-25th June 2022.

THIS TRIP IS FULLY BOOKED