Marie-Anne Mancio

More Russian than the Russians: Catherine the Great

Intent on modernising Russia, Catherine the Great built the Hermitage of which she wrote "(it) contains 38,000 books; there are four rooms filled with books and prints, 10,000 engraved gems (and another 34,000 casts and pastes), roughly 10,000 drawings and a natural history collection that fills two large galleries".  She also commissioned buildings, statuary, and gardens, founded academies and journals, and libraries, bought Diderot's library, wrote librettos for operas and satirical plays.  Learn how she won Russian hearts and succeeded in forging a new identity for herself.  

Peter the Great: Building St Petersburg

In a bid to change Russia’s reputation from primitive to sophisticated, Peter I toured Europe, returning with 260 chests of weapons, scientific instruments, tools and a stuffed crocodile.  Perhaps his greatest legacy was his art patronage, amassing a collection that included Russia’s first Rembrandt.  He both invited European artists like Jean-Marc Nattier and Bartolomeo Rastrelli to train locals and sponsored Russian artists’ trips to Europe and, of course, built St. Petersburg, a magnificent city inspired by Amsterdam.  

Marie-Anne Mancio trained as an artist before gaining a DPhil 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, V&A, Dulwich Picture Gallery, HENI films, Ben Uri gallery.  Marie-Anne also runs art history study tours abroad for ACE and is a Director of InFems art collective for whom she curates exhibitions and writes.

The Great Age of the Shogun: Art and Culture in Eco Period Japan - BOOKING NOW CLOSED

During the Edo period of rule by the Tokugawa Shogunate (1615-1868), the arts of Japan gained in richness and diversity.  With the rise of the merchant class and the growth of cities such as Edo (modern-day Tokyo), a new vitality was injected into traditional forms and an emerging middle class culture gave rise to exciting developments in the visual and performing arts.  This lecture will consider the arts of the period including castle architecture, golden screen painting, ukiyo-e prints, textiles, lacquerware and netsuke, as well as the emergence of the flamboyant kabuki theatre.

Japanese Art and the West from Namban to Japonaiserie

This lecture will chart the artistic relationship between Japan and the West beginning with the Namban or golden screen paintings of ‘southern barbarians’ that reflected the presence of Portuguese Jesuits in 16th century Nagasaki.  Japan’s subsequent isolationism and limited contact with the outside world through the Dutch trade produced a small but significant window to the West in the 17th and 18th centuries, introducing new artistic conventions and ideas and performing arts.  This lecture will consider the arts of the period including castle architecture, golden screen painting, ukiyo-e prints, textiles, lacquerware and netsuke, as well as the emergence of the flamboyant kabuki theatre.

Professor Marie Conte-Helm is a long-established Arts Society Lecturer with a BA in History of Art and an MA in Asian Art and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.  She was Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation from 1999-2011 and has held senior academic posts at various UK universities.  She has most recently served as Executive Director of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group and as a member of the Board of Governors of the University for the Creative Arts.  She is widely published and has lectured throughout the UK and abroad.  She was awarded an OBE in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to UK-Japan educational and cultural relations and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Government of Japan in 2019.

BOOKING NOW CLOSED

The Ancient Greeks were the founders of Western Civilisation. Rupert explains how key cultural achievements would never have occurred without the Athenian victory at Marathon in 490 BC. The day concludes with a thrilling account of the Battle of Thermopylai in 480, with visits to Sparta and Delphi along the way.

MARATHON! Why remember a battle that took place over two and a half thousand years ago? Examining the influence of ancient Athens on our art and culture, Rupert reveals Marathon as the victory that saved ‘Western Civilisation’. Eye-opening, edge-of-your-seat stuff. One of the world’s most popular athletic events commemorates Pheidippides’s epic run from the battlefield of Marathon to his native Athens. Apart from the amazing courage of Pheidippides, why remember a battle that took place over two and a half thousand years ago? Since the 19th century, historians have argued that it was a crucial event, one that had decided ‘the whole future of human civilisation’.

THERMOPYLYAI! "A mighty Persian army sweeps into Greece. For Sparta to be saved, the King must die". So says the far-famed Oracle at Delphi. Leonidas and his 300 warriors set out for Thermopylai, ready to lay down their lives. From austere Sparta to glittering Delphi, re-trace one of the greatest adventures in history.In 480 BC, ten years after their defeat at Marathon, the Persians under King Xerxes launch a second invasion of Greece. Leonidas, King of Sparta, plans to block their advance. Famously men of few words, solely dedicated to the profession of arms, the Spartans are the supreme warriors of their time, unbeaten in any major battle.

Rupert Willoughby is an historian and Classicist, a poet, a father and a committed outdoor swimmer with a passion for castles, lakes and uncovering the layers of the past. A graduate with First Class Honours in History from the University of London (where he immersed himself in the ‘Byzantine’, or medieval Greek Empire), he is the author of the best-selling Life in Medieval England for Pitkin, and of a series of popular histories of places, including Chawton: Jane Austen’s Village, and the whimsical, yet scholarly Basingstoke and its Contribution to World Culture. Rupert also contributes regular obituaries to The Daily Telegraph. Accredited by The Arts Society since 2011, he is an experienced lecturer, who is known for his light, humorous touch, his love of narrative and his vivid evocations of the past. Rupert’s forefathers were Vikings and his foremothers were Tatars.Rupert Willoughby specialises in the domestic and social life of the past. He is the author of the best-selling Life in Medieval England for Pitkin and of a series of popular histories of places, including Chawton: Jane Austen’s Village and Basingstoke and its Contribution to World Culture.

The Art of Two of Ancient Egypt’s Most Fascinating Pharaohs

Akhenaten (14th Century BC) is probably the most controversial of all the Egyptian pharaohs.  He made extraordinary changes to the religion and art; he replaced the traditional polytheistic religion with the worship of one solar deity, and the art is unlike that of any other pharaoh’s reign.  Hatshepsut (15th century BC) is a rare example of a female pharaoh, whose art reflects the need for her to comply with the very male ideology and iconography of ancient Egyptian kingship. 

Lecture 1: The Mythologising of a Pharaoh: Akhenaten, deformed or divine?  In the first lecture Lucia will explore Akhenaten (c1352 – c1336 BC). He chose to be represented in a most singular fashion.  Did he really look like this?  Or was his representation determined by ideology?  She will explore these questions and consider the mythologising of a most unusual pharaoh – a mythologising that began soon after his death and has continued through to the present day.

Lecture 2: Portrait of a Female Pharaoh: Hatshepsut  In the second lecture Lucia will explore the female pharaoh Hatshepsut (c1479 – c1458 BC) through graffiti, monumental reliefs, obelisks and fine statuary.  The art of this reign is intriguing. Lucia will examine the rise to power of this 18th dynasty queen, and her extraordinary achievements as pharaoh.  Her name was later removed from the monuments and her depictions excised, so Lucia will assess the evidence for this backlash against the presence of a woman on the throne of Egypt.  

Lucia Gahlen is an Egyptologist who has worked in museums and on excavations in Egypt, but these days mostly lectures. Former Honorary Research Associate at University College London’s Institute of Archaeology, and Lecturer in Egyptology at several UK universities. Works at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London. Leads tours to Egypt. Former Director of Bloomsbury Summer School at UCL, Chair of the Friends of the Petrie Museum, and Trustee of the Egypt Exploration Society. Publications include Egypt: gods, myths, religion. 

TO BOOK  - PLEASE EMAIL tech@theartssocietywestminster.org

Cost £54

Guests are welcome. 

Our second study day of the season will be on Wednesday, 26th February at the Club for Acts and Actors, 10 Bedford Street, Covent Garden. This will be two lectures and will include coffee/tea and biscuits before and a sandwich lunch between the lectures. 

English face? English artist? British portrait painting, materials, techniques and conservation c.1600 - 2000s.

Lecturer: Sarah Cove

These lectures present an overview of the painting techniques and materials used by artists to paint British sitters from c.1530 to the late 20th century, including works by Eworth, Gheeraerts, Larkin, Van Dyck, Lely and Kneller working through to lesser known 19th and 20th century portraits, mainly from private collections. Many of these painters were foreigners who imported revolutionary styles, new materials and techniques from the continental painting tradition. Common practices of Tudor and Jacobean painters’ workshops will be described along with their meticulous approach to the craft of painting, before the advent of ‘signature’ artists. Sarah will also discuss aspects of their deterioration, conservation and restoration.

Sarah Cove ACR, FIIC, FBAPCR is an accredited paintings conservator-restorer, technical art historian and lecturer with almost 40 years’ experience working on paintings for the heritage and private sectors. She lives and works in Falmouth, Cornwall, but also has a permanent base in London. As a conservator, she specialises in British portraiture, 19th-20th century British landscapes and oil sketches on paper and board. Alongside her conservation practice, in 1986 Sarah founded the Constable Research Project and she is now the leading authority on Constable’s oil painting materials and techniques. She has appeared in several TV programmes for the BBC notably Constable in Love with Andrew Graham-Dixon and twice on Fake or Fortune? where she was instrumental in the discovery of 3 ‘lost’ Constables. Other research interests include Tudor and Jacobean Portraiture, the 19th century Newlyn and St Ives schools and early-to-mid 20th century British painting generally. She has been a lecturer for The Arts Society since 2003 and is a very experienced speaker having lectured independently since the 1980s at major public venues across the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand. Her presentations are lively and enthusiastic as  As a conservator specialising in portraiture,  

Cost: £54

Here at last is the study day that we should have had in February. We have now rescheduled it to be the first study day of our new season. The venue will continue to be the Club for Acts and Actors, 20 Bedford Street, WC2E 9HP.

ISTANBUL: CITY OF FAITH, POWER AND BEAUTY

This study day focuses on the transformation of Istanbul from its conquest by Sultan Mehmed II through to its Golden Age under Suleyman the Magnificent and beyond.

11.30am: Tea/coffee provided on arrival.

12 noon: LECTURE ONE: Treasure of Ottoman Istanbul.

This talk will immerse you in some of the architectural marvels of Istanbul. It explores the iconic landmarks of Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque and more. We will think about the sultans who built them and how they communicated ideas about themselves, their power and their place in the world.

1.00pm   Sandwich Lunch - included in the cost. 

2.00pm:  LECTURE TWO: Carnations, Tulips and Hyacinths: the Story of Turkey’s Iznik Ceramics. 

Immerse yourself in a world of carnations, tulips, hyacinths and roses as you discover the history of the famous Turkish Iznik ceramics. From its origins imitating Chinese porcelain to its 16th century heyday and subsequent decline.

3.00pm:   Q&As. 

Antonia Cevizli is an independent art historian specialising in both Italian Renaissance and Ottoman art. She gained her PhD from the University of Warwick. Her publications focus on cultural and diplomatic exchange between the Italian city-states and the Ottomans. Antonia has lectured for a number of institutions including Sabanci University, Istanbul, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, the National Gallery, the V&A Academy and The Courtauld summer school. Her interests are wide-ranging and she also worked across the collections of both the Tate Modern and Tate Britain as a professional guide. She has lived in Siena, Venice and Istanbul.

Further details for booking, cost and payment to follow.

The subject for the 3rd study day of this season will be 'World Class Art at the Tate' with Ian Swankie as the lecturer. The venue will continue to be the Club for Acts and Actors, 20 Bedford Street, WC2E 9HP.

This is an armchair tour of the Tates' art collections in London, covering works from the 1500s to the present day.

11.30:  tea/coffee

12-1:   Lecture 1: Tate Britain

We will discover the origins of Tate and how the collection has developed and then look at a selection of the paintings and sculptures in the gallery. Tate Britain houses works by British artists and those who have worked in Britain. Starting with early portraits, we’ll move through Hogarth to Gainsborough, the Pre-Raphaelites, and the twentieth and twenty first centuries. Ian will also discuss some of the contemporary intervention artworks that offer a counterpoint to the historical collection.

1-2:   Sandwich lunch (included in the price)

2-3:   Lecture 2 – Tate Modern

Celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, Tate Modern is the most visited modern art museum in the world. Ian will tell the story of its conversion from the former Bankside power station and then examine a selection of the artworks. The gallery houses Tate’s extensive international modern art collection. Some works will be familiar, and some less so. But they start to make sense when the context is explained. Ian says that his role as a guide is to reveal the stories that are not shown on the captions. 

Ian Swankie

Ian Swankie is a Londoner with an enthusiasm for art and architecture. He is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral, and gives tours at each venue. He is also a qualified and active freelance London guide and leads regular tours for various corporations and organisations. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his hometown of Richmond. He gives talks on a variety of subjects. He is an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society, and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City Livery Companies.

TO BOOK PLEASE EMAIL membership@theartssocietywestminster.org

 We will need payment by Thursday, 30th May  

PLEASE NOTE: Bookings will only be accepted with payment

 Please pay £49 by BACS to:  

Westminster Decorative and Fine Arts Society  

Sort Code:  20 94 48  

Account:     90239275  

OR send cheque to : Lesley Thrift, 510 Seddon House, Barbican, London EC2Y 8BX 

Guests are welcome. 

This study day will now be on Wednesday, 16th October, 2024

Sadly the lecturer for our forthcoming 'Istanbul' Study Day is unwell so our subject will now be as follows:

(I do hope you will find this of interest and that you will be able to still attend.  However, if you do not want to attend and would prefer to take a credit for the next study day or receive a refund please let us know.)

This Study Day explores the art of Henry VIII, the most recognisable king in English history, thanks to Hans Holbein, and also another king who realised the power of art, Charles I; glorified by Rubens and Van Dyke.

11.30am - coffee/tea

12-1pm - Lecture One: King and Collector: Henry VIII and the Art of Kingship

No English king is as well-known to us as Henry VIII. He is famous for six marriages, breaking with the Pope, dissolving the monasteries and creating the Church of England; and for his ruthless elimination of those who stood in his way.  But he was also an enthusiastic patron of the arts whose palaces, tapestries and paintings enriched the Tudor court and began the Royal Collection. The forces that influenced Henry’s life can be seen in the works he commissioned, by artists such as Pietro Torrigiano, Hans Holbein and Giralomo da Treviso.  They tell us much about his kingship and (unintentionally) his insecurities. Ultimately, each of the works told one central story: the glorification of Henry and his England.

1-2pm - Lunch (included in price)

2-3pm - Lecture Two: Charles I and the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace

Built for grandeur, receptions & court masques, the Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace became central to the Stuart dynasty. Designed by Inigo Jones in 1622, this classical building is infamous as the execution site of King Charles I.  The hall survived the fire that destroyed Henry VIII’s great Whitehall Palace in 1698 and its magnificent painted ceiling, by Peter Paul Rubens, is the only one in the world still in its original setting. Discover the building’s revolutionary architecture and Baroque-style art, seismic events in constitutional history, and how Parliament dared to kill a king.

Siobhan Clarke BA Hons has worked for Historic Royal Palaces for 20 years and lectured for the British Museum, National Trust, National Archives, and the Smithsonian. Her broadcasting work incudes BBC Radio ‘Women's Hour’ and PBS Television's ‘Secrets of Henry VIII's Palace’. She has published four history books, including ‘King and Collector: Henry VIII and the art of Kingship’ and ‘Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the art of Queenship’.

Please reply to:  Lesley Thrift  email: Lesley.thrift@gmail.com

The venue will remain at The Club for Acts & Actors, 20 Bedford Street, WC2E 9HP.

To continue the theme of a previous Study Day beyond the Imperial Period, two lectures will travel through the centuries and track the traumas that befell China and its Imperial Art Collection

12.00-13.00 Lecture 1:
Chinese Imperial Art internal and external threats 1796-1949

13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.00-15.00 Lecture 2:
Survival and Re-invention of the Imperial Art Collection 1949-2023

15.00-15.30 Q & A

Contact: studydays@theartssocietywestminster.org