Kenwood Lectures

All lectures are at Kenwood House and begin at 11am. They are free to members. No need to book, just turn up on the day, but please remember to bring your membership card and that spaces for these popular talks are limited. Non-members £10.

20 June 'ITALIAN MEMORIAL SCULPTURE 1820-1940' Robert Freidus

The cemeteries of northern Italy contain some of the largest and finest concentrations of 19th and 20th century sculpture to be found anywhere in Europe, created by leading artists. Focusing on the four great cemeteries of Milan, Genoa, Turin and Bologna, our lecturer, who has had twenty years experience of the subject, explains how sculptural styles and subject matter have changed over time. Among the types of image to be covered are those depicting domestic and working life, as well as the erotic and the macabre.

26 September 'LUCAS CRANACH AND HIS STUDIO' Dr Richard Williams

A friend of Martin Luther, Lucas Cranach began his career as a painter of religious scenes, before being called to the court of the Duke of Saxony, where his fashionable portraits were in great demand, as well as his frescoes and prints. Our lecturer teaches both at Birkbeck College and at the National Gallery. His publications have focussed on the Reformation and its impact on the visual arts in Europe. Please note that this lecture will be held in the Orangery where there is easy access for those who find access to the Lecture room, our normal venue, difficult.

17 October 'JOHN RUSKIN – HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AND LEGACY' Dr Naomi Lightman

John Ruskin is generally considered to have been Britain's most influential art critic, but for a modern reader his writings often seem formidable in their quantity and complexity. This lecture considers Ruskin's aesthetic ideas in the context of their time, and traces his growing concern with the social value of art. Dr Lightman is a Friend of Kenwood, and a lecturer in English literature at Birkbeck College and the Open University.

14 November 'THE WALLACE COLLECTION: A NATIONAL MUSEUM WITH A DIFFERENCE' Ros Savill

We could not have a better guide to the intriguing history of the Wallace Collection, with its superb collections of works of art, furniture, ceramics and armour, than the current director, Ros Savill. She has opened up the Wallace in all kinds of novel and exciting ways, as well as maintaining the character of the museum that makes it so special and unique.

5 December 'SAVING GEORGIAN LONDON' Ros Savill

You might think that there are few threats to Georgian London so firmly is it embedded in the canon of great architecture. Robert Bargery, the secretary of the Georgian Group, exposes the challenges that he and his colleagues confront on an almost daily basis. The battle to preserve the architectural heritage of the 18th and early 19th centuries is far from over. NB. Please join us after this lecture for a glass of sherry and a mince pie.

For more information please email: events@friendsofkenwood.org.uk