Made in London: Stories of Art & Inspiration

21st August Novelists in London: inspiring writers & their creations. London has been home to many great novelists and this talk has stories about the lives and works of writers of many kinds. Discover the house where William Thackeray wrote ‘Vanity Fair, find out which classic adventure story was written for a bet, or how bad weather was responsible for the start of a great work of Gothic fiction and which author would fold back the page corners of borrowed books – a crime as outrageous as his tale of horror.

28th August Poets in London: writers of stirring verse. Poetry uses the best words in the best order, allowing poets to create powerful nuances of meaning in their verse. This talk tells a little about the lives, works and homes of some gifted writers over the last 500 years who could accomplish that. Among these we discover the tragedy of a child’s death, find out who was the inspiration for the Ancient Mariner and hear a plea for world enough and time.

11th September Illustrators in London: artists who brought writing to life. An illustration is art that lifts a story to a higher level, and London has been the home to many artists who were extremely good at this. Discover an apparently respectable illustrator who kept a secret family, find out who kept a marmoset that slept in his fireplace and which house had Girl Guides knock on the illustrator & author’s door with a request, as well as hearing how Sherlock Holmes first came to wear a deerstalker hat.

18th September Sculptors in London: creators of portraits, allegories & abstracts. This talk considers sculptors and their work on public display in London, so you may have caught a glimpse of the pieces illustrated, but this will tell you more about the sculptures and their creators. Here you will find out about a satirical sculpture of Newton, a memorial to a passenger on the Titanic, a statue filled with cow dung and discover which Wimbledon Champion was the model for a nude statue.

16th October Musicians in London: performers, vocalists, composers & directors Hans Christian Andersen memorably wrote “Where words fail, music speaks”, reminding us that music is a universal language that can stir emotions and rekindle memory. This talk is about notable musicians who were born here or settled in London. Discover a composer who played in a piano duel (not duet) with Mozart, a pianist who raised the nation’s morale during the Blitz and a singer who could hold an audience in the palm of his hand.

23rd October Artists in London: creators of drawings & painting in oils or watercolour Art allows its creator to show for others an essential truth about the subject, to see it washed clean of the dust of everyday life. Artists dedicated to this can be unusual people, so hear about the discomforts experienced by Millais while he was painting in a field at Ewell, the trouble caused in Chelsea by Rossetti’s unusual pets, a message Constable left for his milkman and why his painting of Madame X caused Sargent to move to London.