Although this relates to the TAS SW London 2026 Tour to Ljubljana and Trieste, the study morning is open to all

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Habsburgs controlled vast swathes of Central Europe, including modern-day Slovenia and parts of northern Italy.

Preparing for the Arts Society South West London’s trip to the area, cultural historian Gavin Plumley will introduce the political and cultural history of the important cities in the region: Ljubljana and Trieste.

Looking at the crucial foundation of the railway line from Vienna, the importance of trade through the Adriatic and the national needs of the region’s people, he will introduce the artists and architects, poets and painters who helped secure a unique identity for the land they loved. 

VENUE: Putney Arts Theatre, Ravenna Road, Putney SW15 6AW.

DOORS OPEN: 10:00

10:30 - 11:30: Lecture - Carniola and the Karst

BREAK (Tea/coffee and cake/biscuits will be provided)

12:00 - 13:00: Lecture - Art and Culture in Ljubljana and Trieste 

PRICE: £35 per person

To book, please email tasswl.treasurer@gmail.com.

BOOKING IS NOW OPEN TO NON-MEMBERS. Please consider inviting a friend to attend.

Gavin Plumley is a writer, broadcaster and lecturer who appears on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and contributes to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes worldwide.

He lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe. Recent appearances include Klimt and The Kiss in cinemas worldwide, and talks for the Hay and Cheltenham Literature Festivals, the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Trust, the National Theatre, the British Museum and the V&A.

His first book, A Home for All Seasons, is out now and he is currently working on his second book, The Gay Apocalypse: Queer Life and Culture in Vienna 1900.

Image: 1898 Travel poster for the Vienna -Trieste Railway (courtesy of the lecturer).

VENUE: The Community Church, Werter Road, Putney SW15 2LL.

This study event has a slightly unusual format. It will be made up of TWO morning lectures (with a break for coffee) with a final session, after lunch, to look at specific items of jewellery. Attendees are invited to bring items of their own for discussion.

BOOKING IS THROUGH TICKETSOURCE. Click HERE to buy tickets.

Cost: £38 plus £1.50 booking fee

OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC but priority will be given to members of TASSWL

Doors Open: 9:45

10:00: LECTURE 1 - Jewellery from Elizabeth I to Victoria

11:00: BREAK (Tea/coffee and biscuits provided)

11:30: LECTURE 2 - Jewellery in the 20th Century

12:30: BREAK FOR LUNCH (please bring your own)

13:30:  APPRAISAL SESSION - Discussion of items brought by attendees

14:45: FINISH

John Benjamin is a former International Director of Jewellery at Philips, the auctioneers, Hon. Jewellery Advisor to The National Trust and often appears on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow.

Image: Napoleonic diamond and emerald ring and Victorian diamond broach (courtesy of the lecturer)

VENUE: Putney Arts Theatre, Ravenna Road, SW15 6AW

Doors open at 10 am

The Study Day will consist of three lectures by Stella Grace Lyons. 

The nude has always been one of the central subjects of art; from Classical Greece, up until the present day. Once considered the epitome of beauty, it is now regularly the subject of censorship and controversy.

This course will investigate how images of the nude reflect social attitudes of the time. It will raise questions about our changing relationship with the human body.

Should we be censoring the nude? Is the female nude always portrayed as an object of desire? Are male nudes always symbols of power? What has conditioned us to believe these notions? Are there artists who challenge the conventional gender roles?

Disclaimer: Not for the faint-hearted - there will be no censorship in this series of lectures!

Lecture 1: Introducing the Nude (10:30 to 11:30)

BREAK: Tea/coffee

Lecture 2: The Shock of the Nude (12:00 to 13:00)

LUNCH: Blease bring your own

Lecture 3: The Censored Nude (13:45 to 14:45)

About our lecturer:

Stella Grace Lyons is a freelance Art History lecturer, speaker and writer accredited with The Arts Society. She has lectured across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Malaysia. Stella has a BA in the History of Art from Bristol and a Warwick University MA. She spent a year studying Renaissance art in Florence, three months studying Venetian art in Venice and attended drawing classes at the prestigious Charles H. Cecil studios in Florence.

Stella runs her own online lectures which frequently attract listeners from across five continents. For more information about Stella’s talks and to read a selection of testimonials, please visit www.stellagracelyons.co.uk

TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE:

£38 pp via Ticketsource (with a 50p booking fee) or direct to the Society's bank account (details of which are on the TAS SW London Membership Card.)

Open to members and non-members alike.

Click HERE for access to our Ticketsource page.

Image courtesy of the lecturer. Detail from Olympia by Manet

In June this year, a one-man show about Monet came to Wimbledon Theatre and a member of the Society recommended it to us.  Previously it had been at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival and it returned there again this year. It is a production by Three Dumb Theatre. Below is their description of the play

"YOU ARE IMPRESSIONISM. IMPRESSIONISM IS YOU"

Claude Monet lived from 1840-1926 and is often hailed as ‘the Founder of Impressionism’. This solo show examines the complex inner thoughts of the man behind the paintings. The audience joins an aged Monet in his studio at Giverny. He is suffering from unsuccessful cataract surgery and burdened with a daunting commission to create his – what will be – world-famous Water Lilies.

With the innovative inclusion of multi-media projection and sound design, Monet takes the audience on a journey through his life. We become privy to his thoughts on fellow impressionists; gain insight on his ground-breaking artistic techniques; absorb an education on the development of the Impressionist movement; and learn controversial and sordid details regarding his private life.

We have arranged for a single performance at Putney Arts Theatre.

Show length: 55 minutes

VENUE: Putney Arts Theatre, Ravenna Road SW15 6AW

The schedule will be as follows:

11:00: Doors open. 
11:30: A Montage of Monet
12:30: Finish

BOOKING IS NOW OPEN

Members and non-members are welcome and the performance will be open to the general public

Tickets:            Adults:  £15.  

                         Students up to 25 years old: £7:50  

Payment by BACS to the Society's bank account using Monet as the reference (see your TASSWL membership car for details) OR

via TICKETSOURCE (with a 50p booking fee).

Click HERE to go to the Ticketsource page for the event

Image courtesy of Stephen Smith

This ia an extra Study Afternoon for 2024 and it will be held at Putney Library (5-7, Disraeli Road, Putney SW15 2DF) from 1:30 to 4:00pm. As usual it will consist of TWO lectures with an interval for refreshments.

THE ELGIN MARBLES - History & Controversy

A study afternoon with ALAN READ*

Never far from the news, the debate rumbles on: Should the sculptures of the Parthenon (owned by the British Museum) be returned to Athens?  Controversy has always surrounded them, from their creation in the fifth century BC, through the changing fortunes of the building to their acquisition by Lord Elgin.

Once in London, what impact did the sculptures make, and what were the arguments that led to their being bought, by the government, for the British Museum in 1816?

This Study Day will examine why the sculptures are so prized and how their meaning has changed, many times, over the course of two and a half millennia.  Rather than take a view, the aim will be to stimulate debate.

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
The Parthenon Sculptures: From Temple to Ruin

BREAK (for tea/coffee and cake & biscuits)

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
The Elgin Marbles: From Souvenirs to National Treasures

*Alan Read has a Master’s as well as a First Class Honours degree in the History of Art from Birkbeck College.  He is a gallery guide at Tate Britain and lectures regularly at both of the Tate Galleries in London.  He has also lectured for the National Portrait Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery and for Arts Societies in Europe and Australia. He is a London Blue Badge Guide.

Not one to avoid controversial subjects, Alan's most recent lecture to the Society was in 2021 on the subject of Denys Lasdun and the National Theatre.

BOOKING: To reserve a place, please contact Kate Kirkland (kate_kirkland@btinternet.com or 020 8788 0559)

CURRENTLY, BOOKING IS OPEN TO MEMBERS OF TAS SW LONDON ONLY

Image: A panel from the Elgin Marbles (courtesy of the lecturer).

The study AFTERNOON (1:30 pm - 4:00 pm) is designed to complement the 2024 tour to Thessaloniki, but all members are welcome to attend. 

Thessaloniki dates back to 4th century BCE. It became an important centre during the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras and a melting pot for various religions and cultures.

The first lecture will look at the early part of its history with particular reference to some of the Macedonian and Byzantine sites to be visited on the 2024 tour. 

The second lecture will focus on the last 600 years (in particular the 20th century) and the way that racial and religious tensions due to migration, war and forced displacement have shaped the modern city and what traces can still be found bearing witness to the history of the city’s ethnic diversity.

There will be a break in between the two lectures for tea and biscuits. 

1:30 - 2:30 pm   ‘Kings and Saints: Ancient and Byzantine Thessaloniki’

3:00 - 4:00 pm   ‘The ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’ and the ‘Babel of the Mediterranean’: Jewish and Ottoman Salonica in history and memory

Dr Paris Chronakis is a lecturer in Modern Greek History at Royal Holloway University of London specialising in the history and memory of the Modern Mediterranean. His work explores the transition from empire to nation-state, bringing together the interrelated histories of Jews, Muslims and Christians from the late Ottoman Empire to the Holocaust and the more recent effects of the Balkan War.

Photo credit: The Rotunda, Thessaloniki (courtesy of the lecturer)

2.00 to 4.30. St Mary's Church, Putney SW15 1SN. Prior booking is required and a charge is made. To reserve a place, please email Jane Crang (tasswl.visits@gmail.com) or phone her using the contact details on your membership card.

The charge will be £32 per person to include two lectures and tea/coffee and biscuits

This study afternoon consists of two lectures and ties in with our away trip to Northumberland in 2023

Today Northumbria seems remote, but in the 7th and 8th centuries, the Kingdom of Northumbria (located north of the River Humber) was home to the foremost centres of intellectual excellence in Western Europe. Viking raids in the late 9th century put pay to this culturally vibrant world, but north-eastern England remained important throughout the Middle Ages. The city of Durham, home to Saint Cuthbert’s relics and the Prince Bishops, attracted skilled craftsmen and became immensely significant for pilgrims, ecclesiastics and sovereigns alike after the Norman Conquest.

Sovereigns, Monks, and Scholars: Oswald, Aidan, Cuthbert, and Bede 

In 635 Oswald, king of Northumbria invited Aidan, an Irish missionary, to establish a monastery on Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, a small island tidally separated from the mainland, thereby introducing Irish Christianity to England. Cuthbert, one of Aidan’s successors as Abbot of Lindisfarne, was popularly acclaimed as a saint soon after his death in 687, and Bede (d. 735), a member of the culturally vibrant twin monasteries of SS Peter and Paul at Monkwearmouth-Jarrow, and renowned author, wrote no less than three accounts of Cuthbert’s life. The impressive monastic buildings, stone carving and stained glass that remain in situ in Northumbria from this period, together with items made there, but now housed elsewhere, including spectacular goldsmiths work, ivory carving and illuminated manuscripts such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Cuthbert or Stonyhurst Gospel will provide the focus of this lecture.

Saints and Politics: St Cuthbert and the Prince Bishops of Durham

St Cuthbert’s body reached Durham, a settlement perched on the summit of a promontory enclosed by a meander in the River Wear, in 995; his remains had travelled around the north-east ever since 875 when the Community of St Cuthbert fled Lindisfarne in fear of the Vikings. A church was constructed to safeguard his relics, throngs of pilgrims arrived at the site, and in 1093, the current cathedral, one of the finest examples of English Romanesque architecture, was built. Based in the south of their new realm, the Norman Kings, regarded the Prince Bishops of Durham as loyal allies against Scottish invasion and supported the flourishing cult of St Cuthbert to further their own ends. This lecture will explore the ground-breaking Durham Cathedral, a building influenced by prestigious models like Old St Peter’s in Rome, and the rich array of wall paintings, metalwork, and manuscripts, enjoyed there before the Reformation in the 16th century.

Photo: Durham Cathedral from the east

2.00 to 4.30 at St Mary's Church, Putney. Includes tea. Prior booking is required and a charge is made. Please email Caroline Walker to reserve a place using the contact details on your membership card

This study day ties in with our away tour to Naples and its surroundings in May 2022. Booking has now closed for the tour, but all members are welcome to attend the study afternoon. 

Naples has Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque styles, piazzas, palaces,museums and galleries, narrow streets of traditional shops, restaurants bars and beautiful churches including Santa Chia with its Majolica Cloister and the Cappela Sanservero with its breathtaking sculptures, and San Lorenzo Maggiore with remains of a Greek City.

The surrounding area includes Herculaneum, smaller than Pompeii but more intimate and atmospheric;  the villa of Nero's second wife Poppaea at Oplontis with beautiful decorated rooms and an Olympic swimming pool; and Giardini La Mortella on Ischia.

There are two lectures with a break for refreshments: "Citta e Mare - Naples and Ishchia" - 2pm to 3pm and "Lombra del Vesuvio - The Shadow of Vesuvius" - 3.30pm to 4.30pm

 Dr Paul Roberts is the Keeper of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology.

Oxford University and was Senior Roman Curator in the Greek and Roman Department of the British Museum. He studied at the Universities of Cambridge, Sheffield and Oxford, researched in Italy and excavated widely in the Mediterranean. His research focuses on Roman daily life and art.

Photo: Giardini La Mortella on Ischia

This will now be held via Zoom. It will start at 2pm and will consist of two lectures of 1 hour each, with a 30 minute break between them. Cost £15 to be paid by BACS to TAS South West London.

Contact Caroline Walker carolinew834@gmail.com

This study day ties in with the Away Tour to Derbyshire but all members are welcome to attend. It looks at how our attitudes and expectations as visitors have changed over the centuries, and how house owners have responded (or not). It also covers  ‘Scandal, Spice and Shuttlecocks’ at Wentworth Woodhouse that is featured in our tour.

David Winpenny has always been interested in architectural history, particularly the quirkier side. He has been interviewed by the BBC on the subject of his book ‘Up to a point’ in search of pyramids in Britain and Ireland. He lives in Ripon and is the author of books on Ripon, Northumbria, Hadrian’s Wall and North Yorkshire. He has taken part in BBC’s ‘Brain of Britain’ and was a ‘Mastermind’ finalist in 1999.

Photo: Hardwick Hall from the garden. Kmtextor / CC BY-SA Wikimedia Commons

This study afternoon has now been cancelled. Anyone booked on it should have heard directly from our Treasurer to say that your cheques will be shredded unless you advise otherwise.

Venue: Putney Library

This study afternoon ties in with the Away Tour to Naples but all members are welcome to attend. The centre of Naples has Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque piazzas, palaces, Museums and Galleries, including the Archaeological and the Capodimonte; narrow streets of traditional shops, restaurants, bars; and beautiful churches including Santa Chiara with its maiolica cloister, the Gesu Nuovo with its jewelled façade and the Chapel of Sansevero with breath-taking sculptures. The surrounding area includes Herculaneum, smaller than Pompeii but more intimate and atmospheric; the villa of Nero’s second wife Poppaea at Oplontis with beautifully decorated rooms and an Olympic swimming pool; and the winery estate of Boscoreale with buried jars for fermenting wine.

Dr Paul Roberts is the Keeper of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford University, and was Senior Roman Curator in the Greek and Roman Department at the British Museum. He studied at the Universities of Cambridge, Sheffield and Oxford, researched in Italy and excavated widely in the Mediterranean. His research focuses on Roman daily life and art.

Prior booking is required and a charge is made.

Photo: Part of the cloister of the Church of Santa Chiara, Naples, covered with maiolica tiles.

The Greater London Area of NAFAS runs a series of study days which SWLDFAS members are welcome to sign up for. Click here for details

Booking is now open

Venue: Putney Library

This afternoon has been arranged with the Away Tour to Liverpool in mind but all members are welcome to attend. 

Elizabeth Newell writes: “Its sporting and musical history have ensured that Liverpool is known throughout the world, whilst Capital of Culture 2008 has made it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. Port Sunlight is a beautiful garden village built by 1st Viscount Leverhulme to house his soap factory workers.   Lever was an obsessive collector, and believed that Art improved people; amongst the Lever gallery's treasures is an exquisite collection of 18th century English furniture, decorative Wedgwood and Pre-Raphaelite paintings.” 

Elizabeth Newell has great in depth knowledge and love of the area.  She is a fellow of the Institute of Linguists and is also Blue Badge Guide for Merseyside and the North West.  She has guided many heritage tours and private visits to Liverpool and the surrounding area and has lectured all over Britain.  She has authored “Albert Dock, Liverpool”.

Photo: The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight

The Greater London Area of NAFAS runs a series of study days which SWLDFAS members are welcome to sign up for. Click here for details

Booking for this study afternoon is now open

Venue: Putney Library

This morning has been arranged with the Away Tour to Dresden particularly in mind but all members are welcome to attend.

Clare Ford-Wille writes, ‘Dresden has risen from the ashes in every way.  The wide River Elbe runs majestically through Dresden and now lining its banks are beautifully restored buildings: the Frauenkirche, the Schloss and the magical Zwinger.   Dresden’s art collections are outstanding, from the work of European Old Masters to that of the German Romantic painters, housed in spacious galleries.  The fantastic treasures of the Green Vaults complete Dresden’s riches’.

Clare Ford-Wille has an degree in Art History from Birkbeck College, University of London.  She has regular commitments with organisations such as the Art Fund and the National Trust, the Centre for Lifelong Learning, the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum.  She also conducts study tours abroad.

​Photo: Frauenkirche, Dresden/Gillian Ennis

​Prior booking is required and a charge is made.

The Greater London Area of NAFAS runs a series of study days which SWLDFAS members are welcome to sign up for. Click here for details

10.30am – 1pm

In late Medieval times Yorkshire was the setting for some of the greatest ecclesiastical centres in England, be they great abbeys, such as Fountains and Rievaulx, or great church buildings, such as York and Beverley Minsters. Although there are fine Tudor houses, often developing out of the wealth of the plundered abbeys, it is in the 18th century that Yorkshire experiences its golden age. Castle Howard was the grandest house of its age, while Robert Adam and Lancelot Brown were both commissioned to produce great landscapes and interiors. Meanwhile Yorkshire lads such as Joseph Rose and Thomas Chippendale were taking the decorative arts towards new heights of skill and innovation. Yorkshire is indeed a microcosm of English architecture and art all the way through to contemporary times.

This morning has been arranged with the Away Tour to Yorkshire in mind.

Venue: Putney Library. A charge is made. Prior booking is required.

Christopher Rogers read Geography at Oxford and then taught. He was formerly Head of Geography at Downe House School, Newbury. Having become interested in architecture at Oxford, he has taught courses at Marlborough Summer School for forty years and also lectures for the National Trust.

​Picture: Fountains Abbey ruins/J Scott/CC BY-SA 2.0

Booking for this study day is now open

The Greater London Area of NAFAS runs a series of study days which SWLDFAS members are welcome to sign up for. Click here for details

10.30am – 1pm

After a brief history of frames we will learn how artists over the centuries have made them and how a good frame can transform a painting. There will be a step by step look at the various processes a painting goes through when it is being conserved, followed by case studies illustrating the techniques used.

Venue: Putney Library. A charge is made. Prior booking is required.

Julia Korner trained as an art historian and set up the Maritime Department and Frame sales at Christie’s auctioneers. She lectures widely both in Britain and internationally and her publications include articles on maritime ship portraiture and the Pier-head Painters. She has also been a valuer on antiques roadshows.

Booking for this study day opens at the lecture on February 8th

10.30am – 1pm

Palladio was the most influential of all Renaissance architects. In the 16th century he designed numerous villas for the nobility in the countryside of the Veneto. He also designed many public buildings of note. These were to have an enduring influence on all subsequent classical architecture in Europe and the United States.

This morning has been arranged with the Away Tour to the Veneto in mind.

Venue: Putney Library. A charge is made. Prior booking is required.

Barbara Peacock is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Previously a tutor in Fine Art at Southampton University and Assistant Keeper of Fine Art at Birmingham City Art Gallery, she is researching a book on Great Houses of Bohemia and Moravia and has frequently taken tours to these countries.

Photo: Villa Badoer

The Greater London Area of NAFAS runs a series of study days which SWLDFAS members are welcome to sign up for. Click here for details