Programme Membership year 2025/26 The lecture programme is subject to change so keep checking back to the website for the latest information about lectures. The meetings start at 7.30pm. 22nd April 26 Nick Salmond 18th Century England through the eyes of Canaletto The great Venetian artist Canaletto spent ten years living in London producing wonderful landscapes of the city and its surrounds. In this lecture, we explore his time in the capital and look at how his style changed during his long visit. We look at some of the work he produced and explore how the views he captured have changed over the centuries. Canaletto Ranelegh 1754 Public domain. 20th May 26 ( note date) Chloe Sayer The Maya Heritage: Ancient and Modern Mayan Culture The civilisation of the ancient Maya reached its peak between AD 300-900. Across much of present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, dozens of great cities have been located, many still buried in remote parts of the jungle. Maya achievements in art and architecture were matched by a knowledge of maths, astrology, calendrics and hieroglyphic writing. Mural paintings, ceramic figurines and intricately carved stone panels provide an insight into the religious rituals, music, warfare, textiles and courtly life of the Maya. Today some six million Maya carry on many of the traditions of their ancestors. Sculpture of a Maya Warrior crawling. The Original reddish colours are still visible. The statue is from San Migueal La Palotada, Guatemala made somewhere between 250-600 AD. GorissM - https://www.flickr.com/photos/71963413@N06/25067577544/. CC BY-SA 2.0 24th June 26 Change to previous lecture advertised. Barry Venning Paintbrushes at Dawn: the World's Greatest Artistic Feuds, Rows and Quarrels The late Christopher Hitchens, who knew a thing or two about feuds, once wrote that a really first rate bust up requires one of at least two things: a clash of strong personalities, and a conflict of principles. The history of art is peppered with first rate bust ups: between the great early Renaissance artists, Brunelleschi and Ghiberti, between Constable and Turner in the early 1830s, between Salvador Dali and the Surrealist leader, Andre Breton in the 1930s and, most recently, between the graffiti artists Banksy and ‘King’ Robbo, who painted out and amended each other’s works. There are many more. Banksy vs Robbo. The original Banksy read "I don't believe in global warming", with the bottom words halfway below the waterline. paul nine-o from London, England Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 23 September 2026 Brian Stater When Britain Clicked: Photography of the Swinging Sixties. British photography enjoyed a golden age in the 1960s. Young, talented newcomers broke out of the conventional studio to revolutionise perceptions of fashion, portraiture and popular culture. This lecture looks at a range of superb images from photographers such as David Bailey, Terence Donovan, Lewis Morley, Tony Ray­Jones and Jane Bown.  Brian Slater