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BSAT Paul Mellon Lecture 2014
We are delighted the Turf Club has agreed to host the Paul Mellon Lecture on
10th November 2014. 6:30pm
Mark Bills Director of Gainsborough's House
William Powell Frith The Derby Day and The Road to Ruin.
"Equestrians, pedestrians, horse-dealers, gentlemen, nobilities and swindlers"
In his paintings William Powell Frith recorded the world around him. In particular, he was interested in the places where all society brushed shoulders. His depiction of the social scene emerged in the Hogarthian tradition of "modern moral subjects" which he updated for a Victorian audience. This lecture will look at the art of Firth and consider in detail his painting The Derby Day and his series The Road to Ruin, which deal in turn with the annual event at Epsom and the dangers of gambling.
"Equestrians, pedestrians, horse-dealers, gentlemen, nobilities, and swindlers, by tens of thousands." Charles Dickens
Mark Bills is the director of Gainsborough's House, Sudbury. He was formerly Curator of the Watts Gallery where he was involved in the transformation of the house and galleries. Previously he was Senior Curator of Paintings, Prints and Drawings at the Museum of London and a Curator at the Russell- Cotes Art Gallery and Museum. He has written widely about 18th and 19th century British art and culture including books on William Powell Frith, G. F. Watts, the satirical prints of London and Charles Dickens and art.
Tickets for lecture and reception £35 (Members only)
Venue
The Turf Club
5 Carlton House Terrace,
London
SW1Y 5AQ