Art History with Anne

May 2022

May was a busy month for us! The lectures in the series Modern Art comes to Scotland: From the Glasgow Boys to the Scottish Colourists proved very popular with attendees and the recorded versions of these lectures, available to live-lectures subscribers, attracted a good number of views. When we were not broadcasting, members of the team were busy in France and even Belgium, gathering new material for future productions. 

The summer is usually quite busy for us so we will be giving just one live lecture each month from June through to August. The live lectures are a good way of keeping in touch with you all in addition to the Newsletter each month.  In September, the normal series lectures will resume as usual. However, if you are feeling starved of art and design culture, please remember that there are numerous free talks on the open-access section of the Anne Anderson Art and Design History Channel on YouTube. Just copy and paste the Channel title into Google, or which ever browser you use, and that should take you there. We hope to be adding more material to the Channel over the summer.

Watch the latest!

If you are interested in art ceramics this latest addition to the Anne Anderson Art and Design History Channel on Bretby Art Pottery might be worth a look. 

The Live Lecture for June

Art Nouveau and Art Deco in Lille, northern France

To be given on Tuesday 21st June 2022 at 11.00 am and repeated at 7pm 

The last time I was in Lille, in 2007, my viewpoint was rather unconventional being from a wheelchair!  In dramatic fashion I had busted my ankle.  Taking an unexpected tour this May to Lille and the neighbouring town of Roubaix, in northern France, I rediscovered a wealth of Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture.  In Lille, by the creator of the famous Parisian Metro stations, Hector Guimard’s eccentric Maison Coilliot was conceived as an advert for a ceramics manufacturer. It stands out on an otherwise conventional side street. Although a triumph of Art Nouveau architecture, probably, it would not get planning permission today.

Sadly, the equally eye-catching Art Deco façade of L’ Huîtrière, once Lillie’s best-known restaurant, now fronts Louis Vuitton’s flag-ship boutique.  Although much of the interior décor has survived, you will have to join the queue to get in.

 However, at the Villa Cavrois, Croix, an Art Deco masterpiece by Robert Mallet-Stevens, you can enjoy (without pretending to buy a scarf) the beautifully reconstructed interiors. Rescued from dereliction, the villa was opened to the public in 2015.  Over the last few years, the rooms have been fitted with period furniture, rugs and sculptures.  

The Art Deco theme continues in Roubaix.  La Piscine, the municipal swimming pool built in 1932, has been transformed into a stunning art gallery. The main section, originally the pool, is lit by stunning sunburst glass windows.  Cabinets running down one side are filled with Sevres porcelain and pottery from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras. But what really catches the eye are the sculptures lining the edges of the pool. One can easily appreciate why this is one of the most visited museums in France.

Join me in this lecture to enjoy some of the historic culture that this area has to offer.

How to book

To be given on Tuesday 21st June 2022 at 11.00 am and repeated at 7pm 

The cost of the lecture is £10 for this session. You can book this live lecture for either the morning or the evening presentation.

To do so, please email Susan Branfield at susanbranfield@waitrose.com
Please ask for ‘Morning Lecture’ or ‘Evening Lecture’ when you book your choice as the sessions have different Zoom entry codes.

You can pay by cheque or BACS (details will be supplied). Cheques should be made payable to Anne Anderson.

Once you register and pay, you will be sent a separate email with your link. You will need this link to access the lecture on the day so please do not delete it.

After the lecture you will be sent another private link so you can access the lecture on my YouTube Channel.

The lectures will be delivered live by Zoom. They will be uploaded afterwards to my YouTube channel for a limited time and you will be provided with a private link to view them again at your leisure.

The lectures last for around an hour. Lecture start times are in BST. There will be a question-and-answer session at the end

I will be repeating the morning lecture in the evening of the same day for those people unable to make the morning slot. Both lectures (morning and evening) will be delivered live and you will be able to ask questions in person at the end.

or you can pay via PAYPAL

Just Published
and available from good bookshops, Amazon etc. and featuring a Chapter on William Morris by Anne Anderson.

Throughout history brave Englishmen and women have never been afraid to rise up against their unjust rulers and demand their rights. Barely a century has gone by without England being witness to a major uprising against the government of the day, often resulting in a fundamental change to the constitution. This book is a collection of biographies, written by experts in their field, of the lives and deeds of famous English freedom fighters, rebels, and democrats who have had a major impact on history. Featured chapters include the history of Wat Tyler’s Rebellion, when an army of 50,000 people marched to London in 1381 to demand an end to serfdom and the hated poll tax. Alongside Wat Tyler in this pantheon of English revolutionaries is Jack Cade who in 1450 led an angry mob to London to protest against government corruption. There are three chapters on various aspects of the English Civil War, during which the English executed their king. Other rebel heroes featured include Thomas Paine, the great intellectual of the American and French Revolutions; Mary Wollstonecraft, author of The Rights of Woman; Henry Hunt, who, as well as the Chartists after him, campaigned for universal suffrage; William Morris, the visionary designer and socialist thinker; and finally the Suffragettes and Suffragists who fought for women’s voting rights.

Travel Editions Tours

Some news for those of you who are interested in the art and heritage tours, in the UK and/or abroad, that Scott and I undertake through the Travel Editions company. Following a successful run of UK tours in  2021,Travel Editions is running many of its tours this summer. Below are listed some of the tours scheduled for later this year.

In July

Surrey Arts and Crafts 5-7 July (based in Ripley)
Arts and Crafts Houses and Gardens 18-20 July (based in Cheltenham)
From Victoriana to Art Nouveau 29-31 July (based in Northampton)

From Victoriana to Art Nouveau (29-31 July, 2 nights) which includes a visit to 78 Derngate, Northampton, Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s only significant English work, and The Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford to see the outstanding collection of painted furniture by Victorian architect William Burges and the Gallery’s exceptional range of decorative arts objects and prints. For further details please visit the Travel Editions website: https://www.traveleditions.co.uk to check booking details etc.

In August

Monet in Normandy 5-8 August (travel by Coach, based in Normandy)
Hampshire Arts and Crafts 11-13 August (based in Basingstoke)
Gothic Castles to French Impressionism 15-17 August (based in Cardiff)
William Morris 23-25 August (based in Blunsdon)

William Morris (23-25 August, 2 nights) which includes Kelmscott Manor, the much loved retreat of William Morris, a place that fitted perfectly with his Arts & Crafts ideals of craftsmanship. Many of Morris’ admirers were to follow in his footsteps by setting up communities in the Cotswolds and have left behind an abundance of fine craftsmanship for us to enjoy. Newly reopened after an absence of more than two years, Kelmscott Manor was Morris’ beloved country home and a great inspiration to him. For further details please visit the Travel Editions website: https://www.traveleditions.co.uk to check booking details etc.

In September

Arts and Crafts in Sussex 7-9 September (based in Brighton) Victorian Treasures of Yorkshire 16-18 September (based in Hilton Leeds City Hotel)

South Yorkshire was an economic powerhouse that has left a legacy of Victorian art and architecture that thrived when the region basked in its wealth built on its industry and mining. Civic pride as well as personal status inspired a host of wonderful buildings and the establishment of institutions that bear testimony to this vibrant period of the county’s history. This wonderful new tour looks at this legacy in the form of country houses, museums, galleries and civic architecture. For further details please visit the Travel Editions website: https://www.traveleditions.co.uk to check booking details etc

Thanks to all of you who have watched films on the Anne Anderson Art and Design History Channel and particularly to those who have remembered to press the SUBSCRIBE button beneath the video window. It does not commit you to anything but helps with my stats. Thank you. 

If you know anyone who would like to receive the Art History with Anne Newsletter, please ask them to email anne.anderson99@talk21.com with the subject line: ‘Please add me to your mailing list’