E-news bulletin August 2023

 SOCIETY EVENTS

 August is a quiet month for the Society and new gallery exhibitions in general. Our autumn programme starts in September and events are open for booking. Do have a look at what’s coming up on our website. We will be announcing our spring 2024 programme at the end of the month.

Online course – Nicolas Poussin: Peintre Philosophe in the age of the Baroque, October/November 2023.
Due to the rapidly increasing costs incurred in setting up courses for our Society, it has become necessary for the Committee to examine very carefully the financial viability of each course. At present the bookings for this course are well below the number required to break even. We have become aware of a tendency for members to book in the last week or so before a course is due to start. This, however, does not allow the organiser time to cancel the lecturer and, where appropriate, the venue, without resultant cancellation charges.

This course will have to be cancelled if bookings sufficient to make it financially viable have not been received by the end of August. We urge you to book for this course during this month to ensure that it can ahead. As those of you who have attended her previous courses will know, Giulia Weston is an excellent lecturer who also provides course attendees with extremely informative and well produced handouts. It would be a great pity if this course cannot go ahead.

Society Survey
If you have not yet completed our members’ survey designed to gather your views about the Society we would be very grateful if you could find ten minutes to do so. Members’ opinions are vital to our forward planning so that we can provide the best possible programme of events to suit our members. Click here to start the survey. If you have already completed the survey, many thanks – we really appreciate your contribution.

 Non-members attending events
We have extended the trial period until the end of the year, so events which are undersubscribed two weeks before the occasion will continue to be open for non-members to attend. Guest attendance will involve contacting the organiser by email to express interest (go to our website, select an event, if the green places available sign is showing click the booking button, and then select the organiser’s name under Contact to access the email address). It is important for administrative reasons that requests for guest attendance is arranged via the organiser. Please do not try to book guest places directly via the online booking system. Guests may only attend one event during the trial period.

 NOW SHOWING IN LONDON

SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM, until 3 September 2023
Architects’ Houses
Sir John Soane designed his house in Lincoln’s Inn Fields for his own use and continuing this theme the exhibition examines five houses from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries which architects have created for themselves to live in.

SCULPTURE IN THE CITY, until Spring 2024
The annual exhibition of sculptures located throughout the Square Mile is now on display. There is a map on the website which can be downloaded to show the sites of the eighteen artworks. There is also a guided walk of the area organised by Art in the City on 2 September, 11am-12.45pm.

SOMERSET HOUSE, until 24 September 2023
Black Venus
The show explores the narratives of black femininity in visual cultures throughout the ages.

ROYAL ACADEMY, until 15 October 2023
Herzog & de Meuron
This exhibition presents the opportunity to experience the workings of the Swiss team’s practices.

NATIONAL GALLERY, until 29 October 2023
Paula Rego: Crivelli’s Garden
The display explores the artist’s response to Carlo Crivelli’s fifteenth-century predella in her large mural created for the gallery’s restaurant in the early 1990s.

EXHIBITIONS AT MAJOR LONDON GALLERIES IN AUGUST 2023

There are no new exhibitions starting this month but you can access and download a listing of current and future exhibitions showing in London from now until December 2023 here.