E-News Bulletin November 2025

The Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 26 November at The Art Workers’ Guild at 5pm and will be followed at 6pm by the John McNeill Memorial Lecture, which will be delivered by his close friend and collaborator, Richard Plant, on The Romsey Rood: An Anglo-Saxon artefact in the Anglo-Norman World. We hope you will be able to join us for refreshments afterwards. Booking is essential. A joint ticket will be issued for the AGM and lecture. Your AGM papers can be found here. Please note that the Report and Accounts are still in draft form. A final version will be uploaded as soon as they are available

This members lecture is available as both an in person and a recording only event. The recording will be made available to ALL attendees on the Monday following the event and will be available for 4 weeks. The lecture is free to members but registration is required.

SOCIETY EVENTS

Places are available on our upcoming study events:

Hanseatic Patronage: A Legacy of Art & Architecture, at Lettsom House with Dr Zoë Opačić on Friday 5th December 2025.

Not the Dark Ages!, a 5 week course at Lettsom House with Dr Sally Dormer on Thursdays from 8th January to 5th February 2026.

The History and Art of Heraldry at Friends’ House with Adam Tuck, Lancaster Herald, on Wednesday 11th February 2026.

Understanding the Italian Renaissance: History, Society and the Rise of the Artist, a 5 week online course with Dr Dorigen Caldwell on Thursdays from 12th February to 19th March 2026.

All the above are in-person study events (except Understanding the Italian Renaissance) and are also offered on a post-event recording only basis, with recordings available to all attendees for 4 weeks.

There are also many upcoming study visits and walks:

Art and History at Charterhouse a visit on Wednesday 12th November. This event is now waiting list only.

British Library Conservation Studio Tour on Monday 8th December. The tours at 11.00 and 13.30 are now waiting list only. If there is sufficient interest, we may be able to organise a third tour.

NEW Visit to V&A East: Picasso backcloths and related materials on Monday 19th January.

Please bear in mind that in order for these events to go ahead, we need to cover their costs. We kindly ask that members book as early as possible to ensure that events do not need to be rescheduled or at worst, cancelled.

Current Exhibitions and Lectures in London

Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya, and Cyprus at The Imperial War Museum. On now until 29 March 2026

Egypt: Influencing British Design 1775 – 2025 at Sir John Soane’s Museum. On now until 18 January 2026

The View from Here: Contemporary Art from the Middle East and North Africa at Leighton House. On now until 1 March 2026

With thanks to Eva Bigalke, you can access and download a listing of current and future exhibitions showing in London from now until May 2026 here.

Overseas Exhibitions

Toulouse-Lautrec, a Journey Through the Paris of the Belle Époque. Museo Degli Innocenti, Firenze, Italy. Open from now until 22 February 2026

The exhibition at the Museo degli Innocenti shows Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s art from Paris’s Belle Époque, including his famous posters and drawings. It highlights how his work captured the lively world of cabarets, theatre, and nightlife in late-19th-century Paris.

Chagall – Witness of His Time. Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara, Italy. Open from now until 8 February 2026

Featuring over 200 paintings, drawings, and engravings, the exhibition offers an immersive journey into Marc Chagall’s poetic and dreamlike world. It explores his enduring themes of identity, exile, memory, and joy with vivid colour and depth.

Marina Abramović. Albertina Modern, Vienna, Austria. Open from now until 1 March 2026

The exhibition looks back at Marina Abramović’s groundbreaking career, from her early works to her famous endurance performances. It includes live reenactments and explores themes of time, the body, and human limits.

If you wish to recommend other overseas exhibitions that may be of interest to fellow members please contact our Communications Coordinator.