Five years in production, this is the most extensive film ever made about one of the greatest artists of all time – Caravaggio. Featuring masterpiece after masterpiece and with first-hand testimony from the artist himself on the eve of his mysterious death, this beautiful new film reveals Caravaggio as never before.

The intriguing self- depictions within his works – sometimes disguised, sometimes in plain sight – offer a rare window into his psyche and personal struggles. Caravaggio’s masterpieces are some of art’s most instantly recognisable. No one else uses his signature blend of dramatic light, intense naturalism and bold, striking figures. His incredible paintings have captivated audiences for centuries.

Full details to follow nearer the time.

The Maya lived in Central America between 1000 B.C. and 1528 at which time they were conquered by the Spaniards. The peak of their civilization was between 300 and 900 AD. During that time, they built enormous monuments, produced jade and ceramic items of great beauty and developed a calendar that was far more advanced than anything in Europe at the time. They had an advanced understanding of mathematics and astronomy and developed a unique hieroglyphic script.

Educated at Oxford (BA, MA) and London (MA, Ph.D) Universities Duncan Pring wrote his PhD thesis on “The Preclassic Ceramics of Northern Belize” and has written subsequent articles, mainly on Mayan ceramics.  A recent publication was on Early Maya Ceramics in "Pre-Mamom Pottery Variation and the Preclassic Origins of the Lowland Maya".

From the early sixties, when he left the Royal College of Art more famous than his teachers, Hockney's paintings have shown a charm and humour that sets them apart from others of his generation. A naturally gifted draftsman, his love of ingenious visual devices has led him to experiment with a whole range of techniques, from stage design to coloured paper making. From the early abstract expressionist images, through his famous Californian scenes of swimming pools to the photo-montages of the mid eighties, this lecture follows the career of an artist whose wit and imagination has never faltered.    

Douglas read Fine Art at Magdalene College Cambridge and has been a lecturer on paintings since 1980. In that time he has given over 8000 lectures to universities, colleges and art societies. He was the director of  The New Academy of Art Studies for three years and is presently a regular lecturer at The Study Centre, Christie's course 'The History of Art Studies' and other London courses.  He has written and presented various TV documentaries, notably the Omnibus programme on Whistler and the exhibition video on William Morris.

Tamara de Lempicka's story is one of self-invention. From her early beginnings as an aristocratic fugitive from the Russian Revolution, to later taking Paris by storm as a successful artist living on her own terms, she has become an icon of the Roaring Twenties. Few artists sum up an epoch quite so completely - a true art deco diva.

Alexandra Epps is an official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Guildhall Art Gallery and a qualified Guide to the City of London, offering walks, talks and tours about many aspects of the arts for societies, corporations and private individuals. She is a Member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association and co-author of the book Lord Mayor's Portraits 1983-2014 (2015). Alexandra’s background is in design having practised as a graphic designer running her own design consultancy for many years.

 This lecture provides an introduction to art and life of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). We will situate him in his time and place of early 19th century Edo Japan, briefly exploring his diverse career that included performance art, storytelling and poetry. We'll give special attention to his influential manga (random drawings) of everyday life and environment, giving us a sense of his wit and sensitivity. Of course, we will explore his works on nature, including his Great Wave, and how Hokusai made them to reflect on both religion and popular trends.

Sarah is an art historian, educator, curator and writer based in London. 

Before her current position as head of art history at City Lit, London's largest adult education college, Sarah was a curator in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum. For six years, she was the lead educator for the Bridget Riley Art Foundation and has also worked at Wellcome Collection exploring the connections of art, medicine and human experience. Prior to relocating to London for family, she was as a tenured professor of Art History based in Los Angeles. Sarah has been an art history lecturer since 2003.

MacDonald 'Max' Gill, younger brother of the sculptor and typographer Eric Gill, was an architect, graphic designer and letterer, best known for his pictorial maps, especially those for the London Underground. He also created painted maps for Arts & Crafts houses including Lindisfarne Castle, magnificent murals for Cunard liners, and eye-catching publicity posters for organisations such as the Empire Marketing Board. An enduring legacy is his alphabet for the Imperial War Graves Commission used on all British military headstones since the First World War.

'I've always been aware of my close family ties to the sculptor and typographer Eric Gill, a fascinating but controversial character. In 2006, however, a family history project drew me into an exploration of the life and work of his younger brother. MacDonald 'Max' Gill was an architect, mural painter and graphic artist, famed for his humorous pictorial map posters for London Underground and the alphabet he designed for the British military headstone. Although my main profession has been English teaching, I now spend much of my time researching the Gill brothers and championing the work of the lesser known of the pair'.  Caroline Walker

When a critic described a work as ‘just little cubes’ he was being derogatory but most of all, he was not understanding the complex layers of meaning beneath the surface of the work. Cubist works are social, aesthetic, mathematical and philosophical as will be explained during the lecture. One of the most cryptic movements in art will be explored through a variety of means. We will consider and learn the language we need to understand Cubist works and to be able to unravel meaning.

Jacqueline is Managing Director of Art and Culture Travel, running residential courses in Andalucía, Southern Spain in the art and culture of the region as well as curated tours to Madrid, Tangiers, Barcelona, Paris and Venice. Jacqueline is a course director and lecturer at the V&A and also lectures at The Royal Academy, She presented an extremely well received SID on Picasso, Gaudi and Sorolla at Epsom college a couple of years ago.

Following in the footsteps of the French avant-garde, Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian painters embraced Realism, Naturalism, and Impressionism.  Many studied in Paris, but they invariably came home establishing rural colonies in Skagen and Funen, Denmark to paint en plein air or directly from nature outdoors. On the tip of Jutland, the Skagen colony, which attracted Peder Kroyer and Michael Ancher, has been likened to Cornwall’s ‘Newlyn School’. In both cases the artists depicted the toil of the fisherfolk.  During the 1890s many artists responded to Symbolism, turning inward both physically and mentally.

With a first degree in archaeology and a PhD in English, Anne was a senior lecturer in Art and Design History at Southampton Solent University for 14 years. She has curated four national exhibitions, including Ancient Landscape, Pastoral Visions: Samuel Palmer to the Ruralists (2008), The Truth About Faeries (2009-11), Under the Greenwood: Picturing the British Tree (2013) and Beyond the Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Legacy (2019-20).

Joseph Wright of Derby's work is notable for its exploration of light, including his paintings of candle-lit subjects and his series of views of the eruption of Vesuvius. His paintings capture a period of industrialisation, scientific experimentation and discovery that had a massive impact on the history of England. This lecture explores some of his preoccupations as an artist and as a key figure in the period known as the Age of Enlightenment.

Rosalind Whyte has a BA and MA from Goldsmith’s College, and an MA (distinction) from Birkbeck College. She is an experienced guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Greenwich and lectures at Tate, to independent art societies and on cruises.

One of the world’s most influential painters, and considered to be the father of modern art, Paul Cezanne produced a vast body of work. We’ll look at his life, his mind-bending still life paintings, his depictions of his beloved Provence, and his portraits. Possibly the best vote of confidence in his genius is the number of famous artists who bought paintings by Cezanne and treated him as a role model.  

A Londoner with a contagious enthusiasm for art and architecture, Ian is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral. He is also a freelance London tour guide. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his home town of Richmond in West London. He is an Accredited Lecturer of The Arts Society and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City livery companies.

1685 was an extraordinary year for music. Two of the world’s greatest composers were born 130km and just one month apart. Much of their childhood development mirrored the other – including the tragedy of losing their fathers at the age of ten. Their careers took very different directions, and they never met, despite several near misses. Patrick will reunite these two giants, tracking their lives across six decades, with a special focus on their vocal music, which has inspired his career as both a countertenor and a conductor. 

Patrick Craig is a Vicar Choral at St Paul’s Cathedral. For twenty years he combined this with an international career singing over a thousand concerts with the world-renowned early music consort The Tallis Scholars. He also sings with the award-winning group.

Edward Hopper's paintings of urban life are typically characterized by a sense of loneliness and alienation. The most celebrated example is Nighthawks, a work of 1942, which depicts three men and a woman gathered in a brightly illuminated restaurant in downtown New York. We are given few clues as to the identity of these people, whether they know each other or are in any way related. It is in fact the inexplicable quality of this scene which has made it so intriguing to generations of viewers, and has turned Nighthawks into one of the iconic images of 20th century urban life.

Kathy McLauchlan is currently a course director at the Victoria & Albert Museum, organising courses and study days on the history of art and design. She teaches at several institutions, including Art Pursuits and is a graduate of Oxford University and the Courtauld Institute, with a PhD on French 19th-century painters in Rome.