Study afternoon 23rd November 2026 13.30-16.00

The Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is regarded as one of the great artists of the 20th century. Her celebrity status, achieved after her death, owes much to her turbulent life.

The daughter of a German photographer and a Mexican mother, she survived polio at the age of 6 and a devastating road accident at the age of 18. Kahlo lived the intervening years until her death at the age of 47 to the full. In 1929, she married the celebrated Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. She also took numerous lovers, both male and female. She had a passion for the popular arts and visual traditions of Mexico.

Tate Modern will celebrate her life and work with a ground breaking exhibition. “Frida: The making of an Icon”,  from 25th June 2026 - 3rd January 2027.

Lecturer: Chloe Sayer

A freelance specialist in the art and culture of Latin America, Chloe has lectured in the UK, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand and has curated exhibitions and assisted in TV documentaries. She is Research Associate in the Department of World Cultures at the Royal Ontario Museum and in 2016 was awarded the Ohtli medal by the Mexican Government for her long standing commitment to Mexican culture.

She has written many publications on Mexican Art and Culture including books and articles in travel guides, newspapers and magazines.

Cost : £20.00. Pay cash at meetings or BACS quoting “Kahlo” as reference. Any queries to Angela Gowers or Val Crowdy

Study afternoon 22rd February 2027 13.30-16.00

In 2006 Gustav Klimt's 1907 portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer sold to cosmetics magnate Ronald.S.Lauder for $135 million, the highest sum ever paid for a painting. In the market place Klimt, one of Austria's most famous painters, was now talked about in the same terms as Van Gogh or Monet.

Gustav Klimt leader of the Vienna Secession changed the face of painting in the Imperial City of Vienna and produced some of the most remarkable works of the Art Nouveau era around 1900.This talk focuses on Klimt's career from his early years as a theatre decorator and the establishment of the Vienna Secession in 1897 through to the masterpieces of the early 20th century. His exhibitions and works are reviewed, as is the concept of his paintings, as components of interior design in decorative schemes created by other Secession artists who share the same clients. The cultural changes that took place in Vienna in the years prior to World War I are discussed in relation to his work, one of the most important artists of his generation in what was truly a golden age of painting.

Lecturer: Scott Anderson

Scott trained as an archaeologist at Leicester University and worked as a professional archaeologist for 10 years. In 1994 he joined Southampton Solent University. Now as Senior Lecturer he teaches courses on the history and theory of interior design and visual culture. He lectures to many adult audiences for University extra mural departments and the WEA.

Cost: £20.00. Pay cash at meetings or BACS quoting “Klimt” as reference. Any queries to Angela Gowers or Val Crowdy