Here is the diary for everything I have planned over the next few months, whether live or online, which I do not record as I prefer the experience to be ‘in the moment’. I add things in as they become fixed so… watch this space!
Talks and tours…
After this list of upcoming events there is some important information – so please scan all the way down!
My online talks this spring and summer will cover exhibitions which are local, national and international – according to what I’m most interested in and what I’ve managed to see!
Monday 1 June, 6pm
Matthias Grünewald
An introduction to the work of the great German Renaissance painter, and especially his masterpiece, The Isenheim Altarpiece.
Monday, 15 June at 6pm
Zurbarán
at The National Gallery
until 23 August 2026
An introduction to the National Gallery’s stunning display, the first full-scale exhibition dedicated to this great Spanish master in the UK.
Monday, 22 June at 6pm
Matisse: 1941-1954
at the Grand Palais, Paris
until 26 July
The truly monumental exhibition at the Grand Palais charts the remarkably flourishing of Matisse’s career in the last 14 of his 84 years on this planet…
Monday, 29 June at 6pm
May Morris, the Reading Bayeux, and the Post-Pre-Raphaelites
A weaving together of my recent interests, as embodied in two exhibitions on the Wirral:
May Morris: Crafting a Legacy at the Lady Lever Art Gallery until 1 November;
Beyond the Brotherhood: The Legacies of the Pre-Raphaelites at the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum until 7 November;
and Reading Museum’s Bayeux Tapestry replica.
Click on the link above to see how it works!
This year, with Artemisia (the ‘adult’ group of Art History Abroad) I will be taking groups to Strasbourg and Colmar, to see the remarkable Isenheim Altarpiece (5-8 June), and to Siena – picking up on all sorts of ideas from last year’s exhibition at the National Gallery (3-7 and 8-12 November – depending on whether you’re a fast or slow walker!). I will also repeat this year’s highly successful visit to Liverpool (21-25 September). If you would like to come, I would be grateful if you could mention my name when you book – thank you!
Important information:
The blue links above will give you more information about the individual talks – and here’s some general information that you might find useful. For all sorts of reasons I do not record my talks (I’m keeping this paragraph in because people keep asking!) I like them to be spontaneous, and ‘in the moment’ – which recording doesn’t favour: please accept my apologies if you are not available. Booking is done by Tixoom, via the blue links. They deal with all the ticketing, and will email you straight away – so if you don’t hear from them, you should let them know. The email they send includes the link for the talk itself. You will also receive a receipt from Stripe, who deal with the money. This sounds obvious, but if you don’t get the email with the ticket it is so much easier for me if you contact me more than 5 minutes before the talk is due to start – thank you! However, I will check my emails until at least 10 minutes beforehand if you do have problems…
dr richard stemp 