Events

Gorton Monastery, known as Manchester’s Taj Mahal, was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin for the Franciscan order, and is a Grade II* listed building. Following the closure of the monastery in 1989, it fell into disrepair until it was saved by a local couple, Paul and Elaine Griffiths, who set up a charitable trust in […]

*** Fully booked *** Seminar by Helena Cox in the Bedingfield Room in the Bar Convent.In the first session Helena will introduce us to Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, which were first shown to the west in the Japanese Pavilion in Paris at the Exposition Universelle in 1867. In the second session, Helena will explore with us […]

October's Artwork of the Month talk will be given by Dr Dorothy Nott, formerly Chair of the Friends and one of our most popular speakers. The speaker has provided these notes: 'York Art Gallery is fortunate in possessing a fine example of the work of the twentieth-century painter, Gwen John. This talk will explore her […]

A talk by Michael Smith on John Flaxman (1755-1826), the York-born sculptor whose portrait can be seen above the entrance to the Gallery. The speaker is a PHD student in the Department of History or Art, University of York and has provided this introduction: Widely acclaimed in his lifetime but since overlooked, the York-born sculptor […]

*** Fully booked *** ‘William Morris on the Wall’ a talk by Dr Imogen Hart This talk is designed to coincide with the exhibition ‘The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co’ at York Art Gallery (27 September 2024 - 23 February 2025). Analysing Morris’s wallpaper and textiles designs alongside his lectures on decoration, this talk […]

*** Fully booked *** Dr Stuart Calder, who will conduct this evening’s event, is founding member and the wine buyer for the York Medical Society Wine Club. He has been importing wine from France, Italy, and Spain for over forty years for this enthusiastic group of wine amateurs. Our event will be an interactive tutored […]

December's Artwork of the Month talk will be given by Susannah Lyon-Whaley. Between Beauty and Empire: Rethinking Lely's Unidentified Child and Charlotte Fitzroy In the early 1670s, court artist Peter Lely painted King Charles II's young and eligible daughter, Charlotte. This talk draws attention to the other sitter in the painting - the young page […]