15
June 2027

June Lecture

Welcome to The Arts Society Isle of Man
Tuesday, June 15, 2027 - 11:30
1 Kingswood Grove
Manx Museum Lecturer Theatre Douglas IM1 3LY
Online Event

 We examine Thomas Gainsborough’s work, examining his portraiture and landscape painting.

2027 will be the 300th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Gainsborough. Gainsborough was unquestionably one of the greatest portrait painters that Britain has ever produced. His ability to capture the inner lives of his sitters, his dramatic use of paint and his remarkable approach to colour set him apart from almost all of his contemporaries. Yet, although he was regarded in his lifetime as one of the preeminent portrait painters of his day, the genre that he truly loved was landscape. In this lecture we will look at the life and work of this unique artist, his experimental technique and his fraught relationship to portraiture, the genre in which he excelled. 

Matthew Morgan
Matthew is an independent art historian, educator and museum professional with a passion for sharing the joy of art. Over the years, the has spoken on subjects ranging from Caravaggio to Kehinde Wiley, though his first love remains the work of J.M.W. Turner and his primary focus is European painting of the 18th and 19th centuries. His career has been dedicated to helping people connect with art in meaningful and enjoyable ways, through lectures, exhibitions and creative learning programmes. He has lectured widely across Britain and Europe, in settings as diverse as universities, festivals and cathedrals, as well as galleries such as the National Gallery, the Royal Collection, the Wallace Collection, the Courtauld Institute and the Victoria and Albert Museum. He holds a degree from Cambridge, an MA from the Courtauld Institute and a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London. As Museum Director, he had the privilege of running Turner’s House in Twickenham, dedicated to the great landscape painter. Bringing Turner’s art to new audiences was one of the most rewarding experiences of his career. The has taught for more than eight years at Birkbeck, University of London, and served as Head of the London Learning Team at the Royal Collection. At the National Gallery, he devised and delivered a wide range of learning events, and earlier in his career worked as a Director in the Valuations Department at Christie’s.