LECTURE - The Golden Age of Spain

The Golden Age of Spain

by Gail Turner - A change of speaker

Dear Members and Guests,

We invite you to join us for the 6th lecture of the season given by Gail Turner on ‘The Golden Age of Spain’ in the Atrium on Tuesday 10th March 2025 at 20.00 hours.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain rose as the greatest European superpower of the age with an empire spanning the globe. This vast wealth, alongside the renewed Catholic fervour of the Counter Reformation kickstarted the Spanish siglo d’oro – literally the century of gold. This period saw an unparalleled flourishing of painting, sculpture, literature, and music. This lecture explores this historical moment and vast array of art it produced before focusing in on the greatest painter of the age, Diego Velázquez.

This will be a live lecture with the lecturer physically present in the Atrium. We are hoping that members and Guests will take the opportunity to come to the Atrium.

For those unable to be present at the Atrium, this lecture will also be streamed via a Zoom to those who registered.

You are requested to sign up for the lecture beforehand, also if you are coming to join us in person at the Atrium, by clicking on the sentence at the 'How to book' section.

How to book this event:

Registration will open on +/- 22 FEB 26 and close at midnight 08 MAR 26.

Please click on this sentence to register for Atrium attendance or Zoom.

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Ms Gail Turner

Historian, art historian, and painter. She is passionate about Spain and Spanish topics. She has been a long-time lecturer for The Arts Society, and before Covid she taught on courses at the V&A, and for Art Pursuits, the National Gallery and the Art Fund. She has lectured on Cambridge University Summer Schools, the Courtauld Institute Summer Courses, Inscape, and for many arts organisations in Europe. In the past she led tours to Spain for The Arts Society and Martin Randall Travel. Gail lectured in the Prado and Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid in the 1980s, and was Deputy Curator of Keats Shelley Memorial House, Rome, before that. She was also once a Christie’s consultant in Illuminated Manuscripts. In 2015 Gail was awarded the Encomienda de Isabel la Católica (the equivalent of the CBE) by the King of Spain for promoting Spanish culture among British audiences. She is President of The Arts Society Colchester.

Gail Turner

Due to circumstances the originally announced lecturer is unable to attend. Gail Turner will give the lecture in her place.

GALLERY