The Arts Society Bowdon

Our Next Lecture is

Monday 18 May 2026

THE FOREIGN INVENTION OF BRITISH ART FROM RENAISSANCE TO ENLIGHTENMENT

Why were foreign painters preferred by the aristocracy in London to native-born English painters and what was their impact on English art and art practice. This lecture traces foreign artists from the Tudor period through to the Renaissance and Baroque, their origins and contributions. Holbein, Gerrit van Honthorst, Paulus van Somer, van Dyck, Peter Lely and Rubens.

Leslie Primo: author, broadcaster on BBC, specialises in early Medieval Art and Architecture, Italian Renaissance art, German art in the Reformation, Medici and Patronage, and mythology in the work of Peter Paul Rubens. Lecturer at the National Gallery for 18 years.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON FILM SCREENINGS

We are showing some specially chosen art films for our members at the Bowdon Parish Centre (opposite the Griffin pub) near the Bowdon Rooms.

The ticket price of £10 will include the film and a beverage with a cake/biscuit. Numbers will be restricted to 40 members so get your ticket early.

The first screening date will be at 2pm on Friday 5th June and we have chosen an innovative and extensive exhibition from The Royal Academy of Art - Painting the Modern Garden – Monet to Matisse. Using the work of Monet as a starting point, this landmark exhibition examines the role gardens played in the evolution of art from the early 1860s through to the 1920s.

More information can be found here: Monet to Matisse.

Tickets will available at our April & May lecture meetings and also by contacting Judith, her email is guesteveningrepresentative.bowdon@theartssociety.org

AND THE WINNER IS.......

Voting has closed in the Art Bytes competition supported by the money collected from our raffle.

The winner that will be submitted the the national final is "The hungry Dachshunds" by Venus.

Pictures of this lovely painting and others can be found by clicking on this link: The Willows Primary School - Art Bytes

CHURCH RECORDING IS ON ITS WAY BACK!

After a hiatus, we are looking to restart our Church Recording projects so watch this space for more information.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL - 2026/7

Membership renewal for next season will open after May's lecture on the 18th May. We have frozen the membership fee at £70 per person.

We will not require renewing members to complete a membership form this year, but instead ask that you confirm that your name, address and email address (if applicable) have not changed at a meeting or by email.

We politely request that you renew your membership by July 31st 2026.

For a preview of our 2026/7 lecture programme please click here Next Seasons Programme. Printed copies will also be available at the next lectures.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We currently have 2 vacant positions for volunteers to help us run the society. We are looking for:

A Secretary to take the minutes at our monthly committee meetings and
An Events organiser to arrange events and visits for our members to enjoy. This can be one-off or recurring involvement to suit you.

If you'd like to volunteer for either of these roles, please email us at: bowdonmain@outlook.com or let someone know at a lecture meeting.

ABOUT US

The Arts Society Bowdon was established in 1982. It is a friendly and welcoming society affiliated to The Arts Society, a leading arts education charity with a global network of local Societies which brings people together through a shared curiosity for the arts.

We meet at the beautiful Edwardian Bowdon Rooms. We offer illustrated talks given by lecturers of national and international standing on subjects related to a wide spectrum of the arts. We host one or two Guest Events each year which usually take the form of a special Society lunch and lecture and these have proved popular with the members and their guests. When circumstances allow, we offer two one-day visits each year to places of interest to members and there are also opportunities to join visits arranged by the Arts Society and neighbour Societies in the North West.

Our volunteers undertake various projects in the local community such as restoration work at the library at Tabley House. We also sponsor educational work in local schools and colleges and this year our Young Arts Group is taking part in the art bytes programme. We have recently created popular Heritage Trails of Bowdon the most recent being about 3 female Altrincham artists. Details can be found on our News page.

The North West Area Arts Society covers all the societies in our area, details of events across the North West can be found on their web page. Click here for details.

To Join Us

The Annual membership fee is £70 per person and we currently do not have a waiting list. The Membership Application form and Gift Aid declaration can be downloaded using the link in the attachments box or by clicking on the links below:

Membership Form

Gift Aid Form

You can either bring the forms to a meeting or post/email to the Membership secretary using the details on the form.

We look forward to welcoming you to Bowdon Arts Society.

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