Art History Talk – John Singer Sargent, Painting the Age of Elegance

Tuesday 21st May 2024

2.00pm for the Lecture, followed by Tea & Cake in the Pavilion Gallery at 3pm (doors open from 1.30pm)

Penarth Pier Pavilion

Ticket/s: £15.50per person (+ booking fee) - Ticket price includes Tea & Cake

Join us this month to hear acclaimed art history lecturer, Stella Grace Lyons's talk fascinating on the work of John Singer Sargent.

In the 1890s John Singer Sargent complained to friends that he was painting three sitters a day 'with scarcely an interval between each sitting'.

Sargent is today known for his dazzling society portraits, from presidents to oil magnates, patrons of the arts to aspirational tycoons.

The most famous of these is the alluring 'Madame X' – a painting of a beautiful woman in an iconic 'little black dress'. It caused a complete scandal in Parisian society.

But Sargent's portraits are only one expression of his artistic talent. He also created sun-drenched landscapes, beach scenes, and intimate works depicting childhood.

Come and explore the unexpectedly varied work of this 19th Century master.

'Without sacrificing scholarship, Stella Grace Lyons has a most engaging way of hooking an audience into sharing her passionate interest in art history, drawing three dimensional human stories and experiences from the two-dimensional canvas'

- Maev Kennedy, Guardian Arts Correspondent

Following the talk, please stay for tea and delicious homemade cake, served in our beautiful Gallery.