The Arts Society Turners Hill

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The Arts Society Turners Hill

The Society provides illustrated talks, Special Interest Day’s and Outings. Our speakers usually join us for lunch.

The Turners Hill Arts Society celebrated its 25th anniversary in September 2019 and was originally formed because of the long waiting lists at nearby societies. We provide monthly illustrated talks, Special Interest Day’s and Outings encompassing a diverse range of art related subjects to expand your horizons. We are affiliated to the Arts Society and take great pride in the breadth and quality of

our programme of accredited speakers who talk across a wide range of subjects from painting and architecture to jewelry, costumes and gardens. Our talks commence at 11 am promptly, on the fourth Tuesday of the month, after a complimentary coffee or tea and biscuits served from 10.15 am. One of the things that makes us different from many societies is that for those who wish to stay and chat we offer a buffet lunch with wine provided by our members after each talk , for a modest charge of £10, followed by coffee and cake.

23/06/2026

Our next lecture is on Tuesday 22nd September at The Ark Turners Hill.

Puzzling Out Picasso
Lecturer: Alan Read

How can you best understand one of the most prolific, complex and influential painters of the 20th century? By taking just ten of Picasso’s paintings this lecture will examine his life and attempt to explain the evolution of his painting styles through a career that spanned more than seventy years. Looking at the genesis of each work, examining its biographical meaning, its moment in history and its significance in the canon of modern art this will reveal the truth behind this most enigmatic and powerful artist. Included in the ten will be ‘The Three Dancers’ (1925), the subject of a major exhibition at Tate Modern from September 2025 to Spring 2026.

Alan has a masters and first-class honours degree in History of Art from Birkbeck College, University of London. He is a gallery guide at Tate Britain and regularly lectures at both London Tates. For twenty years he was a gallery guide and lecturer at the National Portrait Gallery and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. He also works as a London Blue Badge Guide.

22/06/2026

A very interesting visit to Sackville College, East Grinstead

19/05/2026

Our June lecture is on 23rd June 2026
The Ark Dunlop Hall 10.45am

'The Dancing Faun':
A personal story of a masterpiece
In this lecture our speaker, Bertie, recounts the extraordinary tale of how a small bronze statue, which had sat in his grandfather’s garden for 40 years, was discovered as a masterpiece and ended up in the Getty Museum, California.
Adriaen De Vries (c.1556-1626) was a Northern Mannerist sculptor born in the Netherlands. A technical virtuoso, he created spectacular bronzes for the most discerning patrons of his time, including the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II of Prague. He excelled in refined modelling and bronze casting and in the manipulation of patina and became the most famous European sculptor of his generation.

Speaker: Bertie Pearce
Bertie has a BA (Hons) in Drama from Manchester University, and a Diploma Internationale from L’École Internationale du Théâtre, Jacques Lecoq. He is a magician and a member of the Inner Magic Circle, with Gold Star. and has toured the world with a magic cabaret show and a one man show entitled ‘All Aboard’.
He has lectured and entertained on cruise ships, and presented to U3A, historical societies, festivals, schools and colleges. In addition, he has written articles for newspapers and magazines on entertainment and theatre.

12/03/2026

Our members enjoyed 2 visits today. The first was to see the WW1 Lutton frescoes in the Balcombe Victory Hall and the second was viewing Balcombe Place, the home of Lady Gertrude Denman, founding president of the Womens Institute and a director of the Women's Land Army.

12/01/2026

Our lecture on the 24th February is William Morris at Home.

Why not come along for a taster for only £10, at The Ark, Turners Hill , doors open at 10.13 for coffee and biscuits and the lecture is from 11.00 to 12.00. Lunch is available afterwards at additional cost.

‘William Morris at Home’ with Jo Banham.
This lecture explores not only the decoration, but also the relationships associated with William Morris’ own homes first at Red House in Bexleyheath, and then at Kelmscott House in Hammersmith, and finally at his country home, Kelmscott Manor.

06/12/2025

Our first lecture on 2026 will be: 27th January 2026
The Art of Captain Cook’s Voyages

Between 1768 and his death in 1779, Captain Cook led three voyages of exploration to the Pacific. The purposes of the expeditions were framed in terms of modern Enlightenment notions of scientific observation, and a key part of this was the appointment of official artists – a new departure for such enterprises – the aim being (in Cook’s words) to address ‘the unavoidable imperfections of written accounts, by enabling us to preserve, and to bring home, such drawings of the most memorable scenes of our transactions’.
In this lecture, we shall look at a range of examples of how these artists recorded the places visited, the events experienced, and the people and flora and fauna encountered on the voyages. We will explore how they dealt with the novel surroundings they encountered and consider how their work went on to shape European understanding of those settings.

Speaker: Prasannajit de Silva:

Prasannajit de Silva completed his doctorate in 2007, researching the art of the British in India during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His lecturing covers British visual culture of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, including art produced in various colonial settings. He is particularly interested in the relationship of aspects of art, architecture, and design to their broader cultural, social, and political contexts, and also teaches courses on the methods and theoretical approaches of art history.

05/12/2025

We enjoyed an excellent walk round Charles Dickens London yesterday guided by Andrew Davis. We got very wet!

Address

The Ark
Turners Hill
RH104RA

Website

https://www.theartssocietyturnershill.org.uk/

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