Melbourne

Thursday 13 November 2025
AGM and CLARICE BECKETT
Presented by Andrew Gaynor
Time & Venue: 8pm, Lido Cinema 1

Circumstances have led us to source a new lecturer for our last lecture for 2025. And we are fortunate that Andrew Gaynor, a writer, researcher and freelance Curator, whose area of special interest is Australian Modernism, can be with us.

Andrew will talk on one of his favourite lecture subjects: the Early Australian Modernist Clarice Beckett. Andrew has been researching Beckett since the early 2000s, and he has walked Beckett’s routes, identifying exact locations for many of her paintings.

This will be a wonderfully illustrated lecture on an artist who was cold-shouldered by much of the art establishment, due to her ties to the controversial art-theorist Max Meldrum. Undaunted, she held twelve solo exhibitions between 1923 and 1933.

The evening will commence with our Annual General Meeting, including any formal presentations and voting. And then, on with the lecture!

Non-members of ArtsNational Melbourne are welcome as guests and need to book and pay via the TryBooking website.  Any queries please contact Veronica Rickard, Membership Secretary.

Thursday 19 February 2026
TECHNICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE AUSTRALIAN IMPRESSIONISM MOVEMENT
Presented by Michael Varcoe-Cocks
Time & Venue: 5.30pm, Clemenger Auditorium, Ground level of the NGV, St Kilda Road, Melbourne

The Australian Impressionist movement was spearheaded by a band of Melbourne artists including Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin and Arthur Streeton. Through the field of technical art history, we can combine scientific and archival research to explore the context and method of the creation of these paintings to better define the artistic intention of the individual artist.

Michael Varcoe-Cocks is the Associate Director, Conservation at the National Gallery of Victoria where he has been employed as a conservator for twenty-seven years. His work has principally focused on collection-based research and the accompanying treatment of works produced between 1850 and 1950. 

Thursday 5 March 2026
TAPESTRY: The Ultimate Wall Decoration
Presented by Susan Kay-Williams
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

The history of this glorious textile art form, revered in the Middle Ages and beyond, gracing the walls of royal and papal courts, churches, and the homes of the gentry across Europe. Susan will give us new insight into how tapestry became a grand visual medium from medieval times, from the master tapestry-makers of Flanders, to the Gobelins factory of Paris, exploring the evolution of tapestry, and the production of the world’s most famous tapestry sets.

A former Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework, Susan is now a Fellow and Board member of the Society of Dyers and Colourists. With a lifelong interest in textiles and colour, she has produced two books: The Story of Colour in Textiles, and An Unbroken Thread: Celebrating 150 years of the Royal School of Needlework. Susan has lectured in North America, Asia and for the Victoria and Albert Museum, and across the UK.

Thursday 16 April 2026
THE MANY FACES OF MARGARET OLLEY: Artist, Sitter and Patron
Presented by Anne Harbers
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

We’ll explore the art and legacy of one of Australia’s most significant still-life and interior painters, Margaret Olley (7923- 2011). Known for her vibrant, colourful works, she held over ninety solo exhibitions in her lifetime, and was a significant philanthropist to art galleries across Australia. Her Paddington studio­ home has been re-created as the Margaret Olley Art Centre at the Tweed Regional Gallery in Murwillumbah.

Ann is an independent art historian and lecturer focusing on European and Australian artists. She received her Master’s in Art History from the University of Sydney in 2014 and now spends part of each year in The Netherlands working on her doctorate. Her current research delves into 17th century Dutch art, and European Art and Decorative Arts. She has published works on collecting, art and science, and lectured widely in Australia, Europe and the USA.

Thursday 14 May 2026
BHUTAN: The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon
Presented by Zara Flemming
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

A window on the history, art and culture of the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, known by its inhabitants as Druk Yul or “Land of the Thunder Dragon”, a reference to the Drukpa tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism that permeates every aspect of Bhutanese life. For centuries Bhutan has preserved its traditional Buddhist values, but now the question is whether this tiny nation can maintain the fine balance between tradition and modernity without diminishing its unique culture.

Zara is a freelance lecturer, art consultant and exhibition curator, specialising in the art and culture of Tibet, the Himalayan areas and Mongolia. She has published many articles on Buddhist art and culture and has worked for the Victoria and Albert Museum, Bonn University, the Orient Foundation, the Royal Academy, Tibet House and Asia House. She lectures for museums, universities, Asian art societies, and private associations, and has been a guide on many tours to the Himalayas.

Thursday 18 June 2026
CAFÉ SOCIETY
Presented by Dr Peter McNeil
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

The world of glamour and bright young things, across the inter-war years into the 7950s, and the central role of fashion in making oneself available to be noticed. Peter will introduce us to the style icons and the great patrons of luxury: Diana Vreeland, Elsie de Wolfe, Millicent Rogers, Pauline de Rothschild, Mona Bismark, the Duchess of Windsor, Daisy Fellowes, and Grace Kelly, and explain the role of couture in shaping their public profiles.

Dr Peter McNeil FAHA, is a Distinguished Professor of Design History, and a leading international scholar in the fields of design history, fashion studies and material culture. He was Foundation Professor of Fashion Studies in Sweden, and Academy of Finland Distinguished Professor, Helsinki. He has published widely, including Pretty Gentlemen on the 18th century’s Macaroni Men, and has worked with communities and museums around the world.

Thursday 9 July 2026
FLORENCE AND THE BIRTH OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
Presented by Charlie Hall
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

What did the city of Florence possess in the 15th century that was key to the emergence of the ideas and culture of the (Italian) Renaissance? And why did it flourish so spectacularly? The story is so familiar. But was this something that was so effectively reported and propagandised by people such as Giorgio Vasari that we accept Florence was indeed where the Italian Renaissance emerged?

Charlie is a passionate arts educator, lecturer, and guide, based in London and Italy. He is Director of the highly regarded John Hall Venice Course for gap year students and leads tours in Italy. In addition, he is the designer and host of a series of art talks and events for the Soho House group of private member’s clubs and has led courses for Christie’s Education and The Serpentine Gallery ‘Collector’s Circle’.

Thursday 13 August 2026
FASHION, FEATHERS AND FEMINISM: Women’s Fight for Change
Presented by Tessa Boose
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

When social historian Tessa told the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds she wanted to write their early story, they refused to grant her access to their archives. This was an irresistible challenge. We’ll learn the intriguing story of women’s love affair with plumage, and of the feminists who fought on the birds’ behalf. From a Victorian tea party to a suffragette rally, to a milliner’s dusty workshop, we’ll revisit a world in which every woman wore a hat.

Tessa is a freelance journalist, author, lecturer and campaigner, uncovering the stories of invisible women from the 19th and early 20th centuries – revealing how they drove industry, propped up society and influenced politics. She is author of three books of social history, including The Housekeeper’s Tale: The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House, and London’s Lost Department Stores: A Vanished World of Dazzle and Dreams.

Thursday 10 September 2026
THE DUTCH GOLDEN AGE IN SIX PAINTINGS
Presented by Mariska Beekenkamp-Wladimiroff
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

The 17th century in the Netherlands, the time of Rembrandt and Vermeer, of extra ordinary riches and incredible progress, known as the “Dutch Golden Age”. Mariska will draw on six beautiful paintings, revealing their meaning, to show how the arts flourished in this tiny republic, discuss the Dutch, their cities, landscape, society, beliefs and artistic genres.

Mariska’s original academic direction was psychology, before she turned to her true love – the Arts. Whilst having her three children, she completed her BA and MA in Art History, majoring in The Dutch Baroque Arts from the 17th century at the Courtauld Institute of Arts. Through her own company, Art Historical London, she offers in-person and on-line arts history lectures, museum visits, courses, tours, travel and events from Amsterdam, London and New York.

Thursday 15 October 2026
THE MUSIC OF TROOPING THE COLOUR
Presented by Dr Graham Jones
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

A fascinating personal account of the preparation of the music for that quintessentially British ceremony, The Queen’s Birthday Parade. Graham will take us behind the scenes, giving us a unique insight into music selection, rehearsals and the big event itself, held every June on London’s Horse Guards Parade. He’ll also ponder the relevance of music for such an event; is it truly relevant to today’s modern world?

Graham is a former principal conductor of Her Majesty the Queen’s Household Division and a Lieutenant Colonel. During his career he recorded over 40 albums. Graham was awarded an MBE for outstanding service to military music in 1993. Having retired from military service, Graham is enjoying a second career as a guest conductor, adjudicator, guest speaker, lecturer, clinician, recording consultant and educator.

Thursday 12 November 2026
AGM AND INSIDE TITANIC: Unveiling Titanic’s Intimate Secrets
Presented by Pieter de Vries 
Time & Venue: 7:30pm, Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Gate 1, 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101

This leading cinematographer tells how he descended almost 4000 metres below the waves to film the wreckage of the Titanic, for James Cameron’s 3-D IMAX documentary Ghosts of the Abyss. Pieter will tell of his exhilaration and initial apprehension at journeying so far beneath the ocean’s surface in a submersible craft. We’ll see segments of his work and hear behind-the-scenes stories about how cutting-edge remote camera technology unveiled Titanic’s intimate secrets.

Pieter is a renowned documentary cinematographer whose incredible journey has taken him from the heights of the space shuttle to the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean. He has captured extraordinary moments in 185 countries around the world, over a career spanning more than four decades. The films Pieter has worked on have won many accolades, including Emmy and BAFTA awards.