Dilettante Programme – Upcoming Tours MOVED - DELETEDPAGES - Art History Abroad - Art History Abroad

 

 

Money and Beauty. Bankers, Botticelli and the Bonfire of the Vanities

24th - 27th November 2011

The Palazzo Strozzi is hosting a remarkable show exploring the links between high finance, economy and art in Renaissance Florence.  Not only does the exhibition boast wonderful works by Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Pollaiolo and Della Robbia but it also delves deeply into the banking world and international commerce.  Over a long weekend in Florence we will study the religious and political upheavals of the Renaissance, discussing themes such as patronage, international trade, usury, sumptuary laws and the Bonfire of the Vanities.  Although many of you may be familiar with some of the galleries and churches chosen, we shall be viewing these in a different light.  We will examine the birth of the modern banking system, the economic boom it triggered and the beautiful works it financed.  On that note we have timed the trip so that those who would like to do a spot of Italian Christmas shopping may do so!

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Paris

15th - 19th March 2012                     

 

Paris always reminds me of the Emperor's New Clothes; it is the tiniest bit vain, magnificent and much misunderstood.  It is easy to be infuriated by the hauteur of a Parisienne but hard not to appreciate the sophistication of design and the brilliance of finish.  Everything, from the gilding on railings, the clothes and even the scents are just right; by definition chic.  France, like Britain has a rich heritage borrowed, largely from elsewhere.  The Louvre is wonderful but that would be to miss the point of Paris.  The point of Paris is that it is the seedbed of our modern artistic minds.  From Paris came the break with Classical art and the birth of Modernism.  From Paris we have Picasso, Monet and Le Corbusier and this is the point of our tour, to ignore the Classical and focus on that which defines Paris.

While the itinerary does include a few well visited places such as the Musée d'Orsay we have endeavoured to include places off the beaten track with the hope that there will be something new for everyone.

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Italian Gardens

21st - 28th April 2012

Following on from the great success of our Italian Garden trip this May we will be organising another for 2012.  Watch this space...  

A Weekend in Munich 

15th - 17th June 2012

The Bavarian city of Munich has a grandeur and a beauty to rival most European capitals.  The city boasts a remarkable feast of museums, galleries and churches, not to mention the breathtaking architecture of the surrounding palaces and squares.  This is a wonderful opportunity to spend a long weekend exploring the city and discovering her fascinating Baroque churches and palaces. 

The Alte Pinakothek has an excellent collection including masterpieces by Roger van der Weyden, Durer, Bruegel, Rubens  and Rembrandt.  We will introduce you to the work of the Asam Brothers, a pair of highly skilled architects, sculptors and painters and to the work of Riemenschneider. 

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Coming up...

St. Petersburg October 2012