Activities

The Frans Hals exhibition, the first major retrospective of Hals in more than thirty years, will be at the National Gallery from 30 September.  We will discover why he deserves his place as one of the greatest painters in Western art.

Four hundred years since they were painted, Frans Hals’s portraits still breathe with life. There’s the hint of a smile, a hand resting nonchalantly on a hip, and just occasionally, a burst of laughter.

Hals was one of the most sought-after painters of his generation. A gifted artist whose deft brushwork was unparalleled, he built his reputation on a new style of portrait – highly unusual in his time – that showed relaxed, lively sitters, often smiling, and even laughing.  17th-century Dutch audiences were enthralled, and the popularity of his portraits earned him the status of Haarlem’s famous son

We welcome back Chantal Brotherton-Radciffe to lecture us.  Coffee and tea will be available from 9:30 and we will have a break in the middle.  We aim to finish at 12:15.