We are delighted to welcome authors Sarah Dunant & Leslie Primo to discuss how the art of portraiture has informed their writing.
Sarah Dunant, the Sunday Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Italian Renaissance series, in her new novel,The Marchesa, turns her discerning eye to a pivotal moment in history through the voice of one of its most compelling yet, until now, lesser-known characters – the foremost female art collector and patron of the Renaissance, the Marchioness of Mantua, Isabella D’Este.
Broadcaster and lecturer Leslie Primo’s new book,The Foreign Invention of British Art: From Renaissance to Enlightenment (Thames & Hudson) is a timely history of immigration, integration and national identity that reveals the true heritage behind some of the nation’s defining artworks.
Both books reflect on the power of portraiture:
Leslie’s from a historical point of view charts the development of British painting from the 16th to 18th century, from Hans Holbein to Artemisia Gentileschi, from William Hogarth to Angelica Kauffman. Leslie is a historian specialising in early to late medieval and Renaissance art. He’s also an excellent speaker and has presented several art history programmes for the BBC.
Sarah’s novel, grounded in a wealth of academic understanding reveals Isabella D’Este as a Renaissance woman expanding power of art to effectively photoshop her own image and become an influencer to all those around her. Two of the most famous paintings of Isabella are one by Titian (who she supported), the other by Rubens. Both hang in the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna.
We hope you will be able to join us for what promises to be a fascinating evening – all welcome!
