Special Interest Days

The History of American Art in 25 Iconic Works

Thursday 5th February 2026 at The Henley Rugby Club.10.00am - 3.00pm. (Booking from Thursday 11th December 2025). Cost £45.00 including sandwich lunch. Free parking. Details of the day are below but for more information please contact Diana Jones on diana.jones@btinternet.com or 0118 947 8762 or mobile 07799 661 459.

Lecturer: Lecturer: Dr Marie-Anne Mancio

The History of American Art in 25 Iconic Works

Celebrating 250 years of American independence, we explore 25 Iconic Works of Art, tracing the history of America through paintings, sculptures, land art and photography, including Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic,’ Dorothea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother, and ‘Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks’. These exemplify vital moments in American history like The Gold Rush, The Civil Rights Movement and more.

10.00am: Coffee available.

10.45am: 1st Lecture: The Making of the USA

We shall explore the development of painting in the USA from naive sign paintings through the sophisticated portraiture and history painting of John Singleton Copley, epic landscape paintings, and the avant-gardism of Whistler and Cassatt - Americans in Europe.

11.45am - 12 noon: Comfort break

12 noon - 1.00pm: 2nd Lecture: A Country Divided

Hopper's Lonely Night Hawks

In the first half of the twentieth century, American art focused on internal issues from the influx of migrants captured in the Ashcan school, to the birth of skyscrapers that dominated the modern skyline, to the Depression and the alienation captured in Hopper's paintings and the flowering of African American culture.

Dorothea Lange's poignant Migrant Mother photograph

1.00pm - 2.00pm: Sandwich Lunch

2.00pm -3.00pm/3.15pm: 3rd Lecture: American Values

From the impact of the Cold War and Abstract Expressionists like Pollock and Rothko, to the counterculture movements and Warhol's Pop of the 60s, the boom of the 80s art stars Basquiat and Sherman, land art spectacles, and today's talents.

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Wednesday 6th May 2026 at The Henley Rugby Club.10.00am - 3.00pm. (Booking Thursday 19th March 2026). cost £45.00. Coffee from 10.00am. 1st lecture 10.45am - 11.45am. 2nd lecture 12.00pm - 1.00pm. Sandwich lunch 1.00pm - 2.00pm. 3rd lecture 2.00pm - 3.00pm approximately. Free parking. For more information on all Special Interest Days please contact Diana Jones on diana.jones@btinternet.com or 0118 947 8762/mobile 07799 661 459.

Lecturer: Steve King

The Music of the 1960's

The music of the 1960's

By 1960 interest in rock ‘n’ roll had started to fade, its biggest star was moving on and a new generation of teenagers were seeking something different. It came in the form of the Beatles, who broke all the rules and all the records.

The Beatles

This is the story of the first five years of the 1960s, one of the most creative and innovative periods in the history of music, featuring all the major artists, important songs and principle musical genres.

The Springfields

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Thursday 5th November 2026 at The Henley Rugby Club.10.00am - 3.00pm. (Booking Thursday 17th September 2026). Cost £45.00. Coffee from 10.00am. 1st lecture 10.45am - 11.45am. 2nd lecture 12.00pm - 1.00pm. Sandwich lunch 1.00pm - 2.00pm. 3rd lecture 2.00pm - 3.00pm approximately. Free parking. For more information on all Special Interest Days please contact Diana Jones on diana.jones@btinternet.com or 0118 947 8762/mobile 07799 661 459.

Lecturer: Anna Moszynska

Sculpture from Epstein to Emin

1. From Jacob Epstein to the ‘Geometry of Fear’ - The Rise of Modern British Sculpture during the first half of the 20th Century. (The Geometry of Fear was an informal group or school of young British sculptors in the years after the Second World War).

Jacob Epstein 10th November 1880 - 21st August 1959

British sculptors played a pioneering role, affecting sculpture throughout the world.

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TASH Special Interest Days Booking Arrangements

Members have the chance to experience a topic in some depth during a Special Interest Day. The subject might be one in which you already have an interest or one which just catches your eye as potentially interesting. The smaller group, with refreshments and lunch provided, gives an opportunity for relaxed socialising and discussion.

Unless specified otherwise, Special Interest Days take place at The Henley Rugby Club.

Bookings are at the lecture from two months ahead of the Special Interest Day, or by contacting me.

The charge for these Special Interest Days reflects the cost of the lecturer, the venue and refreshments/lunch. Please note that bookings are not valid until payment has been received.

Cancellation: We regret that payment will only be refunded if the event is fully booked and the place is taken by another member on the waiting list.

Diana Jones is the Committee member responsible for Special Interest Days.

Telephone: 07799 661459 or 0118 947 8762

Email: diana.jones@btinternet.com