Events and lectures
EVENING LECTURES
Reynolds Room (unless stated otherwise); 6.30–7.30pm
£14/£6 students (includes lecture, exhibition entry & drink)
£10 (includes lecture & drink)
John Richardson in Conversation with Richard Shone
Friday 23 November
SOLD OUT
Distinguished author and renowned Picasso biographer John Richardson and Richard Shone, editor of The Burlington Magazine, discuss Pablo Picasso’s 1919 visit with the Russian Ballet to London.
RA Audio
Listen to an audio recording of this event
Russia on Display: Music, Art and the Stage in the Diaghilev Enterprise
Friday 1 February
SOLD OUT
Russian impresario Sergey Diaghilev began his career as a student of musical composition before switching to art criticism. He later united his two great passions, music and the visual arts, in the Saisons Russes in Paris. Dr Marina Frolova-Walker, Clare College, Cambridge, examines how Diaghilev brought together the most forward-looking Russian and French composers and artists to create spectacular ballet productions that were so powerful he changed the course of European artistic development.
The Image of the People in Modern Russian Art
Friday 8 February
SOLD OUT
In 1873, Russian painter Ilya Repin produced The Volga Barge Haulers, a study of peasants that Dostoevsky praised as ‘an epic portrait of the Russian character’. Acclaimed author, presenter and historian Professor Orlando Figes, Birkbeck, University of London, explores images of the peasant in modern Russian art and signs copies of Natasha’s Dance and his latest book, The Whisperers.
Out of the Shadows: Early Russian Cinema
Friday 22 February
SOLD OUT
Cinema arrived in Russia in 1896, but it was several years before home-grown films were produced. Early Russian directors developed cinema at an astonishing rate. The Revolution brought a new set of names, most famously Eisenstein, and rapid innovation. Film historian John Riley charts the development of Russian cinema up to the 1920s and shows clips from some of the best films. In collaboration with Pushkin House.
Pushkin House, 5A Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2TA; 6.30–7.30pm
All the Empty Palaces: The Patrons Who Brought Modern Art to Russia
Friday 29 February
SOLD OUT
By 1917, Moscow textile merchant Sergei Shchukin had assembled the most important collection of modern Western art in the world, including numerous works by Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso. Yet for more than seventy years he and his fellow collector, Ivan Morosov, were obliterated from the Soviet record. Authors Hilary Spurling, Natalia Semonova and Beverly Kean recount how Kean first uncovered their remarkable story.
FREE LUNCHTIME LECTURES
Reynolds Room; 1–2pm; meet at De Grey Court at 12.30pm; first come, first served
Introduction to the Exhibition
Monday 4 February
Lecture by Ann Dumas, Joint Exhibition Curator
Theatre Design Takes Centre Stage: The Ballets Russes and the Changing Approach to Stage Design in the Early Twentieth Century
Monday 11 February
Lecture by Jane Pritchard, Curator of Dance, Victoria & Albert Museum
The Hermitage Museum: From Peter the Great to Vladimir Putin
Monday 3 March
Lecture by Geraldine Norman, Director of the Hermitage Rooms, Somerset House
ARCHITECTURE EVENING LECTURES
Architecture after Communism: Bart Goldhoorn
Monday 17 March
Although Russia’s current construction boom is fuelled by ‘Wild East’ capitalism, its nature is still largely determined by its Communist past. Often this is a handicap, as the use of standard designs is common practice, and, in general, the quality of construction is low. Bart Goldhoorn, architect, founder and editorial director of Project Russia, discusses how in some instances the confrontation of the Soviet heritage with the new possibilities offered by the free market lead to interesting and unique architectural phenomena.
Geological Society, Piccadilly, W1; 6.30–8pm; £10/£5 concessions (includes a drink)
Booking information
Norman Foster RA: Russian Projects
Thursday 3 April
SOLD OUT
Norman Foster unveils plans for an ambitious cultural quarter for the Pushkin State Museum, Moscow. He sets this project in the context of Foster + Partners’ work in Russia, ranging from the historic New Holland Island in St Petersburg to Russia Tower, a vertical city in Moscow.
Large Weston Room; 6.30–8pm
ADULT WORKSHOPS
RA; 1.30–5.30pm
Life Drawing: The Figure in Motion
Saturday 23 February SOLD OUT or Saturday 1 March SOLD OUT
Inspired by Matisse’s The Dance, Francis Bowyer, Life Drawing Tutor at the RA, leads this workshop in drawing the figure in motion. The class is designed for those with previous experience of drawing the figure and takes place in the historic Life Room of the RA Schools.
FREE GALLERY TALKS
Public Gallery Talks
2.30pm Wednesdays, 7pm Fridays
45 minute introductory talks; free with an exhibition ticket
Spotlight Talks
3pm Thursdays
10 minute introductory talks; free with an exhibition ticket
FAMILY WORKSHOPS
RA; 10.15am–1pm; free with an exhibition ticket; pre-booking essential on 020 7300 5995
Tuesday 19 & Thursday 21 February
Families are invited to join this workshop with an introductory slide talk, a visit to the exhibition and a practical hands-on session.
SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
Self-guided visits are available for all full-time educational groups. Guided gallery tours and practical workshops can also be booked. Educational resources are available free from the Education Desk with an exhibition ticket and teacher or student ID. Please call 020 7300 5995 for further details.
BSL & LIPSPEAKING GALLERY TOURS
Main galleries; 6–7pm, please arrive by 5.45pm; £3, please pre-book tickets through the Access Officer
8 February
Françoise Durrance presents this tour with BSL interpretation provided by Tracey Tyer and lipspeaking support by Vicky Waite.
14 March SOLD OUT
Hard-of-hearing speaker Juan del Gado presents this tour with lipspeaker Sara Scanlon and BSL interpretation.
