Why couldn’t Rubens have painted the pictures that Churchill did?

Join Dr Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe and uncover the story of how a host of exciting technical inventions stand between the 17th century and the late 19th, from the squeezy metal tube, vital for painting on the go, to a wide range of vibrant colours produced by the industrial revolution. Learn how the narrow selection of pigments and materials available to artists in earlier centuries contrasts with the equipment and paints available to Churchill on his travels.

About the speaker: Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe has an MA from Edinburgh, and PhD from the Warburg Institute, London. She trained briefly as a paintings conservator, and has lectured on 15th-, 16th-and 17th- century European painting for over 35 years at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, as well as for a number of institutions in London including the National Gallery, the Wallace Collection and the RA.

Take part at the museum: This demonstration and tour will start in the Meeting Room, Lower Ground Floor, and move on to galleries throughout the museum.

Following the demonstration and tour, attendees may visit Winston Churchill: The Painter at any time until 17:00.