Join art historian Emma Davis for a lunchtime talk next month, uncovering the traces of Islington’s famous artist residents.
Join Islington Local History Centre and art historian Emma Davis for a special show-and-tell talk, drawing on the Sickert family archive. We will uncover the traces of one of Islington’s most famous artist residents, Walter Sickert (1860-1942), as well as those of Thérèse Lessore (1884-1945), an artist whose significance is only now becoming recognised.
Tuesday 20th May, 1-2pm at Islington Local History Centre, 245 Saint John Street, Finsbury Library, London, EC1V 4NB
Emma will showcase artworks and archive material from the Sickert family collection, which has been housed in Islington since 1951. Along the way, she will reveal the important role of two further artists – Louise Powell (1882-1956) and Sylvia Gosse (1881-1978) – in sustaining the legacy of Sickert and Lessore.
From paint palettes to etching plates and ephemera collected from circus and theatre trips, this is a unique opportunity to examine the rich visual, material and written artefacts that shaped these artists’ lives.
Doors will open at 1pm and the talk will take place at 1:10-1:50pm. Our lunchtime talka are designed to fit into a lunchbreak, offering a snapshot of Islington’s fascinating history with enough time to return to your desk for the afternoon. This talk will feature a showcase of original archive material, so please do not bring food or drink with you to the event.
Reserve a spot here.
You can find accessibility information for 245 St John Street here.
Emma Davis is an art historian interested in uncovering the plurality of art practices in the inter-war period. Her upcoming PhD on Thérèse Lessore explores the artist’s engagement with the ‘popular’ in both subject matter and medium. Her recent research on Lessore’s sister, Louise Powell, looked at the strategies employed by women and working-class artists to forge a sustainable creative career, encompassing ceramics, calligraphy, embroidery and oil. Emma works part-time at UCL Museums and as a guide at Van Gogh House.
