NEW YORK: Capital of modern art

1 day | £99 per person | 7 October 2025

New York: Capital of modern art

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries America was at the height of its ‘gilded age’, and New York was home to some of the wealthiest art patrons in the world. Their purchasing power would form the basis for outstanding collections of American and European art – including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick, the Whitney and MOMA. The city was becoming a vibrant and sophisticated art centre, and the early years 20th century was the emergence of its first major avant-garde movement, the Ashcan School. This group, led by painters including Robert Henri, George Bellows and John Sloan, challenged traditional ideals in favour of the gritty realities of urban life. Yet innovative as it was, the Ashcan School soon had to compete with the latest ideas arriving from Europe, as painters including Picasso, Matisse and Duchamp began to reshape the direction of modern art. 

This Lecture is held at the Art Workers' Guild in Queen Square London.

TIMETABLE FOR THE DAY

10.30-11.00 Welcome refreshments

11:00-12:00 – Lecture 1

12:00- 12.30 Refreshments

12:30-13:30 – Lecture 2

13:30-14:30 – Lunch

14:30-15:30 Lecture 3

Price: £99

Date:

7 October 2025

Your day includes:

• Three lectures
• Refreshments
• Light lunch
  

Lecturer

Dr Kathy McLauchlan

Dr Kathy McLauchlan is Course Director of three year courses at the V&A Museum. After graduating from Oxford Kathy obtained her PhD from the Courtauld Institute with a thesis on the work of students at the French Academy in Rome. Kathy lecturers widely to adult audiences.