Photo by Emma Georgiou
THE ARTS SOCIETY BATH WELCOMES YOU
Established nearly 40 years ago and enjoying The Arts in all its forms.
ABOUT US
The Arts Society Bath has a friendly, active membership who share an appreciation of and commitment to the arts.
Our 2024/25 season of monthly lectures will be delivered in a hybrid format (both in-person and online via Zoom). In-person lectures will be at our venue, Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. Members accessing lectures online via Zoom will be sent a link a few days in advance. (Our January lecture will be via Zoom only.)
If you wish to attend as a guest or are not a member, (£10 in venue, or £7 on Zoom) you must email bath@theartssociety.org by the Friday preceding the lecture.
The Arts Society Bath promotes its aims through lectures (nine per season running from October to June) on fine and decorative arts in the widest sense and through Special Interest Days, a monthly local newsletter and a quarterly national magazine. We also support local projects promoting arts in the community. Additionally, we organise visits and access to many other arts activities via our nationwide membership of The Arts Society.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mon, 04 NovWidcombe Social Club04 Nov 2024, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UK04 Nov 2024, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UKFollowing the trauma of the English Civil War came the Restoration, a period of loucheness and scandal. With the return of a King and the arrival of the first English actresses, the foundations were set for a more modern theatre to emerge under the influence of the greatest actor/manager of the age.
Wed, 13 NovBRLSI13 Nov 2024, 10:30 – 15:30BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HN, UK
Mon, 02 DecWidcombe Social Club02 Dec 2024, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UK02 Dec 2024, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UKThe Christmas story is told through a selection of well-loved paintings and illuminated manuscripts by Italian and Flemish artists, including Botticelli, Fra Angelico and Jan van Eyck, together with many less well- known images. This lecture explores the rich symbolism of Christmas imagery.
Mon, 06 JanOnline via Zoom06 Jan 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Online via Zoom06 Jan 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Online via ZoomAfter the Spanish conquest of 1521, the raw materials, techniques and art styles of Europe merged with those of the New World. Drawing on skills inherited from Aztec, Maya and Spanish predecessors, makers bring a modern vision to ancient traditions: exquisite textiles, silver jewellery, and more.
Mon, 03 FebWidcombe Social Club03 Feb 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UK03 Feb 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UKWhat is ‘surrealism’, where did it come from, and how did it influence 20th century British art? Looking at artists as diverse as William Blake, Francis Bacon, Henry Moore and Paul Nash - as well as writers such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Lewis Carroll - this lecture answers all those questions.
Mon, 03 MarWidcombe Social Club03 Mar 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UK03 Mar 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UKDutch art in the 17th Century dealt with the lives of real people: at times ordered, at others bawdy or self-important, and occasionally tragic. The new Protestant mentality allowed astonishing advances in society as shown by Rembrandt, Vermeer and more.
Wed, 19 MarWidcombe Social Club19 Mar 2025, 10:30 – 15:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UK
Mon, 07 AprWidcombe Social Club07 Apr 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UK07 Apr 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UKFrom cathedrals to churches, cottages to coastlines, we are never very far from a place John Piper has painted, written about or for which he had undertaken a commission. One of the most versatile British artists of the 20th Century - painter, designer, stained glass artist, photographer and writer.
Mon, 12 MayWidcombe Social Club12 May 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UK
Mon, 02 JunWidcombe Social Club02 Jun 2025, 11:30 – 12:30Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA, UK
Access to 9 lectures on the Arts given by professional art historians and art lecturers, once a month in the Widcombe Social Club.
Opportunities to attend Special Interest Days arranged by The Arts Society Bath and other societies.
Opportunities to go on visits and city walks arranged for members and guests.
Membership of the national organisation, The Arts Society.
Quarterly magazine covering the arts and activities of the national and local arts societies.
Access to The Arts Society's talks and activities of the national and local arts societies