SPECIAL LOCKDOWN EVENT! "Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world" in art history, cultural studies and literature. This richly illustrated lecture will look at the depictions of writers, designers, and artists. In particular, Orientalist painting and design, depicting more specifically "the Middle East" and further afield was one of the […]
SPECIAL LOCKDOWN EVENT! Come on a journey through the Deep South of the United States of America with its rich and challenging history - where fortunes were built on slavery and reflected in the building of great planation homes and beautiful cities - the likes of New Orleans, Savannah and Atlanta The American South has […]
Most people have heard of 'first World Expo' was held in The Crystal Palace in London in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations". The Great Exhibition, as it is often called, was an idea of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, and is usually considered to be the […]
Presented in conjunction with the Old Treasury Building exhibition ‘Yarra: Stories of Melbourne’s River’, historian Jack Norris will deliver a talk on the history of the naming of the Yarra River. Jack Norris, Old Treasury Building’s Public Programs Officer, is a historian and archaeologist, with a keen interest in Melbourne’s cross-cultural colonial histories and the […]
Marseille located on the Mediterranean Sea and founded around 600 BC by Greek settlers is one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited settlements. It offers up a fascinating history as well as magnificent cityscape with fine buildings and monuments. Toulouse was founded by the Romans and today is the centre of the European aerospace industry (is […]
Peter the Great ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from 1682 until his death in 1725, jointly ruling before 1696 with his elder half-brother, Ivan V. He was a fine military leader and founder of the Imperial Russian Navy. His empire grew in size and Russia would become a major European […]
Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor has long been associated with jewels – diamonds in particular, but the true extent of her staggering collection is not so well known. Said to be worth over $200 million at the star’s death, her collection has only gained in stature. Many pieces have become as legendary as the star who […]
We continue our Italian grand tour with a visit to Bologna, capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region. Originally Etruscan, the city has been one of the most important urban centres for centuries. Bologna is famous for its historic buildings and monuments. It is home to the oldest university in the Western world, the […]
The Victoria and Albert Museum is "world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects." It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. This lecture will tell the story of the V&A and take a look at some highlights from […]
The 1950s in Melbourne began with the newly-elected Menzies Government’s campaign to ban the Communist Party of Australia, feeding into and sustaining growing anti-communist rhetoric in the post-war nation. Fears of communist infiltration coloured the actions of the Australian peace movement, with public commentators and political figures condemning the movement as a communist fifth column […]