Damien Hirst's exhibition Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable has attracted a great deal of critical attention, and Warwick History of Art students studying in Venice had a rare opportunity to meet with the artist and discuss the work. Dr Karen Lang, lead tutor on our module Exhibiting the Contemporary, has been holding regular seminars at exhibition sites during the Venice term, including installations at the Venice Biennale.

Warwick students in Venice have recently had the opportunity to discuss the Venice Biennale installation Janus Code with with its creator Michele Ciacciofera in an exclusive interview. The Venice Biennale is a key element of the Exhibiting the Contemporary module which examines the importance of exhibition for the interpretation of contemporary art, with seminars taking place on-site with the works of art.

The National Portrait Gallery's new exhibition Cézanne Portraits, which opened on October 26th, is getting 5-star reviews for its wonderful collection of paintings brought together from galleries and collections around the world, some of which haven't been seen in the UK before. The exhibition draws on the expertise of Paul Smith, a leading authority on Cézanne, both for his lecture 'Sit like an apple': painting people as if they were things (in the Late Shift Talks and Lectures series, 30th November, tickets from NPG), and also for an innovative new idea that allows you to take an expert with you around the exhibition.

Visitors to the exhibition can pick up an app for their smartphone that goes far beyond the usual audio guide. This app bridges the gap between the expert and the gallery visitor and lets Prof Smith share his expertise about the paintings. He shows visitors how to experience the artist's vision, and use of colour, and how to understand Cézanne as the painter he was.

Paul Cézanne, Boy in a Red Waistcoat, 1888-90. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

A Taste of History of Art at Warwick

We will be offering a rare opportunity for prospective students to hear from the Head of Department, other members of the History of Art team and Alumni. This event will be hosted at our London premises in King’s Cross. You will find out more about what Art History is all about, the degree and admissions criteria for Warwick, graduate opportunities and find out more about the exciting semester spent in beautiful Venice at Warwick’s own Venetian Palazzo.

Time: 4.30pm - 6.30pm, Monday 13 November 2017
Location: Stanley Building, 7 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG

Light refreshments will be provided. Parents and teachers are most welcome.

Please register online as places are limited.

We hope to see you there.

Canaletto and the Art of Venice is a feature film about the Queen's Gallery exhibition of the same name.

On Wednesday 20th September 2017 Art History PhD student and lutenist Adam Busiakiewicz presented a public talk on Hans Holbein's The Ambassadors.

The talk focused in on the symbolism and significance of the lute featured within Holbein's enigmatic double portrait. Aside from the broken string which emphasised the growing political discord due to the protestant reformation, Holbein's brilliantly detailed depiction of the instrument provides a thrilling insight into the status of the lute at the court of Henry VIII. The talk was researched in association with London luthiers Sandi Harris and Stephen Barber, who loaned a closely corresponding instrument for the presentation.

Several pieces of contemporary sixteenth century music were performed in front of the painting, including a printed Lutheran hymn which appears within the painting itself.

Nicola Viviani has published the book Mail Art Stories: the mail artist tells his own story, in collaboration with the mail artist Lancilotto Bellini. The book records a project conceived by Bellini in the mid-1990s, which collected work from mail artists around the world. This is the first time the project and the works it generated have been published.

Nicola will be joining the department as a PhD student in 2017-18, and will be writing his thesis on collector, patron, publisher and collaborator Francesco Conz, one of the most influential figures in the late-twentieth century neo-avant-garde art world.

We are very pleased to announce Olga Smith's arrival in September as a WIRL-COFUND Research (Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Leadership Programme) Fellow. For this prestigious two-year award Olga will develop her project on the politics and aesthetics of photographic representations of landscape in Europe in the contemporary period.

Dr Alice Eden presented a paper entitled ‘Frederick Cayley Robinson: Paintings of Life, Death and Still Life’ at this year's conference organised by the British Association of Modernist Studies (BAMS). The conference on the theme of Modernist Life was held at the University of Birmingham earlier this month.

WARWICK AWARDS FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE 2017. Congratulations to Ann Haughton for her commendation award (£2000) announced yesterday. The awards recognise staff who have enhanced and transformed the student learning experience, with nominations invited from students and staff across the University.

History of Art Department Research Fellow Amanda Sciampacone will be presenting a paper entitled 'Climatology, Medicine, and Scientific Imagery in Nineteenth-Century Britain' on 6 July 2017 at the Mediating Climate Change conference at the University of Leeds.

Dr. Alice Eden has begun the Enchanted Community collaborative art project in Coventry and Leamington! The project kicked off with a well-received talk at Leamington Spa Art Gallery on Friday 12th May followed by a family workshop on Saturday 27th May. This series of public engagement workshops, outreach sessions and talks will culminate in an art exhibition in Coventry created by local residents, school children, local artist Holly Dawes and Alice Eden. Please see the project website for more details. This work is supported by Professor Michael Hatt, History of Art and the Institute of Advanced Study, Warwick.