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Hollywood History of Art
Join award-winning historian Christopher Frayling for a colourful look at the cinematic portrayal of artists from Cellini to Kahlo and more.
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Past Event
"I want you to draw me like one of your French girls..."
Ever since the dawn of the sound era, Hollywood studios have been producing spectacular feature films about the lives and achievements of the great visual artists, with a cast of characters including Charles Laughton as Rembrandt, Kirk Douglas as van Gogh, Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo. The results - usually dismissed out of hand by art historians and curators - can tell us a surprising amount about the changing public image of the artist and about how art has entered the cultural bloodstream of modern Western societies.
Join Christopher Frayling for this illustrated talk, as he takes us behind the scenes of tinseltown's history of art, in all its fascinating glory.
The talk will be followed by book sales and signing.
Due to urgent lift repairs there will be no step free access to the Lecture Theatre for this event. Please contact membershipevents@vam.ac.uk to discuss alternatives before purchasing a ticket.
The talk will be followed by book sales and signing.
Due to urgent lift repairs there will be no step free access to the Lecture Theatre for this event. Please contact membershipevents@vam.ac.uk to discuss alternatives before purchasing a ticket.
Header image: Director Julie Taymor lines up a shot of Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo while filming Frida (2002); photo courtesy Reel Art Press