EVENT LEIGHTON HOUSE, KENSINGTON TUESDAY 9TH NOVEMBER 2023 6:30 - 8:30 PM (GMT) £15 Join author Daniel E Sutherland at Leighton House as he explores the unlikely pair of long-time acquaintances Frederic, Lord Leighton and James McNeill Whistler, who were as similar as they were different. Their contrasting lives undermines several myths as well as illustrating the fascinating and multi-dimensional artistic world of nineteenth-century London. Dan is an acclaimed writer and W

Whistler ranks as one of the most colourful “celebrities” of his day. The number of stories, rumours, and anecdotes about him seem endless. They were plentiful enough during his lifetime, but with his passing, scores of friends and acquaintances chipped in by publishing tales they had heard about the Master.

Members of the Whistler Society have recently been able to communicate with the Master through several séances. Of course, those occasions have only been possible because of the uncanny ability of Darcy Sullivan to channel Whistler’s spirit, but have we been too cautious in our approach? Could we perhaps contact Whistler himself beyond the veil?

The Royal Society of British Artists, one of the UK’s most venerable arts organizations, celebrates its 200th birthday in May. Founded at Lincoln’s Inn Fields by several eminent painters--soon to number twenty-three--it began life as the Society of British Artists. The Society became “Royal” in 1887, thanks to the deft manoeuvring of its American president, James McNeill Whistler, who led the alliance from 1886 to 1888.

Whistler insisted over and over again that the principal standard for judging a work of art must be Beauty. He rejected entirely the widely accepted premise that pictorial art should tell a story, convey a moral, or elicit emotion.

James Whistler excelled at self-promotion. Known as much for his antics and quips as for his art, he purposely courted public attention. Often caricatured in Punch and other publications, he was more familiar to the public than most other artists.