The Wallace Collection Ticket Portal

How can so-called vanitas symbols add fascinating layers of meaning to a painting, and do their messages still resonate today? These visual elements can function as reminders to the viewer of the brevity of life or of beauty. They might advise avoidance of worldly distractions and be recommendations for staying on a righteous path. While an eerily illuminated skull is an obvious warning of mortality, other symbols are less discernible. When we discover them, how might our reading of a painting change?

About the speaker: Jo Rhymer is Informal Learning Lead Producer at the Wallace Collection. She is also a freelance lecturer for the V&A; she is a Panel Tutor at the University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, and an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society. Her art history specialisms are 19th- and early 20th-century French art.

Take part at the museum: This course will take place in the Theatre, Lower Ground Floor. Participants taking part at the museum are encouraged to visit the galleries in their own time afterwards.

Watch online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum. Online ticketholders will be emailed a link to join 24 hours in advance. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only.

With live captions by Stagetext.

The great Venetian painter Antonio Canaletto used the camera obscura - the predecessor of the photographic camera - to make sketches on site. These formed the basis of his finished drawings and paintings. Philip Steadman has built a replica of an 18th-century camera obscura and used it to make drawings at places painted by Canaletto in London. He will explain exactly how the artist worked with the instrument, not only to produce his views of real places but also - surprisingly - his imaginary scenes, the ‘capricci.’

About the speaker: Emeritus Professor of Urban and Built Form Studies, Energy Institute, Bartlett School of Energy, Environment and Resources, University College London. His book Canaletto's Camera (UCL Press) is due to be published on 1 June 2025.

Watch online: Book a free ticket online to receive a Zoom link. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only.

With live captions by Stagetext.

Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the birth of J.M.W. Turner, join Nicola Moorby, author of a new book, Turner and Constable: Art, Life, Landscape (Yale University Press), as she uncovers some of the secrets of Turner’s watercolour practice. In particular, she will discuss the extraordinary and, at times, highly personal works Turner produced for his friend and patron, Walter Fawkes of Farnley Hall in Yorkshire, including the fabulous examples in the Wallace Collection.

About the speaker: Nicola Moorby is Curator of British Art, 1790-1850 at Tate and guest curator of the exhibition, Turner's Kingdom: Beauty, Birds and Beasts at Turner's House in Twickenham, April-October 2025. She is the author of a new book, Turner and Constable: Art, Life, Landscape, published by Yale University Press in March 2025.

Watch online: Book a free ticket online to receive a Zoom link. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only.   

Explore how European artists interpreted and represented the Virgin Mary in art. From Renaissance Italy to Counter-Reformation Spain and beyond, in monumental paintings and in intimate devotional objects, Mary’s image has been a steadfast and complex presence in Christian visual culture. By interweaving art history and theology, we’ll consider the story of Mary’s unique life, its many meanings, and how this has manifested in artworks seen throughout the Wallace Collection.

About the speaker: Ayla Lepine is the Associate Rector at St James’s Piccadilly. She has a PhD in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art and has held academic posts focusing on theology and the visual arts at Yale and the National Gallery, where she co-curated the exhibition Fruits of the Spirit: Art from the Heart. She publishes and lectures widely, and is a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London. Her book, Women, Art, God, will be published in 2026.

Take part at the museum: This course will take place in the Theatre, Lower Ground Floor. Participants taking part at the museum are encouraged to visit the galleries in their own time afterwards.

Watch online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum. Online ticketholders will be emailed a link to join 24 hours in advance. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only.

Why is Sir Anthony Van Dyck considered a landmark painter in Western European art? Learn about this era-defining artist, whose precocious talent led him to enjoy international fame, fortune and a lavish lifestyle.

We’ll explore how Van Dyck was inspired by the work of eminent Renaissance artist Titian, and of his contemporary Rubens, to develop his own audacious style. We’ll investigate how his loose, dynamic brushwork manifested in monumental history paintings and vivacious portraits, helping him to attract powerful patrons. We’ll also discuss the Wallace Collection’s works within a wider context, revealing the elements of his style that set him apart from contemporaries.

Read the full course description here.  

Joining Information and Format: This course will be taught through Zoom Webinar. Each course session duration is 120 minutes, including a five-minute break and Q&A session with the tutor.  

Tickets are for all dates of this course. Ticketholders will be emailed the Zoom link, Webinar ID and Passcode 24 hours in advance of the first course session, which should be retained for accessing all sessions.   

Course Recording: This course will be recorded. Within 48 hours of each course session, ticket holders will be emailed a link to view the recording, which will be available for two weeks.  

How did themes in French painting change during the 18th century? In order to understand how new subjects expanded and flourished, we’ll look closely at a selection of superb examples now in the Wallace Collection. We’ll investigate intriguing scenes by Lancret, Pater, Greuze and Fragonard, alongside those made by artists who are less well-known today, including Louis-Léopold Boilly and Gabriel-Jacques de Saint-Aubin. In deciphering the potential meanings of these artworks, which present detailed scenes of flirtatious encounters and leisurely pursuits, we’ll consider their function and significance within the wider artistic and cultural landscape of 18th-century France.

Read the full course description here.  

Joining Information and Format: This course will be taught through Zoom Webinar. Each course session duration is 120 minutes, including a five-minute break and Q&A session with the tutor.  

Tickets are for all dates of this course. Ticketholders will be emailed the Zoom link, Webinar ID and Passcode 24 hours in advance of the first course session, which should be retained for accessing all sessions.   

Course Recording: This course will be recorded. Within 48 hours of each course session, ticket holders will be emailed a link to view the recording, which will be available for two weeks.  

This event is now sold out at the museum, book now to join us online. 

Join Grayson Perry as he discusses Delusions of Grandeur, his most ambitious exhibition to date. From richly detailed ceramics to vibrant tapestries, Perry’s work challenges notions of artistic value and tradition. In conversation with Dr Xavier Bray, the Turner Prize-winning artist will introduce his new work and how this draws from the Collection’s masterpieces, weaving connections between past and present.

Following the discussion, Perry will sign copies of the accompanying exhibition catalogue, which can be purchased on the night. Guests can also enjoy drinks and the opportunity to visit Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur after hours.

About the speakers: Dr Xavier Bray is Director of the Wallace Collection.

Sir Grayson Perry is one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary artist and cultural figures. Winner of the 2003 Turner Prize, Perry was elected a Royal Academician in 2011 and was made Knight Bachelor for services to arts in the King’s New Year Honours List 2023.

Take part at the museum: Join us at the museum for this special event, followed by drinks, book signing and exhibition visit until 20.45.

Watch online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum via Zoom. Online ticketholders will be emailed a link to join 24 hours in advance. Please note that the event will not be recorded and therefore no recording will be available after the event. 

Background Image: Grayson Perry © Richard Ansett, shot exclusively for the Wallace Collection, London (detail)

Join us for an exclusive concert with the acclaimed Orion Orchestra and international soloist, Danny Koo. This special evening celebrates three remarkable anniversaries: Marylebone Music Festival’s 10th Anniversary Festival (16-22 June), the Wallace Collection’s 125th anniversary of opening as a public museum, and the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

During the evening, you'll also hear from art historian Dr Lelia Packer, author of our new publication Canaletto and Guardi: Views of Venice at the Wallace Collection, about the captivating scenes of the Grand Canal represented in Canaletto's monumental paintings. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of 18th-century Venice, guests can also enjoy drinks and the opportunity to view our Venetian view paintings after hours.

Programme:

Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

La primavera (Spring) E Major
L’estate (Summer) G minor
L’autunno (Autumn) F Major
L’inverno (Winter) F minor

Orion Orchestra
Violin – Danny Koo

Proceeds from this concert will be divided between the Marylebone Music Festival and the Wallace Collection.

Copies of Canaletto and Guardi: Views of Venice at the Wallace Collection can be purchased on the night.

Take part at the museum: Join us at the museum for this special event, followed by drinks, book signing and gallery visit until 20.30. 

Join us for an exclusive supporters-only event, taking place after hours at the Wallace Collection. After an opportunity to view our landmark exhibition, Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur, the celebrated artist himself will be leading our Annual Supporters talk.

The talk will be followed by a drinks reception.

Join us at the museum: The exhibition will be open from 17.30, for ticket holders only, to have a private look before the beginning of the talk at 18.30. Please note, a valid Members’ Card will be needed to attend this event.

Please note - the Wallace Collection will close at 17.00 before ticket holders are re-admitted. 

Be spellbound by students from English National Ballet School as they perform their own choreographic works, set to music in the intimate surroundings of our galleries.

Over several months, Young Choreographers from the English National Ballet School have been exploring the history of the Wallace Collection and developing choreography informed by encounters with the collection. Our evening showcase presents their breathtaking new work, performed in the galleries that have inspired them. 

Take part at the museum: Join us at the museum for this special evening, which includes performances in different galleries throughout the building. Includes short, unseated performances and movement between different levels. The main performance (approx. 25 minutes) will be seated.

Includes a drinks reception on arrival. The museum will reopen at 18.15 for ticketholders. 

Image: ©@photography_byash.

Be spellbound by students from English National Ballet School as they perform their own choreographic works, set to music in the intimate surroundings of our galleries.

Over several months, Young Choreographers from the English National Ballet School have been exploring the history of the Wallace Collection and developing choreography informed by encounters with the collection. Our evening showcase presents their breathtaking new work, performed in the galleries that have inspired them. 

Take part at the museum: Join us at the museum for this special evening, which includes performances in different galleries throughout the building. Includes short, unseated performances and movement between different levels. The main performance (approx. 25 minutes) will be seated.

Includes a drinks reception on arrival. The museum will reopen at 18.15 for ticketholders. 

Image: ©@photography_byash.