“I think very few people are completely normal really deep down in their private lives.”

Join us on Waterlow Park’s beautiful Tea Lawn this summer as Shooting Stars Theatre Company return for Lauderdale House’s Open Air Summer Season.

This year’s Theatre on the Tea Lawn performance is Private Lives, Noël Coward’s classic comedy of passion, romance, anger, laughter and love… The stage is set for a battle of the sexes when divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, find themselves unwittingly thrown together again. Bring a picnic and enjoy the wit of one of England’s most famous playwrights whilst relaxing in the summer sunshine!

Early Bird Tickets
Book by 24 June to enjoy discounted Early Bird ticket prices; standard tickets for just £14, concessions for £12 and family tickets for £45.

Private Lives will be performed outside on the Tea Lawn on 18, 19, 20, 22, 25, 26 and 28 July. The Tea Lawn will be open from 6pm for pre theatre picnic/drinks, with performances kicking off at 7pm. Tickets on the door: standard at £17, concession at £15, family tickets at £57.

Join us in pretty Waterlow Park for another free Sunday afternoon concert!

For this Sunday internationally renowned guitarist, John Etheridge will be joining us playing an eclectic mix of genres from funk, jazz, to acoustic and electric, accompanied by Ross Stanley (organ) and Dylan Howe (drums).

John Etheridge has played with the likes of Nigel Kennedy, Yehudi Menuhin and John Williams, and has been praised as “one of the best guitarists” by Pat Metheny. He is currently part of numerous bands as well as performing his own solo gigs, holding guitar workshops and playing at festivals. John is also a composer and has written much of his own music.

This free outdoors performance is set to have a wonderful array of guitar music, suitable for all the family. Come along, relax on the lawn and listen to some live music as part of our Sundial Sundays season.

John Etheridge’s performance will take place between 2.30 and 4.30pm on 22 July. All sessions are free to attend and open to everyone.

See the full programme of Sundial Sunday performances here.

Sundial Sundays have been generously sponsored by the Co-op Community Fund.

“I think very few people are completely normal really deep down in their private lives.”

Join us on Waterlow Park’s beautiful Tea Lawn this summer as Shooting Stars Theatre Company return for Lauderdale House’s Open Air Summer Season.

This year’s Theatre on the Tea Lawn performance is Private Lives, Noël Coward’s classic comedy of passion, romance, anger, laughter and love… The stage is set for a battle of the sexes when divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, find themselves unwittingly thrown together again. Bring a picnic and enjoy the wit of one of England’s most famous playwrights whilst relaxing in the summer sunshine!

Early Bird Tickets
Book by 24 June to enjoy discounted Early Bird ticket prices; standard tickets for just £14, concessions for £12 and family tickets for £45.

Private Lives will be performed outside on the Tea Lawn on 18, 19, 20, 22, 25, 26 and 28 July. The Tea Lawn will be open from 6pm for pre theatre picnic/drinks, with performances kicking off at 7pm. Tickets on the door: standard at £17, concession at £15, family tickets at £57.

50+ dance” is dance session to start the day moving borrowing from a wide spectrum of movement ideas and dance styles, led by dance and theatre director Andrew Coombs. Aimed at any mobile 50+ who wants to keep moving.

With extensive experience of working with children and in community settings, Andrew believes everyone should have the opportunity to keep moving playfully. There will be some simple taught patterning and opportunities to move freely with a wildly eclectic playlist from classical to hip hop and everything in between.
Wear : comfortable movement clothes , barefoot or thin soled rubber shoes

“I think very few people are completely normal really deep down in their private lives.”

Join us on Waterlow Park’s beautiful Tea Lawn this summer as Shooting Stars Theatre Company return for Lauderdale House’s Open Air Summer Season.

This year’s Theatre on the Tea Lawn performance is Private Lives, Noël Coward’s classic comedy of passion, romance, anger, laughter and love… The stage is set for a battle of the sexes when divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, find themselves unwittingly thrown together again. Bring a picnic and enjoy the wit of one of England’s most famous playwrights whilst relaxing in the summer sunshine!

Early Bird Tickets
Book by 24 June to enjoy discounted Early Bird ticket prices; standard tickets for just £14, concessions for £12 and family tickets for £45.

Private Lives will be performed outside on the Tea Lawn on 18, 19, 20, 22, 25, 26 and 28 July. The Tea Lawn will be open from 6pm for pre theatre picnic/drinks, with performances kicking off at 7pm. Tickets on the door: standard at £17, concession at £15, family tickets at £57.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

“I think very few people are completely normal really deep down in their private lives.”

Join us on Waterlow Park’s beautiful Tea Lawn this summer as Shooting Stars Theatre Company return for Lauderdale House’s Open Air Summer Season.

This year’s Theatre on the Tea Lawn performance is Private Lives, Noël Coward’s classic comedy of passion, romance, anger, laughter and love… The stage is set for a battle of the sexes when divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, find themselves unwittingly thrown together again. Bring a picnic and enjoy the wit of one of England’s most famous playwrights whilst relaxing in the summer sunshine!

Early Bird Tickets
Book by 24 June to enjoy discounted Early Bird ticket prices; standard tickets for just £14, concessions for £12 and family tickets for £45.

Private Lives will be performed outside on the Tea Lawn on 18, 19, 20, 22, 25, 26 and 28 July. The Tea Lawn will be open from 6pm for pre theatre picnic/drinks, with performances kicking off at 7pm. Tickets on the door: standard at £17, concession at £15, family tickets at £57.

Join us for Friday Life Drawing classes at Lauderdale House!

Having the choice between 2 models – one maintaining longer poses (up to 1 hr) and another offering shorter poses (4 to 15 mins) – makes this class quite special. Sharon Finmark, our tutor, is there to offer support and expertise responding to the individual needs of the class. Bring your own materials, paper on sale.

Attendance costs £15 a session. Advanced booking is not necessary. 

Drop-in life drawing takes place at 10am on Fridays. The Autumn Term runs Friday 14 September to Friday 14 December. Please note there is no class on 26 October for Half Term. 

“I think very few people are completely normal really deep down in their private lives.”

Join us on Waterlow Park’s beautiful Tea Lawn this summer as Shooting Stars Theatre Company return for Lauderdale House’s Open Air Summer Season.

This year’s Theatre on the Tea Lawn performance is Private Lives, Noël Coward’s classic comedy of passion, romance, anger, laughter and love… The stage is set for a battle of the sexes when divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, find themselves unwittingly thrown together again. Bring a picnic and enjoy the wit of one of England’s most famous playwrights whilst relaxing in the summer sunshine!

Early Bird Tickets
Book by 24 June to enjoy discounted Early Bird ticket prices; standard tickets for just £14, concessions for £12 and family tickets for £45.

Private Lives will be performed outside on the Tea Lawn on 18, 19, 20, 22, 25, 26 and 28 July. The Tea Lawn will be open from 6pm for pre theatre picnic/drinks, with performances kicking off at 7pm. Tickets on the door: standard at £17, concession at £15, family tickets at £57.

Join us in pretty Waterlow Park for some FREE live music on the Tea Lawn.

This Sunday we are joined by The Meritus Collective, a young and dynamic group of musicians who share a passion for chamber music. They are one of Lauderdale House’s resident ensembles, and are a highly experienced group of musicians. Members have trained at most of the major conservatoires in Britain and between them have performed all around the world and for orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Relax on the grass with a hotdog and a cold drink while you enjoy family-friendly live music as part of our ongoing Sundial Sundays season.

For this performance the musicians will be John Cuthbert: Piano | Jade Brightwell on Violin | James Greenfield: Cello.

The Meritus Collective will perform between 2.30 and 4.30pm on 29 July. All sessions are free to attend and open to everyone.

See the full programme of Sundial Sunday performances here.

Sundial Sundays have been generously sponsored by the Co-op Community Fund.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

Join us on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month for a FREE lunchtime concert at Lauderdale House! Take a break at lunchtime and enjoy 45 minutes of gorgeous classical music performed live by our resident musicians; pianist Stephen Hose and chamber ensemble The Meritus Collective.

4th September – Chamber Ensemble

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

The beautiful 15th century Lauderdale House is at the south end of Highgate High Street. It is set in gorgeous Waterlow Park and next door is the famous Highgate Cemetery.

Artisan Market

MARCH, JUNE, SEPTEMBER & DECEMBER
SECOND SUNDAY 11AM-5PM

Duck Pond Market is back at Lauderdale House for quarterly 2017 markets with the best local artists, crafters, food producers and ethical businesses. There are locally made arts & crafts, gifts, vintage, homewares and clothing.

A tempting choice of locally made food to take home. London Craft Club host craft workshops for both adults and children. They also offer FREE crafting for children. Musicians perform live.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Portraiture and Figure Drawing!

This class is aimed at artists of all levels, including beginners and advanced students, who wish to expand their skills. Taught by art tutor, Zoe Hirson, this course looks at anatomy and spends some time focusing on drawing a single pose. Materials will be provided. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Portraiture and Figure Drawing takes place every Tuesday. The Autumn Term runs Tuesday 11 September to Tuesday 11 December. Please note there is no class on 23 October for Half Term. 

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Introductory Art – Still Life.

This weekly class offers both beginners and developing students the chance to explore their creative potential in drawing, focusing mainly on Still Life. During the term the class will explore essential drawing techniques – observation, perspective, negative spaces, mark-making and composition. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Introductory Art – Still Life takes place every Wednesday at 10:30am. The Autumn Term runs Wednesday 12 September to Wednesday 12 December. Please note there is no class on 24 October for Half Term. 

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

Chickenshed comes to Lauderdale House with their hugely popular show Tales from the Shed.

This interactive performance is full of colourful puppets, live songs and enchanting stories. Every show is fun, extremely engaging an includes plenty of music and magic. Children are encouraged to use their imaginations, make lots of noise and be part of the story. Performers and audience share the same space with some of Chickenshed’s much loved characters – from Can-Can the beautiful bird to laid back Lion Down and The Thing That Goes Blurgh! Tales from the Shed is perfect for young children and fun for the whole family.

Tales from the Shed takes place at Lauderdale House on 15 September 2018, starting at 10:30am. Suitable for children up to age 6.

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Portraiture and Figure Drawing!

This class is aimed at artists of all levels, including beginners and advanced students, who wish to expand their skills. Taught by art tutor, Zoe Hirson, this course looks at anatomy and spends some time focusing on drawing a single pose. Materials will be provided. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Portraiture and Figure Drawing takes place every Tuesday. The Autumn Term runs Tuesday 11 September to Tuesday 11 December. Please note there is no class on 23 October for Half Term. 

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

Join us on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month for a FREE lunchtime concert at Lauderdale House! Take a break at lunchtime and enjoy 45 minutes of gorgeous classical music performed live by our resident musicians; pianist Stephen Hose and chamber ensemble The Meritus Collective. 

18th September – Piano Recital with pianist Stephen Hose

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Introductory Art – Still Life.

This weekly class offers both beginners and developing students the chance to explore their creative potential in drawing, focusing mainly on Still Life. During the term the class will explore essential drawing techniques – observation, perspective, negative spaces, mark-making and composition. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Introductory Art – Still Life takes place every Wednesday at 10:30am. The Autumn Term runs Wednesday 12 September to Wednesday 12 December. Please note there is no class on 24 October for Half Term. 

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

We are now taking bookings for the Autumn Term for Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic.

This class is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of both paint mediums; how to mix, blend and layer watercolour and how to apply acrylic. Explore how to make dynamic compositions that produce interesting paintings using still Life, photographs and sketches as inspiration. The cost for the entire term is £225.

Our art tutor, Sharon Finmark, lives in North London & studied at Central St. Martins School of Art.  She has had several books published on painting & drawing – one on learning to draw was published in May 2016.

Painting with Watercolour and Acrylic takes place every Thursday at 10:30am at Lauderdale House. The Autumn Term runs Thursday 13 September to Thursday 13 December. Please note there is no class on 25 October for Half Term.

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018), discusses the work of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA.

8pm (doors open 7.30pm)

Entry £5 on the door (cash or cheque only).

Brochures and books for sale.

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  He spent much of his adult life in Highgate.  This talk is part of the Kyffin 100 celebrations in conjunction with Highgate School Museum.  Kyffin was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973, and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall hosting this talk.

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

A joint exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA 1918-2006  at  Highgate Gallery, Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution (HLSI) and Highgate School Museum  14 September – 7 October  2018

Landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, lecturer, cartoonist and raconteur, Sir Kyffin Williams KBE RA is one of the most famous figures in Welsh art.  Highgate Gallery@HLSI and Highgate School Museum are co-hosting Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife 14 September – 7 October 2018, the largest ever retrospective of Kyffin’s work outside Wales.  We are delighted to be celebrating the centenary of his birth here in Highgate where Kyffin spent so much of his adult life.

Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife explores the variety of his technique.  On display at Highgate Gallery will be rarely seen drawings, watercolours and linocuts on loan from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which form part of their acclaimed exhibition Kyffin 100: Behind the Frame (#kyffin100).  There are “plein air” sketches, watercolours, oils of Hampstead Heath, St Joseph’s and Athlone House, portraits of local people as well as Welsh scenes, sketches from his European travels and studies from his expedition to paint the Welsh community in Patagonia.  Highgate School  Museum will be showing works kindly loaned by private individuals and items borrowed from the National Library of Wales and Oriel Ynys Môn alongside its own collection: portraits, including a charming picture of his Bisham Gardens landlady, Miss Josling, and scenes from Wales and abroad, many dating from Kyffin’s London years.

Kyffin was art master at Highgate School for nearly thirty years and he also taught evening classes at the HLSI in the very hall displaying this exhibition.  Local artist and fellow Slade School of Art pupil, Rosa Branson MBE, remembers his frequent and encouraging visits to her studio and their shared passion for work: hours and hours each day committed to perfecting their techniques.  Ex-Highgate School pupil Stephen Benson writes,“ I can picture him coming into the art school with that characteristic loping stride more suited to the Welsh hills than north London.  He wore a long khaki checked sports jacket with huge drooping pockets, more accustomed I suspect to holding dead birds and other game…  We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were to sit at the feet of such a distinguished artist….  At the end of term we were allowed to put aside our clumsy still lives and listen to him recite with an exaggerated Welsh accent the famous lines from Under Milk Wood.”

Kyffin studied at the Slade School of Art (temporarily housed in the Ashmolean/Ruskin School of Art in Oxford during the war) between 1941 and 1944. He was senior art master at Highgate School from 1944 to 1973.  In 1968 he gained a Churchill Fellowship to study and paint the Welsh community in Patagonia, South America.

His first solo exhibition in 1948 was at the prestigious London based Colnaghi Gallery. Further exhibitions followed in galleries in England and Wales.  From 1969 to 1976 and again from 1992 he was president of the Royal Cambrian Academy.  In 1974 he became a Royal Academician. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of University College Swansea in 1989, University College Bangor in 1991 and University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in 1992.  A dedicated Kyffin Williams Gallery was opened at Oriel Ynys Môn in his native Llangefni in 2008.  He received an OBE in1982 for his contribution to the arts and was knighted in 1999.  He published two autobiographies Across the Straits (1973) and A Wider Sky (1991).  A lifetime of paintings was bequeathed to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, on his death in 2006.

Event:  Friday 14^th Sept 6-8.30pm: Reception to celebrate the opening of Kyffin 100: Paper to Palette Knife at Highgate Gallery, HLSI, 11, South Grove N6 6BS

Event:  Friday 21^st Sept 8pm: Lecture (doors open 7.30pm).  Rian Evans, Guardian critic and author of  Kyffin Williams: The Light and the Dark (2018)  discusses  the artist’s work. To book a place contact admin@hlsi.net or HLSI office 02083403340 or £5 entry on the door. Refreshments served.

Insieme: Last of the Summer Wine Concert at Lauderdale House on September 23rd 6.30pm Its now possible to pre-order your interval drinks in the cafe at Lauderdale House. Tickets: https://lauderdalehouse.ticketsolve.com/shows/873594622