‘A Modern Arrangement’: A Discussion on Flower Paintings & Modernism
16 June, 6.30-7.45pm
Join us for a panel discussion with art historians Rebecca Birrell, Sophie Pickford and Naomi Polonsky, chaired by Kettle’s Yard Director Andrew Nairne, on the theme of flower paintings and Modernism.
The event accompanies our current exhibition Handpicked: Painting Flowers from 1900 to Today.
About the Speakers
Dr Rebecca Birrell is an art historian, writer and curator. Her first book, This Dark Country: Women Artists, Still Life and Intimacy in the Early 20th Century was published by Bloomsbury in 2021. Her second book, a novel, Venus, Vanishing, will be published by Picador in the UK and Henry Holt & Company in the US in 2026. She has occupied curatorial positions at the Charleston Trust, the British Museum and the Jewish Museum.
Dr Sophie Pickford is an Official Fellow in History of Art at King’s College, a College Lecturer in History of Art at Magdalene College, and an Affiliated Lecturer in the History of Art Department. She is also an Associate Teaching Professor at the Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning. Sophie is currently researching Bloomsbury and performance, with a particular focus on the intersection between Bloomsbury and the Ballets Russes.
Naomi Polonsky is Assistant Curator, House and Collection, at Kettle’s Yard.
About the Exhibition
Handpicked: Painting Flowers from 1900 to Today
Inspired by the presence of freshly cut flower displays and paintings such as Cyclamen and Primula (c. 1923) by Winifred Nicholson in the Kettle’s Yard house, Handpicked: Painting Flowers presents works featuring flowers by artists spanning across the 20th and 21stcenturies.
Access
- The galleries, where exhibitions are shown, and all areas of the Clore Learning Studio (level -1), the Research Space (level 1) and the Ede Room (level 2) are fully accessible.
- We have wheelchair accessible toilets on the lower ground (level -1), ground and first floor (level 1).
- There is a lift giving access to all floors located past the galleries, just beside the Clore Learning Studio on the ground floor.
- Kettle’s Yard welcomes assistance and service dogs in all areas.
- We have large-print versions of the wall text available.
- We can lend visitors small folding seats for taking around exhibitions or using at non-seated events. Please ask a Visitor Assistant for help finding a seat.
