Speaker: Laura Cumming

Topic: The Power of Painting

Venue: Vinson Lecture Theatre

Time: 14:00-15:00 Sunday 17 September

Talk Summary:

On the morning of 12 October 1654, a gunpowder explosion devastated the Dutch city of Delft. Among those killed was the painter Carel Fabritius, aged 32, who left just a few paintings behind, including his masterpiece, The Goldfinch. Laura Cumming returns to the Dutch Golden Age – and to her own life – to consider what this dramatic event tells us about the precarious nature of human existence.