Twenty-Seven Shades of Black

Van Gogh famously found 27 different shades of black in a painting by Frans Hals. Baudelaire named it the colour of the 19th century, while Renoir crowned it the queen of all colours.

In this talk, James Heard will examine the history of black and its use by Velázquez, Hals and Manet.

Lunchtime talks

On Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, focus in on one painting with our talks in the Gallery, or explore wider themes in the collection at our in-depth theatre talks.

Image above: Detail from Edouard Manet, Music in the Tuileries Gardens, 1862