Becoming Leonardo da Vinci, Francesco Salviati and Lorenzo de’ Medici: Florenzer

Join our latest book club session on the historical drama ‘Florenzer’.

Author Phil Melanson sits down in conversation with art historian Jon Sleigh to discuss his debut book. Together, they will explore the vivid world of Renaissance Florence, tracing the intertwined lives of Leonardo da Vinci, Francesco Salviati and Lorenzo de’ Medici, figures driven by ambition, identity and survival.

This lively discussion will delve into art, history, politics and the perils of ambition at a time when ‘florenzers’, gay men like Leonardo, often faced persecution. Audience participation is at the heart of this event, with plenty of time for your questions.

Florenzer will be available in the UK on 2 July 2026.

Phil Melanson is the author of the queer historical novel ‘Florenzer’. He is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and the University of Warwick. Prior to writing ‘Florenzer’, he was a digital marketer for Hollywood film studios, working on campaigns for movies such as ‘Little Women’, ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ and ‘Once Upon on a Time… in Hollywood’. He teaches with Boston University in London, where he lives with his husband.

Jon Sleigh (he/him) is a freelance Learning Curator, arts educator and art history writer. He works nationally as a specialist in fine art engagement with a diverse portfolio of arts institutions, museum, and heritage sites across the UK. Clients include the National Gallery, The Courtauld, Tate, The National Archives, Historic Royal Palaces, Art Fund, The Government Art Collection DCMS and the Arts Council Collection. Prior to this Jon worked for Birmingham Museums Trust in round one of the acclaimed ACE National Partners Program.

A recording of this event will be made available to all ticket holders in the days following the event.

This recording will be available for two weeks

Automatic closed captioning is available for this event.