'The Two Roberts' with Damian Barr

Damian Barr’s ‘The Two Roberts’ reimagines one of the most passionate love stories of modern British art.

At our Members’ online book club, author Damian Barr joins art historian Jacqui Ansell to discuss his book. Damian shares his unique perspective on the world of Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde, from their days at Glasgow Art School to entering London’s art scene, partying with Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon as World War II drew near.

‘The Two Roberts’ is a story of devotion, obsession, art and class, and a love letter for the almost-forgotten artists, MacBryde and Colquhoun. Join Damian to hear his thoughts and ask your own questions.

Copies of ‘The Two Roberts’ are available in our National Gallery gift shops.

Damian Barr is an award-winning writer, broadcaster and journalist. His memoir Maggie & Me won Stonewall Writer of the Year, while his debut novel, You Will Be Safe Here, was shortlisted for six major awards. The Two Roberts was published in 2025 to critical acclaim, and has been shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards. He lives in Brighton.

Jacqui Ansell is an experienced lecturer who has devised talks and tours based around the National Gallery’s collection for many years. She lectures on art and cultural history for the Wallace Collection, National Portrait Gallery and the Arts Society and was Senior Lecturer at Christie’s Education, writing, presenting and tutoring online courses.

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.