Lunchtime lecture: Material matters
Mud, gold and the meaning of materials in art history
Talks and conversations
Thursday, 7 August 2025
1 - 2 pm
For everyone
Free
Places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
About
In art history, the role of material is often overlooked. Scholars have long favoured form over matter, treating material as a medium to be shaped. Yet from gold to mud, materials carry meaning. Artists have always chosen them with care, using their physical properties as well as cultural associations to add depth and significance to their work.
On the occasion on the National Gallery's new commission, 'Mud Sun', 2025, by Richard Long (b. 1945), join Ardalan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Projects, Daniel F. Herrmann, for a lecture on the meaning of materials in art.
Speaker

Daniel F. Herrmann is our Ardalan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Projects. He relates our paintings to contemporary art and culture through exhibitions, displays, commissions, residencies, research, and interpretation.