Tastemakers

Join us for an illuminating lecture exploring the social and cultural legacies of some of history's most influential – and tasteful – women.

From Isabella d’Este to Marie Antoinette, we will explore the most prolific pre-nineteenth-century women patrons who spearheaded movements, championed artists and assembled Europe's most prestigious collections, all while navigating the constraints of patriarchal societies.

Led by art historian Melissa Baksh, uncover how these women harnessed art collecting to assert influence, wield power and ensure their legacy.

Melissa Baksh is a London-based art historian, writer, educator, and broadcaster/DJ. A desire to make art accessible and open up art collections to a wide range of audiences underpins her work and as well as the National Gallery, she has delivered lectures, tours and workshops at the Hayward Gallery, Wellcome Collection and the National Gallery of Umbria. She has written for publications including The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Art Newspaper, Frieze and ArtReview on Old Masters, Italian Renaissance art, contemporary art, the colonial history of art collections and public art and statues. Melissa DJs regularly across music venues in the capital, and has hosted radio shows on Rhythm and Frames, Netil and Balamii Radio.

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.