Talk | The Dreweatts Lecture | The Spirit of Postwar Greece: Ian Collins and Melanie Vandenbrouck in Conversation

Thursday 11 February 2027

6–7pm

£18 (£16.20 For Friends and other concessions)

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Join author, curator and long-time resident of Greece, Ian Collins in conversation with Chief Curator Melanie Vandenbrouck, as they explore the profound influence of Post War Greece on Hepworth and her contemporaries.

Illustrated with photographs by world renowned photographer and Philhellene Robert McCabe, the discussion will explore the landscapes, ancient sites and distinctive light that inspired a remarkable circle of post-war creatives, from writer Patrick Leigh Fermor to artists John Craxton and Barbara Hepworth.

McCabe first visited Greece in 1954 – the same summer as Hepworth – in the brutal aftermath of the Second World War and ensuing Civil War. His enduring images captured the indominable spirit of the people, landscapes and ancient monuments on the cusp of transformation. Over subsequent decades, he has created an extraordinary photographic record documenting the changing face of Greece.

Through conversation and images, discover how Greece shaped the creative vision of Hepworth and her contemporaries, and celebrate McCabe’s remarkable archive of mid-century Greece.

This lecture is sponsored by Dreweatts

This talk is part of our February Late event. By purchasing this talk ticket, you gain free access to our galleries, exhibitions and drop-in activities from 5–8.30pm.

Photograph of a woman with short grey white hair, leaning against a wall looking left. She wears a blue denim dress and has her hands clasped in front of her. Greyscale image.

Melanie Vandenbrouck

Dr Melanie Vandenbrouck is Chief Curator at Pallant House Gallery. Formerly Curator of Sculpture 1900–Now at the V&A and Curator of Art Post-1800 at Royal Museums Greenwich in London, she has led major contemporary art initiatives. Her wide interests include the porosity between artforms and the ways in which art and identity intersect. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, she holds a PhD from the Courtauld Institute and trained at the École du Louvre and Sorbonne University in Paris as well as Sussex University.

Photograph of a man from chest up speaking at a podium. He wears a cream blazer with a pink shirt and has short grey white hair.

Ian Collins

Art writer and curator Ian Collins has written many biographies and monographs, including John Craxton: A Life of Gifts, which one the Runciman Award in 2022, and The Blue Boat that charts the career of artist James Dodds, and won the Creative Suffolk Author Award in 2023. He has previously written for the Eastern Daily Press, and has worked with the British Museum, Yale Centre for British Art, Sainsbury Centre in Norwich along with the Benaki Museum in Athens and the Meşher in Istanbul.