Drawing on the Imperial War Museum’s rich art collection and archives, Suzanne’s talk will explore how Britain’s capital was transformed by the Blitz and how this captivated the imaginations of artists, who – at the instigation of the War Artists Advisory Committee, chaired by Kenneth Clark  –  scoured the devastated areas for subject matter, producing extraordinary depictions of the stricken city. Many of the artists also served as firemen or nurses, and their letters to the Committee – also held by the IWM – document their responses to the war.  As well as well known figures such as Edward Ardizzone and Graham Sutherland, Suzanne will bring to the fore some lesser known artists including Ruskin Spear, Frances Macdonald and Evelyn Dunbar. A number of Camden-related paintings will be discussed, including Henry Carr’s dimly lit interior of wartime St Pancras railway station and Olga Lehmann’s depiction of a concert in the cavernous Carker’s Lane shelter.

Suzanne Bardgett is Head of Research and Academic Partnerships at the IWM, and author of Wartime London in paintings, published by the Museum in 2020.

This talk will be via Zoom (CHS members will be advised of the link by our email invitation).