Membership
Treat yourself or a loved one with the gift of Membership: enjoy free access to all exhibitions, access to our Members’ Room, priority booking to evening talks, and much more.
Join today
Artists and their Patrons
One-day course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Tickets available from 10.00 on Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Join us at V&A South Kensington as we discover how the complex relationship between artists and their patrons is explored over time. Through the study of examples from western art, the study day examines patronage and the tension in this relationship between opportunities and compromise. The production of art in the West has often been governed by the personal symbiotic relationship between a patron and his or her chosen artist. As distinct from a commission, the patron nurtures the chosen artist to produce a group of works which might not have existed without this support. In some cases the artworks are specifically defined in content, style and cost, while in others the artist is given free rein to explore his or her own ideas. An artist may be especially sought out by the patron, or conversely, the artist pursues patronage by whatever the means available.
This study day will take place in-person at V&A South Kensington and will also be live streamed via Microsoft Teams.
> Prefer the flexibility of online? Book now for Artists and their Patrons (Online)
Please note, the study day will not be recorded
This study day will take place in-person at V&A South Kensington and will also be live streamed via Microsoft Teams.
> Prefer the flexibility of online? Book now for Artists and their Patrons (Online)
Please note, the study day will not be recorded
Course Leader
Angela Cox
Angela Cox was the first Head of Education at the National Portrait Gallery and former Course Director of a V&A Course. She specialises in British painting, most recently researching Elizabethan and Jacobean portraits of children. She has organised courses on aspects of British art at the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery and Birkbeck College.
A wonderful opportunity to learn in a world class museum Previous V&A Academy Course Attendee
Course overview
The study day starts with a general introduction to the range and complexity of patronage systems practised in Western art dating from about 1500 to present-day institutions. It is followed by case studies that explore specific examples. These include the young Michelangelo and Lorenzo de’ Medici, Anthony van Dyck and King Charles I and more recently Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Ezra Pound. Guest speakers include Grant Lewis, curator in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, a specialist in Italian Renaissance art and Justine Hopkins, a specialist in British fine and decorative arts and very well-known to V&A audiences.
Membership Priority Booking will open at 10.00 GMT on Wednesday 29 January. General Booking will open at 10.00 GMT on Monday 10 February 2025.
Being up close with treasured objects from the V&A's collections brings your learning to life. Get precious time with incredible exemplars, as well as with our expert tutors and your fellow learners.
Enrol now
One-day course: Artists and their Patrons
14 June 2025
£100.00
Tickets not available yet
Need help enrolling? Talk to the admissions team:
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Open 10.00 - 13.00, Monday to Sunday (closed 24-26 December)
Related events
Header image: Proof of lino-cut by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, entitled 'Wrestlers,' London, ca. 1914.© Victoria and Albert Museum, London