Art First – Themed London Gallery Tours with Leslie Primo

Fine Art Lecturer, Author & Broadcaster

Ever been to an art gallery and wondered around looking at paintings wondering what on earth they could possibly be all about? Ever felt ill equipped and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of works on display? If so my 10-week themed London gallery tours are just the ticket for you. Bookings are now open and one payment of £250 per person will secure you a place on all 10 visits of my London gallery tour including themes such as: What Makes a Masterpiece, The Sacred and the Profane – Secular and Religious Iconography in Art, Facial Recognition and the Art of Portraiture, and Whose Story is it? – Narrative Painting and the Art of Story Telling. My once weekly tours will impart the knowledge necessary for you to survive in any art gallery in the world, but also the language that will help you decipher your favourite pictures so you can speak confidently about such works at your dinner party or just out and about with friends. Each week a group, limited to a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 18 participants, will join me for a 2 hour session at principle London institutions including: The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, The Wallace Collection, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, and the Victoria and Albert Museum where we will discuss major works of art. The next 10-week themed tour will be The Sacred and the Profane – Secular and Religious Iconography in Art. When take up for this tour reaches its minimum number of participants it will be programmed to commence on Tuesday afternoons between 14:30 – 16:30 from the 16th January 2024. Please be advised the 10-week run will have two breaks, on the 20th February, and a further break on 19th March, thereafter it will run until the 2nd April 2024. Click on: Gallery Tour to register your interest.

News

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Turner – Light and Landscape

First Broadcast on BBC4 24 January 2021

There is now another chance to catch my BBC presentation on JMW Turner, which has now returned to BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0013vd0/art-on-the-bbc-series-2-4-turner-light-and-landscape

Art historian Leslie Primo examines six decades of BBC archive to explore what makes JMW Turner such a beloved name in British art. Almost everyone has good things to say about Turner – after all, he’s responsible for some of Britain’s greatest artistic treasures, like The Fighting Temeraire, and Rain, Steam and Speed. But exactly what makes him great is where opinions can differ.

Leslie discovers the TV art historians behind each theory. Was Turner great because he reinvented landscape painting, because he was a radical whose work marked the beginning of modern painting, or because he captured the extraordinary march of the industrial revolution? Through the archives, Leslie meets Fiona Bruce, Simon Schama, Andrew Graham-Dixon and Kenneth Clarke.

Leslie also finds that the disputed nature of Turner’s brilliance has made for some entertaining film-making, from a frock-coat- and powdered-wig-loaded reconstruction of his humble origins as the son of a barber in London’s Covent Garden, to modern art historian Tim Marlow lashing himself to a mast in the middle of a choppy ocean to recreate Turner’s inspiration for Fishermen at Sea.

Even if you think you know Turner, the programme reveals fascinating surprises about the complex man behind some of Britain’s most revered works of art.

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Depicting the Magi:

Origins, gifts and representing men of colour

Read my Latest Essay

Fine Art Lectures

Art Historian, Fine Art Lecturer, Author & Broadcaster

Accredited Arts Society lecturer

Leslie Primo has been an accredited lecturer at The Arts Society since 2010 lecturing on a variety of subjects, and is not only available for The Arts Society, but also other local fine art societies, such as the Art Fund. If you would like a slide lecture for your society click on the repertoire link below, choose your lecture and contact Leslie Primo.

See my Lecture Repertoire

Private London Gallery Tours

London Gallery Tours

How about a one hour tour of art institutions such as the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, The Victoria & Albert Museum or the Wallace Collection? Leslie Primo will be the perfect accompaniment for a corporate function, a special gift to a group of friends or an educational trip.

More about Gallery Tours

Plaudits

Could we please say that the tour at the National Portrait Gallery given by Leslie Primo was an amazing thing to listen to and most enjoyable and the pictures stories alive.

Juli Vaez, Crawley, West Sussex

Today I went on a tour of the National Gallery, London with Leslie Primo. It was a most interesting hour, he explained in-depth the paintings, the artists, the history and the artistic techniques. A book or guide book could not have given us such a beautiful description.

Dr G. Brawton – Lincs

Just enjoyed excellent, eye-opening course by Leslie Primo on iconography in painting. Highly recommend!

Helen Mason

‏Happened today (subtle) stand-up comedy & history of art at its best; by @artfirstprimo at the National Gallery, London. Leslie thank you!

London Free Shows

Had a brilliant time at the 1st class on "Intro to European Art" by artfirstprimo. A new dimension to my understanding of western culture.

Manimaran Manivannan

I come to London about twice a year and I have often taken advantage of your free get-acquainted tour. I would like to report that today's tour was the most informative,and pleasant I have ever participated in. The gentleman who conducted it, Leslie Primo, made it an experience to remember. Instead of annoying the participants with superfluous instructions (e.g. when to take photos etc.) he spoke in a loud and clear manner and not a word he uttered was banal. I am so glad I braved the pouring rain to make the 11:30 appointment. Today, I learned a lot while enjoying myself. Thanks.

Mario Gargiulo, COL US Army Ret.

We come each year to the National Gallery to take the tours. Today we took the 11:30 tour with Leslie Primo. It was excellent – the best tour guide we have had for the last few years. He not only explained the paintings academically, which my wife, who is an artist, appreciated, but also explained so that non-artists like I got to understand the painting and its historical context. Later we asked him about Titian – Venice & Florence and he explained with patience and clarity.

National Gallery Visitor

My wife, two adult daughters, and I participated in two of the free guided tours— each in the 2:30 time slot. The first, on May 24, was guided by a man whose last name, I believe, was Primo. He focused on the architecture as well as the paintings.The teacher, Primo (for he was certainly more than a guide), took us to paintings at which we otherwise would barely have glanced. Like most, I expect, we tend to prefer the Impressionists, and we give Medieval and Renaissance paintings little attention. He showed us things in the paintings that we would never have seen. We learned not only about the artists, but also about the subjects and the artists' relationships with the subjects. The hour barely seemed like 15 minutes.

On both occasions, we commented to each other: “I would love to take a class from that fellow.”

Our thanks to the National Gallery for making our experience so rewarding.

North Oaks, Minnesota USA

Just Enjoyed a very informative and pleasant, clear free talk from Leslie Primo. Rarely take the time to write comments, but here I had to. Many thanks to the National Gallery for all it has done over the years.

National Gallery visitor

I just took the 2:30 guided tour with Leslie Primo. He is far and away one of the most engaging speakers I have had the pleasure of listening to! I am a tour director, so it’s my job to hire local guides/speakers… So I know of what I speak. Bravo, Leslie! Hope to cross paths with you again.

National Gallery visitor, November 2016

An excellent talk by Leslie Primo – informative and wonderfully interesting, I’m looking forward to his next talk this afternoon, a very good experience.

National Gallery visitor, August 2017

An absolutely amazing & so informative (as well as free) guided talk by Leslie Primo. He was very audible, knowledgeable & entertaining. So much so that I didn’t notice I’d been standing for an hour, excellent.

National Gallery visitor, Summer 2017

Leslie Primo

Art Historian, Fine Art Lecturer, Author & Broadcaster

Art History Services for Groups and Individuals including study days, gallery tours, and Fine Art Society Lectures. Get in touch using the details below or send me a quick message here.

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