About this Event
Matthew Collings was born in London in 1955. He studied painting at the Byam Shaw school of art in the 1970s and did the Goldsmiths MA Fine Art Course in the early 1990s. He has written many books including Blimey! From Bohemia to Britpop: The London Artworld from Francis Bacon to Damian Hirst and has written and presented popular TV series like the BAFTA winning This Is Modern Art on Channel 4. As the editor of Artscribe, in the 1980s, Collings was commended by the Turner Prize for transforming this UK based art magazine into an international publication. With his partner Emma Biggs he collaborates on abstract paintings based on colour relationships, which are in collections around the world.
The Spitalfields Society presents the 2025/26 season of Spitalfields Talks.
A season of eight talks to be held on the third Thursday of every month commencing in October 2025 and running to May 2026 organised and funded by the Spitalfields Society. To be held at Hanbury Hall, Spitalfields. Dates of talks provisionally as follows:
1. 16 October. “Spitalfields & Whitechapel in old photographs”. The Gentle Author.
2. 20 November. The Galvin Brothers. (title to be confirmed)
3. 18 December. “The Matthew Collings Experience” with the artist, writer and broadcaster himself.
4. 15 January. Spitalfields Society “new year” party with special guest, Sandra Esquilant in conversation with Basil Comely.
5. 19 February. “Tailoring in Spitalfields”, Timothy Everest MBE
6. 19 March. “Hawksmoor & Vanburgh. The Drama of Architecture”, Sir Charles Saumarez Smith.
7. 16 April. “The Pub Design Quiz”. Rupert Wheeler in conversation with Esther Stanhope.
8. 21 May. “Reimagining the Whitechapel Gallery”. Gilane Tawadros. Director of the Whitechapel Gallery.
The talks will be held at Hanbury Hall, 22 Hanbury Street, E1 6QR, starting at 6.30pm and finishing at 8.00pm allowing for questions and debate. Refreshments will be available, and the hall will be open from 6.00pm and 9.00pm to allow the local community and visitors to the area to socialise before and after the event. The Hall accommodates an audience of about 100.
This is the fourth season of talks to be organised by the Society. Past speakers have included such public figures as Dame Sian Phillips, Angela Harnett, Tom Parker Bowles, Griff Rhys Jones, and Dan Cruickshank. Many local residents have spoken about their area of expertise and experience, from artists and writers to polar explorers and globe makers, and many visiting academics and historians have given talks about the cultural, social, and historic heritage of Spitalfields.
Tickets organised through Eventbrite. £12 per talk. £60 for a season ticket for all eight talks. Cash café/bar from 6.00 to 9.00pm. All proceeds to go to local “worthy causes.”
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Hanbury Hall, 22 Hanbury Street, London, United Kingdom
GBP 13.70
